Help Fishless Cycle Not Working

[Tank novice]

Every other day i check the ammonia and its always 4ppm ph is at 7.8 - 8 . no nitrite or nitrate, we have been trying to cycle for over 4 weeks. We have a juwel 180 vision tank, this week i added an airstone to try and oxygenate the water more. The temperature is at 26 degrees celcius, we have no plants just gravel filter and an ordament. we de-chlorinated the water i dont know what were doing wrong we keep reading websites and forums.

we want the fishless cycle to work as we dont want to harm any fish in are cycling process. Any suggestions?

 

[mattlee]

what ammonia have you used for the cycle?

also turn the temp up to 29 degrees as the bacteria will grow faster at a higher temp. anything over 29-30 degrees though can stall the cycle.

your pH is a good level to cycle so this shouldnt be an issue.

the ammonia should start dropping after about a week or so which makes me think the ammonia source might not be the correct one.....

 

[anon02]

If you were to add fish you would then need to do water changes to keep the fish alive, thus defeating the object. Unless you can get hold of some mature filter media theres not a lot more you can do. It`s probably an old wives tale, but I was advised to leave the tank cover off for an hour a day because the bacteria we are trying to encourage are also airborne

 

[Tank novice]

The ammonia was advised to us on this forum and is from homebase. i have got some gravel from my friends tank and have it hanging in mine now in some tights. on your advice ive raised the temperature.

fingers crossed i will cycle soon

 

[mattlee]

The ammonia was advised to us on this forum and is from homebase. i have got some gravel from my friends tank and have it hanging in mine now in some tights. on your advice ive raised the temperature.

fingers crossed i will cycle soon

a few people have used the homebase ammonia on here although i have not so cant comment on it.... i am currently using boots ammonia and its working fine!

 

[the biffster]

i know this sounds daft but is your filter turning
water over ok

 

[Tank novice]

i have held my hand in front of the filter pump and its working, im new at this and unsure the rate it should be working at but it is brand new and im sure it works fine. can u turn filter pumps up? i have a juwel 180 vision tank with built in filter.

i have added some gravel from an established gold fish tank i placed gravel in some tights and have it dangling in my tank. temperature now at 29 degrees celcius.

 

[drobbyb]

Just to be sure, shake the bottle of ammonia. If it foams, it's the wrong stuff. A few bubbles that disappear quickly is okay, but foam is bad. Also, make sure it is unscented and clear.