How Can I Help Cycle?

[bllackpython]

Hello,
 
I recently made a post about my step mum trying to cycle her tank and I brought her a filter pad to help speed the process up. She started on the 5th and still has not seen ammonia go down.
 
So here are the details:
Tank: 64L
Temp: 26C
Ammonia: 35%
 
Monday
.............
Added 1ml of ammonia
(I mentioned that was too much as the ammonia is quite strong, wondering if this is why there has not been any results)
She said she tested after this and it was:
Ammonia: 3-4ppm
 
Tuesday
..............
I added 1 of my U2 filter pads (from an established tank) to her U3 filter
Ammonia: 3-4ppm
 
Wednesday
...................
Ammonia: 3-4ppm
 
Today
..........
She mentioned it was dark green today so i'm guessing the ammonia is higher than 4.
She is going to try and do a water change to try and bring it down.
 
 
So my questions are:
a) Would the high ammonia kill the bacteria that would have been in my filter pad?
b) When adding mature media how long before it should take effect?
c) Finally, is there anything I can do now to help her? I have 2 tanks 70L and 125L, i took the filter pad from the 70L as my other one gets a bit dirty because of the wood in the tank.
 
Thank you

 

[214jay]

My thoughts would be:
 
a) The high ammonia should not kill the bacteria but could be stalling your cycle.
b) It depends on how much mature media she had and the conditions (was the water dechlorinated; Was the mature media left in tank water until transferred etc..) - Sometime the tank would be cycled almost instantly, otherwise could just substantially speed it up.
C) I would recommend a 50% water change with dechlorinated water and then re-test ammonia levels again after half an hour.  If ammonia is less than 4ppm but greater than 1ppm I would leave for 24hours and test again.
 
Jay

 

[bllackpython]

Well that's good!
She practically has a new set up (was used before and failed so the tank was cleaned but she bought new gravel, filter and thermometer) the only thing that was added that was mature was 1 filter pad. She has been dechlorinated the water though.
She was also given this product from the lfs that helps remove ammonia and nitrite that she put in when she fist put water in the fish tank. I was confused as to why they made her buy it...
 
50% water change has been done and she says ammonia is at 2-3ppm so hopefully she will see some results after 24 hours!
I think it's just frustrating to not see anything happen. Even if the ammonia went down a little bit you feel like you have accomplished something lol.
 
I am a bit tempted to give her another filter pad from my tank if she continues to not see anything...

 

[SimpleA]

You can always get a booster chemical to massively increase the bacterial but i dont like this method.  Another method that has been used is getting some of the water from a friends tank, assuming they have perfect/excellent water conditions.  Mix this in with another 20% water change and you should start seeing some results....................

 

[214jay]

 
You can always get a booster chemical to massively increase the bacterial but i dont like this method.

I would advise against any 'booster chemicals' as they often encourage the wrong type of bacterial growth. There are products that supply 'bacteria in a bottle' but these are still debateable - Your best method is sticking to what you are doing now which is using the mature media.  Now your ammonia levels are back down results should start showing soon.
 

 
Another method that has been used is getting some of the water from a friends tank, assuming they have perfect/excellent water conditions.  Mix this in with another 20% water change and you should start seeing some results

The bacteria area located in the 'decoration' of the tank such as gravel, ornaments and the filter. There is almost next to no bacteria in the water so this will not help.
 
Just a thought, do not give too much of your filter media away or you may start getting a mini-cycle occuring in your tank if you remove too much of the bacteria.  I would hold out for a few days any see what results you get

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Ammonia reading at roughly 6.4 ppm on an API have reached the level where they will be inhibiting the bacteria, uo from there and you will start to harm or kill them and the cycle as well. For nitrite the level would be about 16.4 ppm on an API kit (yes, I realize they only go to 5 ppm).
 
Filter pads meant to remove wastes will hold almost no bacteria and are barely better than nothing at all. They are designed to clog which is why the bacteria can not do well there.
 
Please read the the beginner cycling article you can find using the "Cycling A Tank" link at the top of the page.
 
The proper amount of ammonia for your mom to add to her tank is just under .5 ml to achieve 3 ppm. That allows for using the 90% volume correction. Any measuring error on the upside at this small amount would be very bad for cycling.
 
Also, either Dr Tim's One and Only or Tetra's Safe Start should help with getting bacteria established. It is essential when using either of these products to follow the instructions to the letter. Operator error is the single biggest cause of failure using them. Please note, I have suggested two specific brands, there is a reason, just using any product that claims to do the job will not work. many do not contain the proper bacteria or any live bacteria at all. Using substrate and/or bio-media from a cycled tanks will also help. As mentioned, mechanical media will not, nor will adding water from a cycled tank.