Just One Cycled Tank-is It Too Much To Ask?

[ellena]

Thanks guys. I'm doing what you suggest OldMan, and haven't done a water change since last tues. Neither stat has gone over 0.25 in that time. I really can't tell with the ammonia, but one tank had 0.25 nitrites for just over a day and they have begun to drop today, so maybe we're getting somewhere.
If stats are OK tonight and in the morning, I will do a water change tomorrow eve as if it's a regular weekly one. A whole week without an emergency change would be great news
Enjoy the mountains WD!

 

[ellena]

Still looking good I managed to go the full week without a change and since my last post I've had no nitrite in either tank and just traces of ammonia sometimes.
The fishless cycle tank is also getting close 0,0 in 14 hours today
Thanks for the support with this guys

 

[matchstickman47]

Next time use EASY BALANCE from tetra it stabalizes ph and kh

others doubt it but works a treat for me

 

[waterdrop]

Still looking good I managed to go the full week without a change and since my last post I've had no nitrite in either tank and just traces of ammonia sometimes.
The fishless cycle tank is also getting close 0,0 in 14 hours today
Thanks for the support with this guys

This is really good news ellena! Without looking back in too much detail I'm guessing that perhaps this was another case of "small tank, single or few fish, slow fish-in cycle" syndrome that I feel we've seen from time to time. Would you concur? Do you feel in the end that it was just slower than you expected and perhaps the "signs" were harder to read?

~~waterdrop~~

 

[ellena]

Well, an update and it's not good I'm afraid I think I jinxed it by posting on here-no good news in future until it's been settled a month!
I had a gradual build up of ammonia in one tank and it got to 0.5 so I did a water change 2 days ago. 0 yesterday and a trace today.
In the other tank it built up to almost 0.5 yesterday so I did a change and it's 0.25 again today.
I am sick of the sight of the test kits and I don't know what I'm going to do if they aren't cycled when I go on holiday which is in only just over 2 week's time. I have no-one I can ask to do maintenance at this level.

 

[ellena]

An emergency water change in both tanks again today. Levi was 0.5 and Rufus had stayed at 0.25 since yesterday. Neither had any nitrites, but that's hardly suprising as there's obviously no ammonia being processed.
This is over 4 weeks on both tanks now, both seeded/filled with very nearly cycled media. Rufus' tank has had 3 lots of mature media, that good stretch last week and now we are back to square one again. It's as if there's no filter in there. I'm double dosing dechlor since that was suggested and I really don't know what else I can be doing wrong

 

[waterdrop]

I'm hurtin' for ya, reading this. Wish I could think of something more clever to say other than to just keep fish-in cycling. Little tanks are weird and slow but people have made it through with them. I know another thing weighing in on you is the upcoming trip and all I can think of is to try and work on some relative or friend. I've got an aunt moving up here near me and she doesn't know it yet but I'm hoping to teach her about dosing ferts to our tank while we're traveling!

~~waterdrop~~