My Cycle Has Failed Me

[fish nutter]

Hi everyone,

I am doing a fish-in cycle, the reason for this was because my LFS didn't tell me about cycling so i went and bought fish and i couldn't cannot return them. They are 10 rummynose tetras and have been in the tank (250 liter / 55 gal) for 2 months. I have an API freashwater master test kit and are testing daily for ammonia and nitrite, weekly for nitrate and PH. Now at the start of getting fish my results are: ammonia 0 ppm, nitrite 0ppm, nitrate 0 ppm, PH 7.4. and now the tests are still the same!!!! the ammonia has only ever gone up to .25 ppm (that is when i do a 30% water change and it goes to 0 ppm again).

What is happening?

I have a few plants in my tank and lots of algae ( brown algae on glass, plants, rocks, gravel, heater and filer pipes (i am using an eheim pro 3 2073). the light is on for 8-10 hours a day. I am supplementing my plants with SEACHEM FLOURISH (5ml every week).

Help / Advise is much appreciated.

 

[fatheadminnow]

I still think you don't have enough fish to raise your ammonia up that high, that fast. If I were you, and if you want to get the cycle over with, I would buy more fish. This will cause your ammonia to go up faster. Maybe double your current stocking, as then the ammonia will go up twice as fast.

The algae is from the ammonia, even though in very small amounts; it is still enough to trigger algae.

EDIT: You do add a water conditioner? What is your pH at?

-FHM

 

[fish nutter]

I agree, i have been putting of getting more fish. thanks

Yes i do add water conditioner - stress coat - should i change brand? e.g. prime

Edit: I also add stress zyme

My PH is currently at 7.2

 

[waterdrop]

You have a couple of things making it slow. I agree that your bioload of the rummys is no doubt too low to be able to let you see the signs of the slow cycling clearly (although it will be in fact happening, just very hard for our test kits and the timing of your taking of the tests to let you see the little blips of nitrite that might be slipping by.) Make sure your additions are small (maybe 3 fish at a time with a week in between) but go ahead and begin increasing. The other thing making it harder to see is that you have a very large media volume in the filter and in my experience that translates into the type of cycle where the signs seem very slow for a long time but in the end, boom, the colonies cross over the bioload matching line and just never come back on you, its double zeros forever basically unless some mistake is made.

I may get some flack for saying this but I switched from Stress Coat to Prime and the change coincided with an improvement in my fishless cycle. Besides the minor data point I've collected a few members reporting similar but none of it is very good data, it could all just be coincidence. Nonetheless there is some support from Hovanec, not about these specific conditioners but about the possibility that conditioners may make some difference. I'd cut both stess things and pick up a smaller bottle of Prime and give it a try.

Lastly, I'd very slowly ease backwards on your light exposure hours and be sure to use a gentle sponge to clean as much brown algae as possible immediately prior to each water change you do. Are you dosing a little Excel? Slightly higher carbon intake from that might slightly increase your plant growth rate and help them take up a few more other nutrients. Also try easing back just a tiny amount on the Flourish. Regardless, I'm sure you know its very hard to not have algae during cycling as the ammonia combines with light to be the trigger.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[fish nutter]

ok thanks, how do i reduce light exposure hours - do you mean reduce the time the lights are on for? and to what? or buy new low Kelvin rating lights? i have got lots of black and white-ish spots of algae covering my filter pipes, should i buy a brush thingy for that? no i am not dosing excel however will buy with lights and prime. and guess what!!!!! i am seeing nitrates (probably because i havn't done a water change for about 2 weeks). i will get 3 yoyo loaches ( and a week after a few more rummys) after i have fitted / cleaned and dosed my tank. i havn't dosed florurish in a week and a half... does it matter if dosing is irregular?

thanks

 

[fatheadminnow]

irregular dosing of ferts for a low-tech tank is just fine. It is when you have a high-tech, CO2 injection, planted tank where you want to stick to your fertilizer schedule.

reduce your lights by having them on less, maybe 6 or so hours.

Congrats on seeing the nitrate! See, your cycle is coming along.

-FHM

 

[fish nutter]

ok thanks.

EDIT: what exacatly do u mean to very slowly reduce light exposure hours?

 

[fatheadminnow]

ok thanks.

EDIT: what exacatly do u mean to very slowly reduce light exposure hours?

Gradually cut the hours back day after day. The first day maybe take a half and hour off, then a little more the next and so forth.

Personally, after having a high-tech planted tank; instead of gradually cutting hours back, just knock 2 or so hours off.

-FHM

 

[waterdrop]

In low-tech tanks I have had plants die when their light is suddenly cut by two hours. Yes, reducing the hours of light by adjusting the timers is what I was talking about. Don't replace the tubes. I would dose excel along with the flourish but don't overdose it.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[fish nutter]

sorry i was confused with my 2 posts... i have posted a forum before this one in the tropical discussion, there it shows my lighting problems ... (called: Disturbed Fish?

What should i do? buy lower kelvin rating lights - because my fish are stressed?

I have school so i can only reduce the lighting to 8 - 9 hours (i have a timer, however it is too noisy as tank is in my bedroom)

 

[fatheadminnow]

Try reducing lights, in hours. The lighting is just going to deal with the plants, the cycle will still proceed as usually with or without lights.

A lower K rating is just going to have a more yellow/orange/redish light.

-FHM

 

[fish nutter]

so bright light won't stress out fish? because in my other post i talked about the fish staying near the bottom when lights were on and angling down to gravel, but when they were off they go and explore in the middle and stuff...

Is this normal for rummys to do?

 

[fatheadminnow]

The K rating is the energy rating. A lower K rating is not going to have a significant reduction in light emitted. To reduce light you need to get a smaller wattage light.

-FHM

 

[fish nutter]

ok, what might be happening to my fish then? on my other post this is what OldMan47 said:

Both of those light tubes are outside of the normal requirements for your fish. In a freshwater tank, the lamps have a light spectrum of between 5500K and 10000K. Your lamps, with a much higher energy light spectrum, have the disadvantage of being too good for algae growth without the benefit of being good for plant growth. Where does that leave you? The answer is simple really. You need to get some fluorescent tubes that have a longer wavelength, lower spectrum number. You want to replace your lighting with tubes in the 5500K to 6000K range. Those tubes will provide lots of light in the range that can be used by plants without providing as much light energy outside the range that your plants can use. This is not very exciting information but is the straight scoop.

What do you think about this? should i get florescent tubes that have a longer wavelength and a lower spectrum number?

Thanks

 

[fatheadminnow]

The higher K rating will promote algae growth, but will not really have any benefit to plants because the higher K rating is higher than that of our sun.

For your fish though, it is not really going to matter what K rating you got.

-FHM

Whatever the case is, the light is not going to effect your cycle, which is what I thought this thread was about?

-FHM