Problem Cycling.

[ShoC]

Okay I have had my tank up an running now for 2/3 months
unfortunately I had to do a fish in cycle because the fish I took were from work (else they were dead)

Now I do water changes Every week, (have 3 fish in a 120litre tank) *3 tetras and a catfish* don't tell me how I need more tetras I know but at the moment it's not a good idea to get more.

So anyhow My ammonia currently stands at .15/25 rough guess from colour chart.
Nirtire is 0 and so is nitrate

I do 25% water change but my filter don't seem to be kicking in and removing the ammonia and producing nitrite

Same also with my 2nd tanks (had to buy a second for the red tailed shark they had mixed in with the rest)

anyone got any ideas why it's not starting?

I'm using an Eheim 2213 Eco and my other tank has a fluval internal filter.



Would it be a good idea to maybe get some sponge and stick it into a bottle with an air stone and add ammonia and get some sponge cycled that way?


Thanks and best Regards
Carl

 

[kittycat12]

what test kit are you using? maybe the test kit sucks.

 

[Underwurlde]

2-3 months is a very long time for nothing to happen, as it clearly is.

q) what is the pH of your tap water?
q) what is the pH of the water in your tank?
q) what is the temperature of the water in your tank?

Best to seed your filter. Is it possible to take a piece of filter media from an established filter?

Andy

 

[ShoC]

Cant get an Established filer media.

My tap water Ph is 7.1 the tanks (last time I checked) shot up to 8.2
my temp is 23c

my test kit is API master test kit (fresh water)

 

[Underwurlde]

Up the temperature to the max that your fish can stand.

I assume you are dechlorinating your water for every water change? (Sorry if that's obvious...)

I can't remember the upper limit of pH that would hinder cycling, but it does seem rather high. Note the higher the pH, the more dangerous ammonia becomes.

Andy

 

[ShoC]

yeah sadly Its high, (added Bog wood in hope to reduce)
I do dechlorinate Before adding any water into my tank or even in contact with my filter.
I'll up the temp to 25

 

[Underwurlde]

I think that for cycling without fish, to aid the cycling process, the tank temperature is suggested to be raised to 30C. I mention this just as a guideline you understand. I would be tempted therefore to go higher. Do you think 27C-28C is out of the question for your fish?

Do you test for GH & KH of your water, this could explain the high pH of the water...

Other than seeding, I am out of ideas as to why your tank is not starting to cycle. It could be a combination of low temp and high pH?

Andy

 

[ShoC]

Cant test GH/KH unless I buy the kits,
I dont fancy pushing the temperature to much with the stress they probably are currently under,
I think my best bet might be to take some filter media out and kick start it using ammonia and an air stone in a jar or something,
I don't see why this wouldn't work.

 

[Underwurlde]

I think my best bet might be to take some filter media out and kick start it using ammonia and an air stone in a jar or something,

You mentioned you had 2 tanks?

Could you take all fish out of one and have them all in the other. Then cycle media in the empty tank using pure ammonia?

Just an idea,

GL,

Andy

 

[kittycat12]

Okay I have had my tank up an running now for 2/3 months
unfortunately I had to do a fish in cycle because the fish I took were from work (else they were dead)

Now I do water changes Every week, (have 3 fish in a 120litre tank) *3 tetras and a catfish* don't tell me how I need more tetras I know but at the moment it's not a good idea to get more.

So anyhow My ammonia currently stands at .15/25 rough guess from colour chart.
Nirtire is 0 and so is nitrate

I do 25% water change but my filter don't seem to be kicking in and removing the ammonia and producing nitrite

Same also with my 2nd tanks (had to buy a second for the red tailed shark they had mixed in with the rest)

anyone got any ideas why it's not starting?

I'm using an Eheim 2213 Eco and my other tank has a fluval internal filter.



Would it be a good idea to maybe get some sponge and stick it into a bottle with an air stone and add ammonia and get some sponge cycled that way?


Thanks and best Regards
Carl

i think your test kit is crap. first in a cycle process ammonia builds up then it turns in to nitrite then turns into nitrate. or maybe its the other way around. anyways its not possible to have no nitrite/nitrate and still ammonia

 

[Underwurlde]

^ Well that's his problem really, although the tank has been established for 2/3 months now, the filter has not even begun to cycle, that is to say the nitrifying bacteria are not even starting to colonize the filters.

No bacteria (of any reasonable amount) present in the filter means that there is no bacteria there to munch Ammonia into Nitrite and no bacteria to munch nitrite into nitrate.

He should have at least seen ammonia levels come down (and therefore nitrite levels rise) within at least 2-3 weeks of first switching the filter on.

Andy

 

[ShoC]

Thanks Andy for explaining that to Kittycat12 you saved me explaining that.
I couldn't possibly put them into one tank as my Red Tailed shark might kill my tetras.

and even then I would have to put them all into the large tank or small then vice versa to cycle both of them,


it's so Very irritating.

 

[Underwurlde]

and even then I would have to put them all into the large tank or small then vice versa to cycle both of them,

Ah, that was going to be my cunning plan: Once one filter had cycled you'd then simply take 1/3rd of the cycled media and swap it with your uncycled tank media. Within 24hrs, your second tank should have cycled & hence no need for unnecessary swapping of fish.

BTW, have you looked at the donar list for people hopefully living near you who are willing to donate cycled filter media / mulm?

Andy

[Edit]: Could an LFS look after your Red Tail? Or another idea is to add a separator to keep the two species apart?

[Edit #2]: Donar list: http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=150631

 

[ShoC]

Thanks for the Donar list,
I have actually Got a 3rd tank on the way now and will have a tank free to do the cycling on,

I have never added mature filter before,
On the tank I'm going to cycle say the one with the Fluval,
if I add a small amount of foam then when cycled stick it into the Eheim canister don't matter where
or shape does it?

EDIT: I wouldn't trust the LFS around me,
I did consider having rid of the Neon tetras but problem is they have had a white lump on their mouth for a while with no luck to treatment posted I have read tried
Methylene blue, Mouth rot loads of stuff to no luck so I don't think anyone would want them.

EDIT: reason for considering the tetras is so I can put catfish and red shark together.

 

[Underwurlde]

if I add a small amount of foam then when cycled stick it into the Eheim canister don't matter where
or shape does it?

Nope.
[Edit] - but donar media best placed at the INLET side of the cannister so as to 'wash' the bacteria over the rest of the uncolonized media.

You're in Harrow (NE London)? I'd bet a lot of people on the donar list will live quite near you: 'Seeding' new filters with media direct from cycled media will cycle your new tank in relatively next to no time (don't take too long transporting it & keep it wet / moist - aim for 2 hrs max, therefore I'd say get it done in under an hour). Using donar media, to cycle your uncycled tank we're talking days (can vary of course), less than a week perhaps, if lucky 1-2 days, as opposed to weeks, 6-8weeks say.

Well worth biting the bullet and doing, no?

Andy