Strange Fishless Cycle Problem.

[daizeUK]

Sorry that you lost your fish.
 
Is it possible that there are bacteria remaining in the substrate that are processing the ammonia?  I find it very hard to believe that a single plant can process all this ammonia by itself.
 

 I put about 3ml in, when  the calculator only calls for 0.5 for 5ppm

 
So you're adding 30ppm of ammonia.  Your test kit may simply not be able to cope with such a high reading, it's quite common for test kits to read zero ammonia when the actual level is off the scale.
 
Come to think of it, 30ppm of ammonia would probably kill any bacteria that you did have anyway.  I would try a complete water change, add 0.3ml to achieve 3ppm ammonia and test again.

 

[shelbycole]

My substrate is completely new gravel that I got yesterday at Petco, so that couldn't be it, either. I did a test this morning and it's reading 0.50ppm, but it REALLY stinks of ammonia. I'll try a PWC and see if that resets things, though I've tried doing that a few times last night.

 
I didn't put the 3mL in all at once, I put 3 drops, waited, tested, nothing, 4 drops, waited, tested, nothing...etc.

 

[shelbycole]

Hey everyone, thanks to all who replied. I believe my problem was that I added initially 3 drops of ammonia, and just that tiny amount made the test kit read off the charts as pale yellow/green color. After another 90% water change, it showed up dark blue-green. After another, it read 8.0. Still working on getting it down to 3 or 4ppm. It's very difficult to measure out 0.37mL, I've found that out the hard way.  Hopefully my little sword wasn't too stressed. I learned my lesson about accuracy and patience in small tanks.
 
 
Daize: Thank you! After three 90% water changes, I got it down to 2ppm. I'm not touching the ammonia again until it goes below 0.75. 

 

[daizeUK]

You might be able to get a small 1ml syringe from your local pharmacy, the kind they use to administer medicine to babies.  I find these are great for measuring small quantities of dechlorinator and other liquids.

 

[shelbycole]

You might be able to get a small 1ml syringe from your local pharmacy, the kind they use to administer medicine to babies.  I find these are great for measuring small quantities of dechlorinator and other liquids.

I was using a 10mL syringe from when my husband's daughter was ill. I was guessing that 1 drop was 0.10 mL, because that's how it appeared. 
 
We have all sorts of medical supplies, she had a rare sarcoma and succumbed to it about 6 years ago.

 

[Ch4rlie]

You might be able to get a small 1ml syringe from your local pharmacy, the kind they use to administer medicine to babies.  I find these are great for measuring small quantities of dechlorinator and other liquids.

Yup, agreed 

 
 
A good tip.
These syringes are so helpful in measuring much more accurate doses. 
I have several different sized syringes and they are not particularly expensive, a couple of pounds from eBay or Amazon for 2 or 3 syringes, depending on size you want.
 
These are a big help compared to the daft "half a capful" or whatever measurements given on bottle instructions.

I was using a 10mL syringe from when my husband's daughter was ill. I was guessing that 1 drop was 0.10 mL, because that's how it appeared. 
 
We have all sorts of medical supplies, she had a rare sarcoma and succumbed to it about 6 years ago.
 

Sorry to hear about this 

 

[daizeUK]

1 drop is usually about 0.05ml, so 3 drops would be around 0.15ml and 6-7 drops should get you to the ideal concentration.

 

[EllieJellyEllie]

 

No, don't get any fish yet until you are sure have actually cycled the tank.

what happens if plant die?

I was joking when I said that. I have no desire to get another one after losing Axel like I did. That's why I opted for a planted tank.
 
 
Blondie: Knowing that, I'll wait to get another fish until we get a bigger house and I can have a 10 gal cycled for my new betta, if I'm ready for one by then. Any recommendations for my little tank here? Just plants? I love those little marimo balls.
 

 
 
You are officially my best friend Anyone who chatted with me yesterday knows I came by 5 marimo moss balls on eBay for 99 cents and I got so excited! lol

 

[shelbycole]

 

 


No, don't get any fish yet until you are sure have actually cycled the tank.

what happens if plant die?

I was joking when I said that. I have no desire to get another one after losing Axel like I did. That's why I opted for a planted tank.
 
 
Blondie: Knowing that, I'll wait to get another fish until we get a bigger house and I can have a 10 gal cycled for my new betta, if I'm ready for one by then. Any recommendations for my little tank here? Just plants? I love those little marimo balls.
 

 
 
You are officially my best friend

Anyone who chatted with me yesterday knows I came by 5 marimo moss balls on eBay for 99 cents and I got so excited! lol
 


OH MY GOSH
 
I'll take 30!
 
I bought one from Marimo Kingdom, it was a tiny thing that cost about $7.00 altogether D:

 

[EllieJellyEllie]

Ebay is your friend

 

[shelbycole]

My biggest struggle right now is finding either a pair of ghost or cherry shrimp that don't have ridiculous shipping prices. I'll have to tell my pet supplies plus to order me a pair of ghost shrimp once my tank is cycled.

 

[Blondielovesfish]

Daize is a genius!!!
I didn't even think of it being off the charts, well down Daize for figuring it out!
 
You could always have the tank as a small shrimp tank?
Or a nice planted tank like you said

 

[shelbycole]

Just thought I'd update everyone, and have a couple questions:
 
 
My nitrites are finally showing up, yay!
 
I planted some dwarf pennywort that is growing like a weed, and have a big marimo ball that is turning more green every day. Unfortunately, my Argentine sword died from burying it too deeply and transplanting it too much.
 
My questions are:
 
My drinking water has a ph of 6.4, but is hard water from a mountain spring (at least, I think it is). Should I use this, or my tap water that has a ph of 8.4?
 
Also, I'm getting 3 female RCS and 2 MTS, would this be alright for a 2.5 gallon, or should I reduce the bioload a bit?
 
I have a bubbler in there, will the shrimp be okay with swimming in it? It's a fancy one that has a little bridge decoration over it.
 
If I don't get RCS, I'm getting a betta. Are they compatible with Malaysian Trumpet Snails?
 
Thanks!

 

[daizeUK]

Good to hear!
 
What is the reason that you don't use your tap water for drinking?  If it is unsuitable for drinking then it may be unsuitable for fish due to added chemicals.
Is your drinking water bottled or plumbed into the house?
 
Shrimp and snails have very little bioload so 3 shrimp and 2 snails sounds fine to me.   As far as I've heard a betta should be okay with snails.

 

[shelbycole]

My husband really doesn't trust city water, that's why we drink spring water. Here is the info for my tap water: http/www.mcohio.org/Montgomery/CCR_2012_v3.pdf
 
I'm switching to the tap water for my fish because I know the water parameters, and my drinking water company is being tight lipped about their parameters. Never answered my e-mail.
 
I used the tap to raise the ph when it crashed, then my PH crashed even harder, stalling my cycle. So there's that problem, and another problem is I'm temporarily using polyfil from an old stuffed animal (thoroughly rinsed) as filter media, and it keeps picking up these bluish particles. I'm thinking it's gravel dust, since my gravel is blue, but I thought I had rinsed it really well, and no matter how much I change my water, these particles still appear in my filter media, trapped by it. Will they hurt anything I introduce? I also have a bag of carbon in there, could it be causing the dust?
 
ARGH!
 
Edit:
 
Oh my. I just discovered the paint on this cave decoration with a shark on it, is bubbling and peeling off. I should probably return it to the store, huh?
 
 
P.P.S,
 
I did a full water change, water is now crystal clear instead of all cloudy and blue looking. I'm returning that cave to the store, and picking up some real filter media. I'd like batting material, but I'm nowhere near a store that has that, at least within walking distance. Any DIY suggestions that CVS or Kroger would have? I don't feel like paying $2 for a tiny little square from the pet store.
 
I'm really glad I don't have any fish in there. The snail that snuck his way in is quite the trooper, dealing with all this crap.