confusion

[bibeau689]

ok well i have been following everyone's advice down to a t and have had NO results whatsoever its been 3 plus weeks now maybe even 4 i have lost count and i had put 3ppm of ammonia from ace hardware the janitorial strength in the tank and i tested it today and it is still at the same level of ammonia and very little to no nitrate, nitrites in the tank what so ever... this is ridiculous as i have spend countless dollars buying tank decorations a tank, lighting, filtration systems, tank heater, and chemicals, and of course the little science kit for testing for this and still have yet to be able to get a fish

 

[jetajockey]

Apply patience. It can take 6-8 weeks to cycle a tank sometimes. It'll get there.

I don't fishless cycle myself because i don't have the patience either, but it sounds like you are nearly there already, so don't give up.

 

[librarygirl]

I feel your pain. I did start my tank with 4 fish because PetSmart didn't tell me about cycling. Thankfully I researched on my own and caught it in time. I tested every day, changed water 1-2x per day to keep levels safe for fish, constant worrying. After a month they all died anyway overnight, still not sure why. Now I'm going fishless. It's 3 weeks today fishless for me and no nitrites or nitrates at all and ammo isn't moving (sometimes I think the color green is getting a bit lighter but that could just be wishful thinking). But I would never go back to cycling with fish, too much work and worry, not to mention cruel on the fish. The wait is hard but it'll be worth it in the end. Hang in there.

 

[Homedog98]

ok well i have been following everyone's advice down to a t and have had NO results whatsoever its been 3 plus weeks now maybe even 4 i have lost count and i had put 3ppm of ammonia from ace hardware the janitorial strength in the tank and i tested it today and it is still at the same level of ammonia and very little to no nitrate, nitrites in the tank what so ever... this is ridiculous as i have spend countless dollars buying tank decorations a tank, lighting, filtration systems, tank heater, and chemicals, and of course the little science kit for testing for this and still have yet to be able to get a fish

Can you borrow any used filter media or gravel from a friend? That should speed things up. You might can ask the petstore for some too. Though they might make you pay for it.

 

[Kawaipoon]

Whats the size of your tank?

My 5G cycled within 4 weeks,

But my 30G is in the same situation as you, very fustrating i know!!

 

[twoodrough]

I tried the shrimp method this time and I am about two weeks in. Nitrites just starting to show up. Happy happy joy joy! This is soooo much easier than the ammonia method. I have done that way 3 times and was basically obssessed with my tank for the 3-4 weeks it took to cycle. I tested 3-4 times a day with ammonia, and only test about every other day with the shrimp to make sure the ammo doesn't get too high (which it did but a PWC fixed it).