Is there anyway to speed up the cycling process ?

[candymancan]

I removed my UGF and all my blues rocks last month on the 27th or so.. I had a HOB filter running in conjunction with the UGF but apparently removing all my rocks started a new cycle which I was afraid was going to happen...

I have had like 4-8ppm of ammonia in my tank now for going on 3 weeks straight.. I have like 25 fish in the tank as well (27g hex) neons, rainbows, glow lights ect mostly small fish... Im surprised honestly I haven't had a single death or fish gasping for air or acting strange or even have red gills... I have been dosing a capful of prime every 24 hours, and my tank is heavily planted.. I also have been using CO2 for like 2 weeks now.. Its been keeping the PH around 6.6 or so.. I heard a lower PH lessens the effect of ammonia so maybe that and prime is why nothing has died...

Its futile to do water changes as my tap water has 2ppm of ammonia and within like 24 hours im right back to 4-8ppm of ammonia..

Is there no way to make this cycle faster ? I tried using bacteria in a bottle and adding filters from my other tanks.. nothing is working

 

[Rivercats]

Using seeded media is the best way to speed a cycle. Adding fast growing plants will help reduce ammonia. BUT just so you have the information if ph drops to 6.5 or below biological activity slow and if ph falls to 6 or below biological activity stops and BB begin to die off. Yes it's true ammonia is safer at lower ph but if your not careful and fall below the numbers I listed your tank will take forever to cycle. Also while ammonia is less toxic at lower ph, nitrites is more toxic the lower the ph is. Just giving you some info.

 

[candymancan]

Thanks.. So far im not at the nitrite phase I have 0 in the tank... PH never goes below 6.6, if I use an airstone in conjunction with the co2 I noticed the ph will be around 6.8-7.0 instead..

But I just read up on how to make the cycle go faster and it says lots of oxygen and higher temps.. So im just going to turn the CO2 off I guess.. PH will go back to 7.4 though hope that wont hurt my fish with the ammonia in the tank... Turned my temps to 82f.

My plants are loving the CO2 its been 2-3 weeks since I changed to this floramax substrate and 2 weeks since using the co2 and man my Telenthara cardinalis is like a real deep red and double the size since I got it... I love this plant, my Limnophila hippuroides lol are growing like a weed. And my Red neseae while did lose its dark red color like you predicted are still pink/yellow on the new growth and they are 5 inches taller now with nice big long leaves. Anubias is doing good..

Afraid my huge 18 inch sword though lots 70% of its leaves during the gravel change and while like 10 new ones grew back they are only like 8-9 inches tall and don't see to be growing any taller.. My water sprite looks poopy as well.. it isn't growing and the plant feels hard not soft like the ones in the 55g which are growing like weeds. Im not sure why the watersprite isn't growing but all the other so called hard to grow plants are growing really fast.

You said you didn't like the cardinalis but ive had it for like a month now and I really like this plant. check it out... Only issue im having atm plant wise is the Limnophila hippuroides ... While green now yes... I don't care I kinda love the way it looks green... the stems keep rotting in the substrate and the plant eventually floats to the top... They had roots with my blue rocks but they don't see to be growing them anymore

 

[Rivercats]

Your plants are having to acclimate to new water conditions so you have to give them time. Swords and crypts often have a harder time acclimating, especially large ones, because their extensive root system have to re-establish.

 

[Delapool]

Going through the same thing with ph of 7.4-7.6 if that helps. I tried the bottle stuff with no luck unless it sped up the cycle with water changes. Ammonia has just come down to 0, nitrite is 4-6ppm and nitrate about 40-50ppm. Even the baby Molly has survived. I used amino lock plus madly staring at tank and hoping...

 

[candymancan]

Im just thinking its weird how its been 3 weeks.. With ammonia literally 4-8ppm in the tank and I haven't had even a neon tetra die. I don't see any red gills.. and no one is acting weird.. its like they don't even care about it..

 

[Delapool]

Same here, the neon tetras are fine. Yeah, I've put it down to a major stuff up on my part and fooled around with the filters once too often. On reading I can understand the ammonia can be converted to a less toxic form in the short-term (not that I'm advocating it as a strategy) but I don't understand the nitrite not being a problem in the tank. It looks solid off the chart on the API test kit (and the strips agree). I didn't think anything treated that. The bottle stuff may have made a difference as it only took a week (or maybe the tank could re-cycle quicker). It is all very strange. Perhaps the plants make the difference. I don't know why you are not seeing nitrite - could it either be it has cycled or the bacteria only "eat" the more toxic ammonia. Just guessing here.

 

[Delapool]

Hi, have you had any luck? My tank has cycled again and ammonia / nitrite are 0 with nitrate at 20 or so. I've been doing a bit of reading and still can't figure out how fish can live at high readings, particularly nitrite.

 

[molliwopp]

Hi, have you had any luck? My tank has cycled again and ammonia / nitrite are 0 with nitrate at 20 or so. I've been doing a bit of reading and still can't figure out how fish can live at high readings, particularly nitrite.

I cant believe it either to be honest. I can tell the difference in behavior in my fish when even .5 is present. Theyre become lethargic, twitchy and duller in colour.

If ammonia has always be present you wont be able to tell by behavior alone as you have nothing to compare natural and abnormal behavior with.

 

[Fishlover3578]

You could buy aquabella suppose to cycle ur tank In two days with fish in and no WC for a year just top offs I'm goin for it 35$ kit does up to 55gtank

 

[Baddog671]

I made the mistake of putting neon tetras in my tank before the water perameters were stabile. 70% death rate

 

[Delapool]

I cant believe it either to be honest. I can tell the difference in behavior in my fish when even .5 is present. Theyre become lethargic, twitchy and duller in colour.

If ammonia has always be present you wont be able to tell by behavior alone as you have nothing to compare natural and abnormal behavior with.

Yeah, odd - what would keep them alive then? The amino lock/prime chemicals? I mean the readings looked above 5ppm and I thought the chemicals were only good to 2ppm. The strips loosely agreed with the liquid test as well and they recorded the spike and drop over a week and a bit in my case.

Good point on fish behavior, more regular tests are intended.

 

[Delapool]

You could buy aquabella suppose to cycle ur tank In two days with fish in and no WC for a year just top offs I'm goin for it 35$ kit does up to 55gtank

Many thanks, will check out.

 

[severum mama]

You could buy aquabella suppose to cycle ur tank In two days with fish in and no WC for a year just top offs I'm goin for it 35$ kit does up to 55gtank

No water changes for a year is a totally outlandish claim, regardless of whether it works for cycling.

 

[Samzter]

You could buy aquabella suppose to cycle ur tank In two days with fish in and no WC for a year just top offs I'm goin for it 35$ kit does up to 55gtank

That is 100% fake. There's no way that will work. Op: don't even bother looking into this info. Everything in your tank will die

 

[Fishlover3578]

Well I have heard from others that it worked for them. Unless you have tried it you can't say it won't work.

 

[severum mama]

No water changes for a year is utter nonsense imo.

 

[molliwopp]

Well I have heard from others that it worked for them. Unless you have tried it you can't say it won't work.

You're right i have no experience in doing no water changes nore should anyone else. It worked for them but not their fish, have alittle respect for the fish you keep fish'lover'

No water changes for a year is utter nonsense imo.

Absolutely!

 

[Fishlover3578]

Well what If u used the product but dd water changes once every 2 months . I don't see a problem with that since it keeps everything g where it should be

 

[Baddog671]

The only way to establish BB that quickly in your tank is to introduce a live colony (ex, filter media). Something that can't be bottled...