Tank Cycling Problems?

[clint252010]

Ok, I recently got a new 10 gallon tank for xmas. For filtration it has one of those Aqua-Tech power filters with a changeable cartridge and a bio-cartridge. I got no real plants (although I do have a couple aponogeton bulbs in there and one appears to be sprouting), a small cave, and I use an air pump to bubble air into the cave out through the top whole (mainly for effect hehe).

Anyways, for the first month or so I had the tank, everything appeared to be fine. New tank syndrome occured, then cleared up after the first week. After that it seemed to cycle properly and water was clear and everything fine.

Well one day I decided to do some tank maintenance so I rinsed the plants off, changed out some water and filter. Then I did something stupid.

It said to rinse the bio cartridge every once in a while but it didnt say how. So I rinsed it in a heavy flow of tap water. This was stupid, not only did most of my bacteria rinse off but it was killed off by chlorine in tap water (duh!). I was thinking about that to when I rinsed it but I did it anyway. It wasnt till later I found out that was wrong.

So basically my tank had to recycle. Now here is where the problems began. After that my tank began to get extremely cloudy. Like way more cloudy than new tank syndrome. I have been doing water exchanges (30-40%) every week. I havent done anything else because I figured it was a cycling problem and it would clear on its own.

Well its been about 2 months now and no change. The tank still gets extremely cloudy (to where you cant see the other side from end to end) a few days after an exchange. The test strips say the pH is about 6.2, and alkalinity is pretty much 0. The water is soft (about 75 GH) and nitrates are safe (about 25ppm).

However the tank still tests high for ammonia (about .3-.5ppm), and so is nitrites (around .7-1ppm).

Whats going on? Why wont the tank clear up? It seems as its cycling some do to the presence of nitrites and nitrates, but ammonia levels are still high and nothing seems to change. Whats going on with my tank? I havent really cleaned anything in it or even touched the filter (cept to replace the cartridge once but added peices of old filter to help "seed" it), bio cartridge has not been messed with.

Somebody help!

 

[Ilikefishes]

Are you using any water conditioners. Tetra's water conditioner with bioextract works well for me. The bioextract keeps your water crystal clear. Never rinse the Bio cartridge. And changing the filter cartridge is a scam in my opinion. They want you to use the activated carbon in the filter cartridge which wears out after about three weeks, then replace. Activated carbon is only good for removing medications and other impurities out of the water. I don't use it. Once it wears off I would just stick with the same filter cartridge and rinse it in a bucket of aquarium water during water changes when needed.

 

[neilanh]

The cloudiness is likely a bacterial bloom that keeps continuing since your cycle is still going.

How many fish are in the tank? As above said, what kind of water conditioner are you using when you do water changes?

 

[clint252010]

I have some start right dechlorinator that I always use to remove chlorine and heavy metals. I was wondering if maybe the conditioner wasnt working properly I always use the recommended dose sometimes a little more and always let the water sit for at least a few hours. But I was wondering cause a couple exchanges ago the water got real clear for a few days after I put in the fresh water then went back cloudy, I was wondering if there was still chlorine and it killed off the bloom. It didnt do it the last time I did an exchange though. Also I just did one today cause its been a little over a week and NH3/NH4+ and NO2 levels were high. I see what happens over the next couple days, as of right now it still appears just as cloudy as it was before.

Oh yeah I only have one guppy and one pictus catfish.

 

[clint252010]

So nobody has any answers? Everywhere I go its the same song and dance. Yes I know its a bacterial bloom, yes I know its still cycling.

But for over two months with no improvement? Something isnt right and I need to find the root of the problem. I am getting frustrated. Anybody else have any ideas?

 

[mfdrookie516]

The root of the problem is that you didnt cycle the tank before you got fish. That aside, cycling with fish takes quite a long time, especially considering you have to do lots of water changes to get the ammonia and nitrite to a "safe" level for the fish. To be able to get an accurate reading, you need a good liquid test kit. Until you have that, we can only assume the test strips are close. There is nothing you can do but keep doing water changes and monitoring the ammonia and nitrite levels until both hit 0ppm. Your best bet would be to take the fish back to the store and do a fishless cycle, the pictus cat needs more than a 10g tank anyways. And buy some Prime, that is, imo, the best water conditioner you can get

 

[clint252010]

Oh yeah I also forgot to mention the tank had been getting a lot of blackish/brown/greenish algae splocthes. I wiped most of them out when I changed the water yesterday but left a little cause my guppy like to munch on it for some reason. I dont know if that makes any difference.

 

[clint252010]

I cant take the fish back I have had my guppy over a year (I didnt buy him he was born in the tank) and my pictus for over 6 months.

Besides from what I have read pratically everywhere that cycling with only one or two fish is the way to do it, and it should only take a month or two. The tank has been set up for 3 months now.

So Im sorry but I still need some answers cause I really dont think thats the problem. Besides like I said the tank was doing just fine and cycling properly until I rinsed that filter thats when all the problems started.

So why is it taking so long? I never had these problems with my old tank even if that tank never cycled properly it never got cloudy like this one is, and it was a smaller tank to.

 

[clint252010]

Guess Im just gonna have to try a different website.

I know cycling can take up to 60 days sometimes but by this time in the cycling there should be no ammonia left only nitrites. It should be well into the second stage by now and it isnt.

So something else is wrong.

 

[Dekz]

Guess Im just gonna have to try a different website.

I know cycling can take up to 60 days sometimes but by this time in the cycling there should be no ammonia left only nitrites. It should be well into the second stage by now and it isnt.

So something else is wrong.

Fishless cycling takes ~a month because we bring the ammonia to VERY high levels (5 ppm).

Obviously you can't do this because you have fish in the tank. The cycle is taking longer because you are doing weekly 40% water changes to keep your ammonia at low levels.

This is almost certainly what your problem is, and rinsing your filter media with chlorinated tap water is a perfect explanation for what caused it.

Do you think some other website is going to tell you about some magic trick that will solve your problem?

 

[harmy4993]

So nobody has any answers? Everywhere I go its the same song and dance. Yes I know its a bacterial bloom, yes I know its still cycling.

But for over two months with no improvement? Something isnt right and I need to find the root of the problem. I am getting frustrated. Anybody else have any ideas?

just because you dont like the answer doesnt mean the answer is wrong. you say everyone is telling you the same thing. well good chance thats what it is then.

also to point out you said everyone has told you its good to cycle your tank with fish in them. ammonia and nitrites are both very very poisonious to fish. its deadly even in little ammounts. so what part of that would be good for your fish or your fish tank? thats like putting you in a house that causes cancer and instead of dying years from now you die tomorrow from it. its bad and you got bad advise.

 

[clint252010]

Its not that anybody told me its what I have read over and over again on hundreds of different websites.

Im not asking for a "magic trick" im just wondering why its so cloudy for over two months. No other tank in my entire life has ever done this or remained this cloudy for this long. I have never seen a tank take so long to cycle with or without fish in my entire life. So im sorry but that leads me to beleive that something is slowing the process down or something else is happening. Like I said its not like I dont like your answers, its just never in my entire lifetime have I ever seen a tank stay this cloudy for this long.

 

[clint252010]

Besides one of those hundreds of websites was this very website. I got some advise by reading through these forums so are you saying this website gives bad advise?

Besides it just makes me a little angry cause it seems like you guys have made up your mind on the answers without even considering any different possibilities, like you guys know it all or something.

Not everyone who goes into an emergency room puking and with a fever has the flu you know. You have to investigate.

 

[clint252010]

Do you think some other website is going to tell you about some magic trick that will solve your problem?

All I was saying is I want a second opinion. Does that offend you that much?

 

[neilanh]

I'm sorry if we're not able to assist you. We are trying to help you through it. It's not fair for us to make assumptions on what you know or what you've already researched, so we're just trying to help the best way we know how. Every tank is different, and like you said there is no "magic trick" that we can just give you.

Please keep this thread civilized as you continue your discussions here.

 

[Twoapennything]

Hey Clint, I can tell you are beyond frustrated with your tank! I'm doing a cycle with fish in the tank right now, too - not because I want to, but because I had to. It's also a 10 gallon tank. One thing I noticed is that you are doing a 40% PWC once per week. I've been doing 40-60% PWCs almost every day. Does it suck? Yes. But is my tank cycling? Yes. If you significantly increase your PWCs, perhaps that will make a dent in the bacteria that is causing the cloudiness.

You could also purchase a second ten gallon tank set up and begin a fishless cycle in the new setup, while maintaining damage control on your current tank (i.e. daily PWCs, measuring ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels) to keep your fish as healthy as possible while the new tank is cycling. A fishless cycle can be done WAY faster than a fishful cycle - if you haven't already, go and read the article on fishless cycling in the Articles area of this site. Once your new tank is cycled, you can transfer your fish to their new, clean home, and totally clean out and disinfect the old tank and keep as a back up/quarantine tank.

I was thinking that I read in the fishless cycle article that sometimes phosphate is necessary to bump the cycle into final completion. The article said that often the cause of cycles that seem to stall or not finish is a lack of phosphate, which the good bacteria need to prosper. It mentioned a product called pH Down - for a 10 gallon tank you would put two drops of pH Down into the tank, and it wouldn't be nearly enough to actually affect the pH levels, but it would supply more than enough phosphate for the good bacteria. I'm sure other members will correct me if I'm wrong, but this is my recollection, and it's what I'm doing with my tanks.

These are my suggestions. I hope you do manage to get your tank cycled - it's so frustrating to have a stalled cycle. BTDT.