I HATE FISHLESS CYCLING! PLEASE HELP!

[krap101]

true its not the case but ive read on a couple of sites that it will get less uhh it wont work as well. because theres gasses in ammonia (i think) and then the gas goes into the empty part of the bottle. when you open it the gas comes out. and every time you open it you keep letting more and more gas out. and the ammonia becomes weaker and weaker

 

[TankGirl]

If you can smell it, it will do the job in the tank. It does not take much to equate a full load of fish waste.

 

[deli_conker]

What are your actual levels of ammonia (ppm)?

I may have missed it, but how much ammonia did you add to the tank. I read an article somewhere that said adding too much ammonia will stall the process. If your ammonia levels in your water are sky high, I would do a water change, probably around 50%, to bring it down. Give it a few days and see what happens.

 

[hisc1ay]

Also, check the nitrites and nitrates. I don't think it's likely after only 2 weeks, but I suppose it's possible that you're done cycling...

-j

 

[bunebop]

I don't think the ammonia will be any less effective over time, but that is not the case here. I know it is hard but wait it out. Something has to give here in the near future - you can't avoid it but I have had slow cycles in the past, too, and it is no fun.

One other thought - are you heating the tank? I had a cycle recently run much quicker when I raised the temp of the tank to 86 just for the cycle.

Yeah, it's heated... right now all my tank (even those w/ fish in it) are about 86 and the heaters are off... it's just really hot here and I have no way to get it down. :?

 

[bunebop]

My ammonia is about 3-4 ppm, Nitrite is about 0 ppm, and same w/ nitrate. I didn't see a peak in either while I've been checking. Nothing has moved up or down. So I dn't think it's finished cycling... but I'm not sure. I've checked the amonia every day, but not the nitrite or nitrate.

It's a 50 gal tank... and I put in about 2.5 tablespoons (I think, can't completely remember)

 

[deli_conker]

Sometimes it takes a while for the bacteria to form. I think you're just going to have to wait a while and see. I had a ten gal tank that took about 2 months to cycle. I had another one that only took about 4 weeks. I don't know what the deciding difference is in the timeframe. It's probably based on more than just a few factors. All I can say right now is patience. Fishless cycling isn't necessarily any faster than a fishy one; just better for your fish.

 

[bunebop]

Alright, so I just check the ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite w/ new test kits I got in today. Today it says, instead of 3 ppm ammonia, there is actually 8, and the other two are 0 ppm each. Do I need to do a huge water change to get the ammonia down to 3?

 

[TankGirl]

What kind of dechlor are you using? I can't remember if we discussed this, but some of them react with the ammonia test, giving you a false high reading.

 

[bunebop]

I'm not using one. I have well water... so don't need to. There's no chlorine it my water.

 

[deli_conker]

Here's the math...

Let's say you have 8 ppm of anything in your tank (ammonia, nitrItes, nitrAtes, etc.). If you take out 50% of the water and replace it with fresh water (assuming there is nothing of what you are measuring in this fresh water). Then it will go from 8 ppm to 4 ppm (50% water change = 50% less measurement).

Today it says, instead of 3 ppm ammonia, there is actually 8

I don't follow, what is this based on?

I can relate to what you're going through. I just started a fishless cycle on my 30 and 10 gal tanks using frozen fish foods. This was about a week ago. I tested for ammomnia and got a .25 ppm reading on both tanks. I have a while to go...

 

[TankGirl]

Okay then, if your ammonia is registering 8ppm then I would do a water change and shoot for 5ppm. 5 is where I like to keep it for fishless, at least until I start seeing some progression, then you can back it down to 3.

 

[hisc1ay]

Why is it bad to keep it up at 8? Is that too much ammonia for the bacteria? I figured a high reading means a good colony will grow soon.

-j

 

[deli_conker]

Why is it bad to keep it up at 8? Is that too much ammonia for the bacteria? I figured a high reading means a good colony will grow soon.

-j

Too much ammonia prohibits the bacteria from growing. I did a google search and came up with this page. There is an explanation at the bottom of why too much ammonia can stall the tank...

http://www.tropicalfishcentre.co.uk/Fishlesscycle.htm

 

[hisc1ay]

good to know.

 

[bunebop]

Here's the math...

Let's say you have 8 ppm of anything in your tank (ammonia, nitrItes, nitrAtes, etc.). If you take out 50% of the water and replace it with fresh water (assuming there is nothing of what you are measuring in this fresh water). Then it will go from 8 ppm to 4 ppm (50% water change = 50% less measurement).

Today it says, instead of 3 ppm ammonia, there is actually 8

I don't follow, what is this based on?

I can relate to what you're going through. I just started a fishless cycle on my 30 and 10 gal tanks using frozen fish foods. This was about a week ago. I tested for ammomnia and got a .25 ppm reading on both tanks. I have a while to go...

Actually. I was testing it w/ those spiffy little ammonia test sticks.. and those continuously told me it was about 4 ppm. Today I got a new test kit, the liquid drops one which are supposedly more accurate... and that test told me it was 8 ppm! So I changed 50% of the water and got it down to 4 ppm.

 

[deli_conker]

It's just a waiting game at this point then. I check mine every other day. Check it again in a few days and see what the changes are...

 

[TankGirl]

I don't trust the test strips. They are extremely prone to moisture contamination, so if I have them (they are soooo tempting!!) I wind up checking the results with a liquid reagent test anyway. We have a pool now and my husband is addicted to the strips to test the water, and I have the same skepticism.

 

[deli_conker]

I've only ever used the liquid tests. But I took a sample to the lfs (they use strips) after testing at home and they were way off. Not sure what brand they used or the condition they are kept in.

The liquids take longer, but in my opinion the 5 minutes it takes to test with liquids is worth the accurate results.

 

[bunebop]

Yeah, I'm planning on using the liquids from now on. I didn't realize how inaccurate they were, but now that I know, definatly going to use it. Now I'll just haveta wait 8O