dwhenderson33
Aquarium Advice Newbie
- Joined
- Jun 18, 2015
- Messages
- 1
Long story short....I have tried to start 30g aquarium 3 times now, letting it sit for over a month each time. parameters were always good (conducive to bacterial growth), dechlorinator added, and a few ppm of ammonia added via ammonium chloride. Tank was seeded with material from another system each time, and this last time I even used a bottle of Dr. Tim's bacteria. Before starting, old plants were bleached, rinsed, and dried, before going into the tank. And each time, the tank sat and no ammonia was ever converted, not a hint of nitrite or nitrate...and believe me, I checked every single day.
What in the world could be causing this? The only conclusion I feel left with is that the old plastic plants are somehow poisoning the bacteria (or the old airline tubing that I was using). These components were used by my mother about 15 years ago, but they all appear to be in great shape. Everything else in the aquarium, including the filter, media, heater, gravel, other decor, lighting, etc. are all brand new.
This has become a bit of an obsession and, honestly, not knowing how to fix this problem has caused a great deal of stress and frustration. Pathetic, yes I know, but it is really affecting my every day life... I know how to set up an aquarium and have done so successfully (and easily I might add) several other times. Please, if you have any idea as to what might be going on share it with me! Again, I have added a lot of bacteria to this tank many times...something is killing or outcompeting these beneficial nitrifying bacteria
What in the world could be causing this? The only conclusion I feel left with is that the old plastic plants are somehow poisoning the bacteria (or the old airline tubing that I was using). These components were used by my mother about 15 years ago, but they all appear to be in great shape. Everything else in the aquarium, including the filter, media, heater, gravel, other decor, lighting, etc. are all brand new.
This has become a bit of an obsession and, honestly, not knowing how to fix this problem has caused a great deal of stress and frustration. Pathetic, yes I know, but it is really affecting my every day life... I know how to set up an aquarium and have done so successfully (and easily I might add) several other times. Please, if you have any idea as to what might be going on share it with me! Again, I have added a lot of bacteria to this tank many times...something is killing or outcompeting these beneficial nitrifying bacteria