Help - Tank still cycling 6 weeks with fish - Water Test Levels Highest Ever

[rx330]

I setup my 54g tank 6 weeks ago and began adding fish 2 weeks into it. Ever since, my ammonia for several weeks, and including now, has been .25, regardless of the amount of water changes I have done. I have been using Glacier water from a machine at my local supermarket, which has all the pure reverse filtration on it to take out pollutants.

My nitrites have never really been a problem, but 4 days ago they went to .25, then yesterday .50, and now a minute ago, the nitrites read almost 1.00. Salinity is fine, PH is between 8.0 and 8.2 (fine).

I added tonight a 32oz quart of SuperBac Live Nitrifying Bacteria to reduce Nitrites/Ammonia, and its been 2 hours since being introduced into the tank, and that reading of almost 1.0 for Nitrites came up.

Is it safe to say that I am almost done with the cycle, and since people swear by that brands Live Nitrifying Bacteria, that it takes more time than 2 hours since introduced to tank, to begin breaking down the nitrites/ammonia and show better test levels, and that perhaps in 12 - 24 hours more from now, those levels will go down, and I can assume that this is where the peaks are happening.

I am just afraid that these levels will rocket more, and kill the fish, where right now the fish look fine, no heavy breathing, eating fine, and seem ok.

Please, more than one person, chime in here and let me know what you think ?

 

[melosu58]

It took my 55 gallon tank 8 weeks to totally cycle. It looks like your tank was not completely cycled. Your water test should have told you when to add fish. I`m not familiar with that stuff you added.

 

[harmy4993]

Takes a long time to do a cycle from scratch with live animals. Due to all the water changes required to keep the fish alive. Would have been cheaper and easier to have done it without fish. Jow all you can do is keep changing lot of water every day to keep the fish from being poisoned

 

[mrg02d]

Takes a long time to do a cycle from scratch with live animals. Due to all the water changes required to keep the fish alive. Would have been cheaper and easier to have done it without fish. Jow all you can do is keep changing lot of water every day to keep the fish from being poisoned

+1
Cycling with animals is by far the slowest way to cycle the tank. If you think about it, its the worst method for several reasons. One being the above reason. The other is/should be the guilt from putting a lil fish through that.

The best way seems to be adding as much live rock as you can afford. The more live rock, the faster the cycle. Usually people add some dry rock (cheaper) and enough live rock to seed the tank with bacteria. The higher the live rock to dry rock ratio, the faster the cycle.

Not coming down on the OP at all. Just want to make that clear. Add some live rock, well add as much as you can afford. That should speed things up for you.

My 20g cycled in two weeks after I added 12lbs of live rock. I also tried all the random bacteria in a bottle products. Nothing happened. Then I got my live rock in the mail and away I went!

Live rock ought to be the second most important thing mentioned to beginners. (Next to RO/DI water). With enough live rock (cured) you wont even see a cycle. Even uncured live rock will see only a short cycle.

Matt

 

[rx330]

thanks for the feedback. more live rock will go in today.

 

[David S]

You said your mate owns an aquarium,it might be an idea to get him to look after your fish and just start from scratch with plenty of LR,LS and ro/di water,doing it right won't take to long to cycle your tank the right way.

 

[rx330]

i added more LR yesterday, and now with the superbac live nitrifying bacteria added to the tank 2 or 3 days ago, i am seeing the nitrite levels fractionally decrease, with ammonia still remaining at .25 for now.

 

[thincat]

It looks like you will need more LR or at least more Base rock.

 

[ducati2242]

This is how much live rock I have in my 50 gallon tank (English gallons ) . It took 2 weeks to cycle with no fish . Only a raw prawn.
2 maroon clowns
1 yellow tang
1 blue tang
1 flame angel.
1 gamma.
2 fire shrimp
1 cleaner shrimp
4 hermit crabs
numerous snails.
1 green bubble anemone
numerous corals.
Baad picture.