Is it possible for a tank to just never fully cycle?

[Ezzie]

After what seems like a lifetime (more like 2-3 months) of water changes, testing, more water changes, more testing and waiting it seems my tank just seems to not want to cycle

I don't know what else to do Can a tank just not ever fully cycle?

I tested the water today and these were the results:
ammonia: .25ppm
nitrite: 0ppm
nitrate: between 0 and 5

Its been like the above results for going on 1-2 weeks now..

I tested my tap water after treating with Prime and it was 0 for every test..

The tank has 2 filters currently (the second is for a future tank) and is home to 2 small mystery snails, 1 sucking fish (not sure of its name) and a single platy. The tank is 9 gallons.

Does anyone have any suggestions, help or advice. I would really want this tank to finish cycling so i can finally add my singular male dwarf gourami (which is what the tank is for) and finish its scape..

 

[Jmunroe]

Are you cleaning the filters and destroying your cycle? Also test tap before treating with prime

 

[Ezzie]

Haven't touched the filter since I last replanted the tank 2 months ago and I added seeded media in both.

I tested and it sometimes comes at 0 and others .25, I don't know why. I wanted to access RO water but my local places don't sell that, just bottled water and that's gonna cost me a fortune in the end.

 

[Bix22]

I bought a seeded sponge filter from angelsplus.com and that did the trick (for me)
My tank wouldn't cycle on its own either

 

[Ezzie]

I live in Australia so I don't think they have that here.. Should I just keep waiting?

 

[Ezzie]

I'm not sure they deliver to Australia :S


Sorry for double post, my phone went crazy >_<

 

[BBradbury]

Hello Ezz...

If you have the tank set up with light, heat, gravel, filter and water and if you cycle the tank with several hardy fish and monitor the tank water daily for traces of ammonia and nitrite and change 25 percent of the tank water when your test shows a trace and do this for about a month, your tank will cycle. No question about it.

B

 

[herp_mommy]

My tanks have all cycled in less than 8 weeks, usually 6. I do NO water changes until the ammonia and nitrite is 0, then I do about a 75-90% WC to take care of the nitrates. I also use raw shrimp as my ammonia source.

 

[Aquamandan]

I wouldn't worry about ammonia too much if its 0.25 ppm. Some people will drive themselves crazy trying to get it down to 0. Moss balls will helpl absorb the ammonia too.

 

[BBradbury]

Hello herp mom...

Large water changes is the surest way I know to delay the cycling process. The purpose of a small water change, of no more than 25 to 30 percent, is to keep a steady level of nitrogen in the tank water to sustain the growing bacteria. If you remove all the ammonia and nitrite, the microscopic bugs that use these toxins for food have nothing to eat, so they don't reproduce. No reproduction, no cycling.

B

 

[Autumnsky]

After what seems like a lifetime (more like 2-3 months) of water changes, testing, more water changes, more testing and waiting it seems my tank just seems to not want to cycle

I don't know what else to do Can a tank just not ever fully cycle?

I tested the water today and these were the results:
ammonia: .25ppm
nitrite: 0ppm
nitrate: between 0 and 5

Its been like the above results for going on 1-2 weeks now..

I tested my tap water after treating with Prime and it was 0 for every test..

The tank has 2 filters currently (the second is for a future tank) and is home to 2 small mystery snails, 1 sucking fish (not sure of its name) and a single platy. The tank is 9 gallons.

Does anyone have any suggestions, help or advice. I would really want this tank to finish cycling so i can finally add my singular male dwarf gourami (which is what the tank is for) and finish its scape..

I would finish the scape. By adding some additional plants, they will help the water stay good.

You already have two fish in there and the snails. So you are really doing a fish in cycle.

If you test every day you should see when you get a high Nitrate level and do your big pwc and then see for the next period of time. See how that goes. You are building BB now with the fish in there already. You have the two filters and BB has to be growing on the filter pads.

As long as you aren't using tap water to wash the filter pads/media you will continue to build BB.

And I think if it were me, I would add the DG and watch your parameters.

You can do pwc weekly or 2x per week, anyway to keep the ammonia (or Nitrite or Nitrate for that matter) level down. Obviously more pwc when or if needed.

I have fish in cycled and had no problem when slowly adding fish. I would add the plants before or at the same time as the DG.

Just my thought.

Moss balls are fun.

You are already doing a fish in cycle. Which can take longer due to keeping levels lower, to be fish safe.

 

[Mebbid]

There's always some trace ammonia in the tank, your test kit is probably just picking that up when it spikes. Sometimes there's more ammonia in the tank than other times due to food decaying and whatnot. I wouldn't worry at all about a .25 ammonia reading.

 

[Ezzie]

Thanks for the replies!


I did see a spike of nitrites a while ago, I did the water change and they went to 0 after about 3 days, then it gets to this stage and goes no we're else. At least I know we're in the second part of the process, it just never seems to finish...

The tanks pretty full of plants, I'm just waiting for my drift woods to sink then ill be adding them, I still have one piece to boil.

 

[Ezzie]

So my best bet is to just change the water if I see ammonia get any higher?
It's pretty stable at the moment, not really fluctuating so I guess that's good.

I still have all the time to get the cycle together before my driftwoods done so ill keep monitoring and just do weekly changes now.

Does .25ppm ammonia really damage fish? If it doesn't go away could my little dwarf gourami live happy with it?

Also moss balls are so overpriced here! I like those little Marimo (sp?) balls but one the size of a ping pong ball goes for like $25-30 australian dollars!! Yeesh!

 

[BBradbury]

Hello again Ezz...

The forms of nitrogen, like ammonia and nitrite are toxic to your fish. These toxins affect the sensitive gill tissue, the fish use to breathe. So, you want to keep the levels of these toxins to a minimum and still grow the bacteria that in large numbers, will eventually keep the water clean for the fish. That's why you use hardy fish to cycle a tank. They'll tolerate the poorer water conditions that are typical of a tank going through the "nitrogen cycle".

B

 

[Mebbid]

The toxicity of ammonia is dependent on the pH of the water. While ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate are all poisonous to fish it requires a higher concentration than people think to actually cause damage to the fish.

Take a look at this link to see where you are on the spectrum.

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f12/your-guide-to-ammonia-toxicity-159994.html

 

[Ezzie]

Thanks for the link, according to that in in no danger :S ill leave the tank and test every couple of days.

The other concern is the nitrate, I'm just scraping by the 0 mark, is this something to worry about or will it eventually rise..?

 

[Ezzie]

Another test today and the results were the same as the last.

The second filter is now on my bettas 2.5 gallon tank, im expecting a small rise in things because of the decrease in bacteria but im ready

I will be rescaping the tank tomorrow and hopefully adding my gourami next week lets pray i dont touch the tank after this hahaha!!