Question about cycling

[rich6459]

If the cycling process stalls at some point in a new tank do you have to start over? Or is it possible to kinda revive it?

 

[carey]

If the cycling process stalls at some point in a new tank do you have to start over? Or is it possible to kinda revive it?

What are ur water parameters?

 

[mfdrookie516]

Often, it stalls during the nitrite stage. I've not read anything to prove this, and really never thought of it until somebody pointed it out, but often the nitrite level will get really high in the second stage of the cycle. I know with ammonia, if it gets too high, it can kill the bacteria. I have a feeling the same is true for nitrite. That said, what is your nitrite level? If it's extremely high, a water change might be in order. If you get it back down to a reasonable level (<5ppm) your cycle will take back off. It may take just a little longer, and you may have to watch the nitrite and do water another water change or two to keep it down, but eventually it'll take back off.

Now, if nothing I said is the case, we'll have to brainstorm some more

 

[fishguy1]

That depends on where it was when it stalled and why.

If it stalls in the second half (nitrites are increasing) and you keep feeding ammonia, the ammonia bacteria will survive. I believe this usually happens when the concentrations are too high? I don't really know though - I start new tanks with transferred media.

 

[rich6459]

Well let start off with some background. I have a 20g heated tank. I have three crabs and a snail in there. My reading are less then :.25 ammonia after I change my water everyday. and no readings on the nitrites or I usually change around half of the water everyday. I started the whole thing about a week and a half two weeks ago.

 

[BigJim]

It takes a while to cycle a tank, especially if you cycle it with critters. Six weeks isn't uncommon for a fishless cycle. If you can seed the tank with some filter material from an established tank, it should speed things up some.

 

[doogle]

if you have nitrate, and alot of nitrite, no ammonia...start doing partial water changes, you should have a nitrite drop and it should be fine after that.

 

[rich6459]

Well what I'm doing is doing a PWC and then testing the water. Should I test the water before the PWC and after? Or am I doing thongs right? I'm not getting much ammonia and no nitrites after the PWC.

 

[daileene]

normally the nitrite will not show up and increasing in the cycle till 2-3 weeks when cycling with fish...IMO. so be patient, your nitrite will be there pretty soon..

 

[rich6459]

Thanks, but should I test the water before and after I do the pwc?

 

[eco23]

Thanks, but should I test the water before and after I do the pwc?

You can if you want, but really you're just doing the pwc to get the nitrItes to a readable level to monitor them and make sure they don't get TOO high and stall your cycle.

 

[rich6459]

The thing is I'm not getting nitrites at all, and a tiny bit of ammonia after I test. Should I buy pure ammonia? And can I do that if I have crabs in the tank as well one snail?

 

[eco23]

The problem is that you're trying to cycle the tank with such a small bio-load (amount of fish, etc...) in the tank. Normally you want to do a fishless cycle with pure ammonia. Since you have life in there you DO NOT want to add ammonia, you'll torture and kill what's in there. With the tiny bio load you have it should eventually cycle, but will take a really long time. Either loan what's in your tank now to a buddy and do a fishless cycle, or search for a thread on this site called something like "I already have fish, how can I cycle?" or something to that effect.