Vacuuming out BB??

[jetajockey]

And your ammonia rises every day if you don't do a w/c? What's your w/c routine been like?

 

[sam180]

I have been changing between 25% and 45% about twice a week. Ammonia steadily climbs slowly in between changes as you would expect.

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[jetajockey]

That has me stumped then, sounds like you have everything covered.

 

[sam180]

That has me stumped then, sounds like you have everything covered.

That's what I thought as well. Not sure what else to do at this point. Just gonna try and leave it alone for a bit and see what happens.

 

[Jim722]

Yours sounds exactly like my situation almost to the letter. I found a place online that sells active bacteria colony sponge filters to cycle a tank almost instantly( according to the reviews I read). I just ordered them today so they should come in first of the week. I'll let you know if they work for me. It's www.angelsplus.com if you're interested just look for active sponge filter.


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[Delapool]

That has me stumped then, sounds like you have everything covered.

While I've got an expert, can I ask if overdosing prime can either stall or slow the cycle down? Every so often this pops up as a possible problem enough that I'm curious. I know normal dosing shouldn't be an issue and that prime FAQ mentions no issues with nitrifying bacteria. I've also found that a cycle using API ammo lock overdosing seemed to complete fairly quickly with no issues but interested if something may be going on?

 

[jetajockey]

I wouldn't call myself an expert by any means. They claim that these type of ammonia detoxifiers do not affect biofiltration, but some people have argued against it. I don't know enough about the chemistry aspect to have an opinion either way

 

[sam180]

So I tested for ammo yesterday (4th) at about 26 hours after dosing with Prime, came back as 1.0ppm. Dosed after testing then tested again today approximately 24 hours after last dose and ammo came back as 0.5ppm...without doing a water change. Possibly getting some bacteria forming...crossing my fingers.

 

[jetajockey]

That's a great sign

 

[sam180]

That's a great sign

Indeed it was, as it appears 8 weeks was the magic number and I believe my tank is cycled. My ammonia has been falling dramatically over the past few days and is now barely registering. Nitrites still read zero as they always have, however, the best of all is that I show a reading of approximately 20ppm NitrATES! Finally!

 

[Fresh2o]

That's good news! The nitrite spike can be elusive. I could not detect while testing daily. I had to test every 3-4 hours to see the spike.