Fishless Cycle not working

[SSeever]

Hi, I am am new to the forums. I have tried to read as many posts about other people's fishless cycling experience, but didn't really see posts about the issue I am having.

I started my fishless cycle about 3 weeks ago with no seeding material from an established tank. I used the ACE brand ammonia and dosed the acquarium to 4ppm. I have seen no decrease in the ammonia level and have only tested for nitrites once. There were 0 nitrites a few days ago. I have a 36 gallon tank with the water temperature at 80 degrees. I did dechlorinate the water when the acquarium was setup. Am I just being impatient or is the cycle not working for some reason?

Thanks for any advice...

 

[jlk]

Hi and welcome!! What type of test kit are you using to test? What type of dechlorinator are you using? Is there any chance you added too much ammonia initially? You should have seen some movement by now so we need to figure out whats going on. Have you been checking your ph daily? What does it read? I would bump up your temp (if possible) & make sure theres plenty of aeration- an extra airstone or bubble wand will help as well as lowering the tank level to allow splashing from your filter. Some more info will help!

 

[HeatherW]

what is your PH?
also, you might want to bump your temp up some - the BB like warmer water. the warmer the water the faster they grow. you don't have to bump up the temp, just might help speed it along.

 

[boadams87]

Read this

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/artic...-Guide-and-FAQ-to-Fishless-Cycling/Page1.html

 

[sammybelle]

You sound pretty much like what was happening to me, only I only lasted 10 days without seeing a drop in ammonia before I sought help on this forum!
I was advised to do a nearly 100% water change (I actually did an 80%) and then things started happening for me almost immediately. (You might want to read my thread "Restarting fishless cycle from scratch...help!" for my saga. When I started out, I seemed to be doing everything right, but the one thing I never checked except for my initial tank setup was pH. That could be part of your problem. Another thing: I used a fishless cycling calculator to figure out the amount of ammonia to add to get to 4.0ppm. I added the nearly 10 cc of ammonia called for, and although it showed up on my API test kit color chart as 4.0ppm, I'm beginning to think it was really much higher--too much--than the 4.0ppm it showed. The above posters have posed good questions to you and have offered good advice, too! Good luck!

 

[SSeever]

Thanks everyone for replying. I was very careful with the ammonia. I used an eye dropper and only added small amounts each time until I reached 4ppm.

Here are the answers to other questions:

1. I am using API Master Test Kit
2. Aqueon Water Conditioner to dechlorinate the tap water
3. My ph is 8.0. I have to admit that I had not tested this after the initial tank setup.

Is the ph the cause of my problem?

Thanks

 

[LyndaB]

No, the pH will fluctuate while the cycling process takes place. You won't know what your standard pH will be until afterwards.

 

[jlk]

I would check your ph daily just to be sure its still 8. Ph crashes are common during fishless cycling and will stall your cycle. Nitrification slows @6.5 and stops altogether @6. Is there any chance your on city water?

 

[SSeever]

Yes, I have city water.

 

[Hholly]

Maybe add a pinch of fish food and leave the top open for a few days.

 

[jlk]

It may worth checking into the amounts of chlorine or chloramine they adding to your water. You can either contact your local water authority for this information or check online for the water reports. My city water has really high amounts of chlorine- more than what a standad dose of dechlorinator can effectively handle. So, i need to dose 2x the amount of dechlorinator or the chlorine will kill off my bacteria. Found this out the hard way when i couldnt figure out why my tank wouldnt cycle after 4mths. Something else to investigate as long as your ph is still stable.