Help!

[BassSoLow]

Okay...

So I set up my new tank on November 17 and I can't seem to get the tank to cycle. I have also lost a few fish along the way (I lost one Molly to livebearer disease and 3 cherry barbs to dropsy).

I have been super super super cautious and on top of keeping the tank in good shape, so a bit concerned I am missing something since I have lost these fish.

I currently have 1 Dalmatian Molly and 3 boesemani rainbow fish. The tank is 36 gallons with an Emperor 280 with 2 filter cartridges and bio wheel (per the fish store, I have changed the filters out this past week. They told me to change them every 4 weeks or so).

I have been testing the water daily and doing water changes daily since start up as the ammonia always tests between .25ppm and .50 ppm. The water changes have all been 50% changes.

The PH was high as well early on, so my local fish store have me some neural regulator to even it out and it has worked fine. My PH is at a steady 7.0.

My nitrites have always been 0 and the nitrates have also always been 0. No spikes at all.

When I started the tank I was told to use the Top Fin bacteria supplement, but every time I put it in the tank the water became very cloudy. So, I stopped using it.

I was recommended to use The Seachem Stabilty in its place to help move things along, so I started that this morning, but reviews of the product are not so good.

I have been very on top of keeping the tank clean and doing water changes, but I am unsure of what to do. I want to make this a successful tank.

Is the seachem stability the way to go? Is there a better option. Please let me know! Thanks!

 

[BassSoLow]

I have also been using Seachem Prime when doing water changes.

 

[BassSoLow]

Pic of my tank.

 

[BassSoLow]

This is the top fish bacteria supplement I used at first.



This is the Seachem Stabilty I started using today.

 

[BassSoLow]

The Seachem Prime I use.


The neural regulator I use.


I also use aquarium salt.

 

[thebritishbloke]

First, thanks for being thorough in telling us what you've used. A lot of people fail to mention what they've already tried.

First step would be to test your tap water for ammonia, as you're doing daily 50% water changes, your tap water could just contain 0.25/0.5ppm ammonia itself.

If your nitrites and nitrates have always been zero, then your tank just isn't cycling. What exactly is in these filter cartridges you've been replacing? If there's no media which stays in the filter at all times (doesn't get replaced) then that's probably the problem, you're removing the bacteria every time they colonise.

 

[BassSoLow]

Let me test the tap water.

As for the filters, I have only changed them once and that was this past Monday.

 

[thebritishbloke]

The filters you replaced though, is it literally just those in the filter? No other media?

 

[BassSoLow]

Tested my tap water, ammonia is .25ppm.

 

[BassSoLow]

The filters you replaced though, is it literally just those in the filter? No other media?

I only replaced the cartridges in the filter. It takes two size E filters. They are blue with some carbon on the inside of them. I didn't remove anything else from the filter or tank.

Tested my tap water and it's close to. 25ppm ammonia.

 

[thebritishbloke]

So there is other media that stays in the filter?

There's your bottom line then, you're using Seachem Prime which changes ammonia to a non-harmful version of ammonia. However, ammonia tests still see this as ammonia. Because you're doing 50% daily water changes, you're just replenishing the ammonia from your tap water.

Have you tried doing weekly water changes instead?

 

[BassSoLow]

I have no other media that stay in the filter no.

So I should leave the filters in? And do weekly water changes?

I was doing daily changes because some of the fish where getting ammonia burns.

 

[thebritishbloke]

They shouldn't be getting ammonia burns from 0.25ppm. I've looked in to your filter and basically the only thing intended for beneficial bacteria to live on is the wheel in your filter. Someone else may chime in with another option, but it appears that the only option may be to get another HOB filter that can handle your bioload.

 

[BassSoLow]

I didn't think so either, but when I change the water the burns went away.

I'm not sure that changing the filter is the solution. I have 4 fish in a 36 gallon tank with the emperor 280.

That's not a huge load at the moment.

I dunno. I'm lost I guess.

Thanks for your help though. Much appreciated.

 

[thebritishbloke]

I'd say that changing the filter is the solution though. You need a filter that has enough space for bio media that can handle the ammonia. For whatever reason it appears that your current filter can't do that, which is weird because it has such good reviews...

 

[Masha]

Hold on.

If you changed all the media in your filter, then you got rid of all the beneficial bacteria, which is why the tank is not cycling properly.

Or have I misunderstood something?

 

[threnjen]

I would stop changing out those cartridges. You don't want to be always running activated carbon in your tank anyway. Just leave the filters alone unless/until they are falling apart. You're throwing out good bacteria by changing them.

Fish can adjust to any pH. Your fish store is steering you wrong to have you add chemicals to fix this. Don't worry so much about the pH. Stop using the pH Regulator, in my opinion. Just do a few hours of drip acclimation anytime you get new fish.

I'm going to blame two things here:

1) throwing out the filter cartridges, just stop doing that
2) using the pH regulator, you're forcing pH swings when you add tap water during your water changes. It might be shocking the fish.

 

[threnjen]

I forgot to add a very very important opinion.

If you're doing a fish-in cycle only since Nov 17, I am not surprised at all that your tank is not cycled. It can take weeks to MONTHS to cycle fish-in specifically because you MUST water change so often to avoid harm to your fish, so the bacteria never have a lot to grow on. I think it's perfectly fine and unsurprising that your tank is still not cycled after one month.

I would add a prefilter sponge to the intake of your HOB. This way you won't get gunk in the HOB. Now, stop changing the cartridges. This will give you more time to build bacteria. Unfortunately I am guessing you set yourself back tossing those out.

 

[Masha]

Second the advice to add a prefilter sponge. Keeps the gunk out of your main filter media, keeps fish safer too.

You only need to replace filter media when its falling apart. A quick rinse in dechlorinated water every month will keep it clean without killing the beneficial bacteria.

 

[Malupoo]

I always found in the past when I did it. Fish in cycle is much quicker.
As said before don't change filter cartridge again. And maybe ask a friend or your lfs if you can steal some biomedia to throw in your filter for a bit. Will a bit more bacteria to start breaking down that ammonia