Fishless Cycling Question

[Laser]

Thanks guys, I'm worried that I'm doing something wrong but I really don't think that I am.

I don't have any friends that have aquariums... I really didn't want to ask my LFS.

The water is city water and it's Nutrafin Aqua Plus. It says that it removes chlorine and chloramine as well as neutralizes heavy metals. I always does enough for the whole tank when I do a pwc.

 

[jlk]

It may be worth looking at the levels of chlorine or chloramine your water authority uses. You can contact them or check online for reports. A standard dose of conditioner isnt sufficient for my city water because it has such high amounts of chlorine. Something worth checking into!

 

[Laser]

That's a good point. Maybe a double dose of the dechlorinator wouldn't hurt in the future. I sent an email to the county asking about the levels of chlorine and chloramine.

 

[jlk]

No, an extra dose of dechlorinator wont hurt anything! Most municipalities have their water reports online if you do some searching.

 

[librarygirl]

You could try a seeded filter from here: Sponge Filters for aquariums They sell seeded sponge filters from their angelfish tanks. They've helped many on here to cycle their tanks, myself included. If you get one, make sure it says "active" next to it otherwise you're just buying a plain filter.

Jlk had a good idea too, check with your water municipality for anything odd going on with your water. You could try a double-dose of the dechlorinator. You could also try adding some minerals like RO Rite or Seachem replenish. These are usually present in tap water but it's possible that maybe your tap water is deficient in some nutrient that the bacteria might need. Could be worth a shot, wouldn't hurt anything anyway (except maybe your wallet a little ).

 

[Laser]

Adding extra dechlorinator to the tank now would be useless, am I right? If I were an Eskimo someone could sell me ice if they said it would help cycle my aquarium, as long as it didn't say bacteria supplement on it. Maybe I will swallow my pride and ask my LFS for some filter media. They aren't the nicest people in the world but the owner knows his stuff, which is more than I can say for most pet stores.

 

[jlk]

Adding some extra dechlorinator now wouldnt be useless. If its chlorine thats being added to your water, its probably dissipated by now but if its chloramines, they are still in your tank & preventing your cycle from moving forward. Good luck getting some cycled media!

 

[Laser]

Well I added another dose of dechlorinator for the whole tank, do you think that would be sufficient? I'll let you guys know how it's going in a week or so or maybe sooner if the water commissioner tells me something I don't understand. Thanks again!

 

[Laser]

This is the response I received when I asked how much chlorine and/or chloramine was in the tap water. She didn't say anything about chloramine at all. I don't know if this amount of chlorine is high or low.

Hi Ryan,

Your email was forwarded to me for response. The drinking water in Keego Harbor is treated surface water that is purchased from Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD). DWSD adds chlorine as a disinfectant to the treated water. Based on the last data I received from DWSD, the average total chlorine residual was 0.78 mg/L. The maximum allowable is 4.0 mg/L. Please let me know if you have additional questions.
Thanks,
Connie

 

[jlk]

Thanks! Its a bit on the high side. A standard dose of Prime (which is powerful stuff) I believe treats chlorine levels up to .5mg/l. I know you are using another type of conditioner & i am not sure what levels of chlorine it treats but I would assume its probably in the same ballpark or even a bit less. This may explain why you are having some issues here. I would double your water conditioner amounts in future to be on the safe side because this is the 'average' chlorine levels & they may actually be higher on any given day.

I would also consider adding an active/seeded filter filter & the RO Rite or Replenish minerals as Librarygirl suggested to help get things moving forward. Keep us posted & good luck!

 

[Laser]

I find myself getting discouraged nearing the 30th day with no ammonia drop. PH is steady at 8.2. I have no choice at this point but to continue waiting.

 

[jlk]

Have you tried adding the minerals (RO Rite or Seachems Replanish)? Have you considered adding an active filter or some cycled media?

 

[Laser]

My LFS doesn't carry RO rite or Replenish, but he said he would order some and that no one has asked him for it in several years so he stopped carrying it. I'm considering asking him next time I go if I can have or buy an active filter from him. I guess the worst thing he can do is say no.

 

[jlk]

Did you try amazon or ebay for replenish or ro rite, too? Most lfs that carry saltwater supplies will have one or both (a must with RO/DI water) as well. Heres a link for active filters from Angelsplus- you will need to purchase a filter labeled 'active' or you will just be getting a new filter. Hopefully, your lfs will be able to help you though!

Sponge Filters for aquariums

 

[Laser]

Yesterday my active sponge filter from Angelsplus came and I cut up two pieces and put them inside of my filter and put the remaining piece in tank water. I recently lowered the ammonia to what I believe to be 2 to 3 ppm. I find myself second guessing the darkness of the test water because when you hold it directly against the white background it appears darker and if you hold it up in the light it appears lighter.

 

[librarygirl]

Yesterday my active sponge filter from Angelsplus came and I cut up two pieces and put them inside of my filter and put the remaining piece in tank water. I recently lowered the ammonia to what I believe to be 2 to 3 ppm. I find myself second guessing the darkness of the test water because when you hold it directly against the white background it appears darker and if you hold it up in the light it appears lighter.

It can be hard to read the greens on the test, I agree there. You want to hold the tube up against the white part of the card next to the colors; it will look darker than holding the tube up to the light but holding it against the card is the more accurate reading according to the API instructions. You want to make sure you have good lighting in the room too. I hope this kick-starts things for you. I'm honestly not sure what's going on (this is reminiscent of my attempt at cycling but at the time I had no idea what happened and I still don't). If this doesn't help things along we may need to start looking at a different water source. You might want to do a 100% water change and double-dose dechlorinator and hopefully this will get going! I admire your patience and perseverance.

 

[Laser]

Thanks, I appreciate the moral support. I did a test this morning and I think I may be beginning to see nitrItes. It's still a light blue color but not a bright light blue that I'm used to seeing, it looks almost a grayish light blue if that makes any sense at all. Ammonia may be lighter but I still can't tell. I hope this works, I'm really not too keen an alternate water source but I would if I needed to. I had a tank a few years back that used water from this area and it cycled fine so I'm a little puzzled about this one.

 

[jlk]

Sounds like your just starting to see nitrites! A reading of .125ppm looks an off-blue color instead of the baby/aqua blue color thats on the chart. Hang in there!!

 

[Laser]

Yeah you think so? I thought I was just tricking myself into thinking something was happening. lol

 

[Laser]

Looks like good news today. Ammonia is down to 1-2 ppm. NitrItes are 0 but NitrAtes are 10 or 20 ppm. I did a test of the tap to be sure but my tap water is clear of NitrAtes. I followed the NitrAte test instructions to the letter so it looks like I'm finally seeing some movement. It was funny when I came home there was a Water Resources Commission truck sitting outside of my house... I thought about asking him if there was something wrong with the water but he drove away after a few minutes.