Please Help!

[Liberty2k4]

My tank will NOT cycle! I'm three weeks into a fishless cycle and things are stalled. Around day 9 my ammonia finally started dropping. It took 5 days for it to get from 4ppm to 1. Absolutely no nitrites ever showed up but my nitrates went to about 20 so I wasn't concerned. When I dosed ammonia back up to 4, everything stopped progressing. Ammonia remained 4ppm, 0 nitrites, 20 nitrates. After 3 or 4 days with no change I did a 70% PWC hoping to get things moving. I did not redose ammo thinking that maybe if I tried a lower amount I'd see some change. Wrong. Ammo has been steady 1ppm since water change. That was three days ago.
Other info:
Canister filter with foam, bioballs, ceramic rings, and polishing pad
Using Prime
Ace brand pure ammonia
pH 8.0-8.2
Temp: 84
Air wand
API liquid test kit exp. 2018
Also dosed with TSS on day 1 of cycle and have not added any since.

I am so frustrated! I'm thinking about ordering an active sponge filter from AngelsPlus but don't know if the bacteria will survive in my tank if its not supporting bacterial growth now? Is it possible for a tank NOT to cycle??
Any help is greatly appreciated!!

 

[jlk]

Hi! I think the tss tricked you a bit here! I have seen quite a few people that experienced similar circumstances. From scratch, it can take 3-4wks for ammonia to initially drop (yes, this long!). Do you know anything about your tap water (public or well)? Lets start there and I can make some suggestions!

 

[jlk]

Also, what size is your tank?

 

[Liberty2k4]

Yes I absolutely think the TSS gave me screwy results! Won't make that mistake again. I have city water. From tap, ammo, nitrite, and nitrate are all 0, pH is 8.0-8.2 after sitting 24 hours. I don't have a test kit to measure gh/kh. I did double dose prime when I did water change a few days ago just in case I've got higher chlorine/chloramine. The tank was purchased use off Craigslist and I washed it initially with 10% bleach and water but rinsed very well. Not sure if this matters. The filter was also used and washed/rinsed well and all new media was put in. The tank had been sitting empty and unused for several months. I appreciate your feedback!

 

[Liberty2k4]

And the tank is 58 gallons

 

[jlk]

Thanks! It sounds like everything is right on track and you have even done a couple of things I would have suggested (wc, double dosing conditioner, etc). Bacteria products are hit or miss at best- often, they contain the wrong types of bacteria and you wind with either results that don't make sense or they simply do not work at all. Dr Tim's One and Only seems to have a bit better track record than most but I personally have not tried any of them.

So, your options right now are patience (and see if anything changes over the next wk), try some more tss or dr Tim's or opt to add some seeded media to kick things into gear. Do you know anyone with a healthy cycled tank or pond? If not, Angelsplus active media is also an option but order it in respect to your tank size (2-3sponges). If you added cycled media, make sure the ammonia is 1ppm or less so you don't shock the bb. You can gradually increase it by .5 once things are in gear until your tank easily converts 4ppm in 24hrs. Please ask any questions (and hang in there in the meantime)!

 

[Liberty2k4]

Ok thanks! I'll try to wait it out another week and go from there. I'm glad to know it isn't unheard of for a tank to take this long to start cycling! Oh one question...should I just leave the ammonia alone while waiting it out at 1ppm even without cycled media or does it need to be higher?

 

[jlk]

Nope, just leave the ammonia at 1ppm and see if there is any change over the next week in ammonia/nitrite/nitrate. This will let us know if things are starting to process. Keep us posted!

 

[Liberty2k4]

Awesome. Will do!

 

[Liberty2k4]

Yesterday morning's test showed ammo dropped from 1 to 0.5ppm...I was sooo excited to finally see a drop! I couldn't wait to see today's results. Exactly 24 hours later and still 0.5( Not even the slightest bit lighter than yesterday. Booo.

 

[jlk]

A drop is a step in the right direction! Hopefully, things will continue to progress (even if its slowly)!

 

[Liberty2k4]

I went ahead and ordered two of the larger size active sponge filters from angelsplus to help expedite things. When they arrive, what do I do with them? Lol I've never used a sponge filter. Can I cut them up and put them in the empty tray in my canister (I kept one empty for carbon if needed in the future.) The other three trays have coarse foam, bioballs, and ceramic rings. Filter floss pad on the top of one tray also.

 

[jlk]

Yep, this is perfectly fine to do! Your other option is to run them with an airpump (a dual airpump runs less than $10 at walmart). This can be convenient in the event you need to setup a quick qt as you will have a cycled filter to run it. Its really up to you!

When you get them, follow the directions they come with otherwise and keep the ammonia at 1ppm or less when you add them so you don't overwhelm your good bacteria. Once your tank starts processing ammonia easily, you can gradually increase the dose by .5 over a week or so until your tank processes 4ppm in 24hrs or less.

 

[Liberty2k4]

Okay great! Thanks again!

 

[Liberty2k4]

Well I think I made another mistake! I ordered the sponges today and selected priority mail and just got an email saying it shipped this afternoon with delivery scheduled for Tuesday! I completely forgot about the holiday weekend! I'm assuming all of the beneficial bacteria will be dead on arrival... Grrrr

 

[jlk]

I think you will be okay! Don't worry!

 

[Liberty2k4]

Noticed some pink/reddish colored algae growth on my airline tubing today.

 

[jlk]

Noticed some pink/reddish colored algae growth on my airline tubing today.

Does it wipe off easily or is it fuzzy/hairy and firmly stuck? Can you post a pic of it?

 

[Liberty2k4]

I guess it kinda looked fuzzy. Not long or hairy though. Wipes off fairly easily. I already cleaned it up so I can't take a pic but I have seen that pinkish stuff in my guest bath shower where water stays around the drain. After googling I think it is Cyanobacteria? I must have a lot of phosphates in my tap water I'm assuming. Could this have anything to do with why my cycle isn't progressing? Seems funny I can grow the bad bacteria but not the good stuff! On a happier note- my sponges arrived today! I cut up one and a half and put them in the filter and poured the water in the bag over my existing media. The other half I made into a prefilter and put on my intake. I was wanting to get a prefilter anyway so this killed two birds with one stone
Today's tests show: 0.5 ammo, 0 nitrites, 5 nitrates. Fingers crossed I see some changes this week!!

 

[jlk]

Hmm... Hard to say what it is without seeing it. The discoloration around bath drains is typically caused by mineral deposits/exposure (ie, iron, copper, lime, calcium, etc). Hopefully, the sponges will kick everything into gear! Keep us posted!