I have a 29gal that I started as an isolation tank it has live sand and the decor is all artificial pieces. Has hang on the back filter with bio media. I have nitrates nitrites and 2ml of ammonia. The tank was cloudy for about a month so i figured the bacteria was trying to find a home. It has been almost 2 months and I am changing the water every week 50% It cuts the numbers in half of corse but within a day or 2 right back up. I had 3 damsels to start cycle but I took them out because of the poor conditions. The filter was designed to work with up to 45gal. Anyone else ever have a problem like this.
New tank will not cycle
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brandon429
what, exactly, are you doing in your avatar
it is cycled, here's how to get your tests to prove it:
1. make all new water, don't deal in partials. Do a 100% water change use no old water.
this is now known zero ammonia water, regardless of what your test kit says.
2. take an ammonia reading off your test kit on the new water, whatever number it reads = 0
3. dose liquid ammonia only in the tank very slowly, drop at a time, until the test kit registers the first color increment of change you can detect, dose no more.
4. wait 24 hours, see if the test goes back to the baseline color for zero on step 2.
The reason your tank seems uncycled is by assessing the polar opposite of that condition above. What wastewater reads isn't the same as what clean water retested reads.
nitrite doesn't factor, only what ammonia does considering your submersion time.
How can we call it cycled without even knowing other details or tests from above? Because of it being underwater 30 days. That's how long it takes to cycle every tank, actually faster but they're done by then. Cycles don't vary, nor cease to complete unless you boil, dry, or medicate them. variances in ammonia isn't going to stop them, so this tank is predicted cycled lets see if the adjusted test lines up.
1. make all new water, don't deal in partials. Do a 100% water change use no old water.
this is now known zero ammonia water, regardless of what your test kit says.
2. take an ammonia reading off your test kit on the new water, whatever number it reads = 0
3. dose liquid ammonia only in the tank very slowly, drop at a time, until the test kit registers the first color increment of change you can detect, dose no more.
4. wait 24 hours, see if the test goes back to the baseline color for zero on step 2.
The reason your tank seems uncycled is by assessing the polar opposite of that condition above. What wastewater reads isn't the same as what clean water retested reads.
nitrite doesn't factor, only what ammonia does considering your submersion time.
How can we call it cycled without even knowing other details or tests from above? Because of it being underwater 30 days. That's how long it takes to cycle every tank, actually faster but they're done by then. Cycles don't vary, nor cease to complete unless you boil, dry, or medicate them. variances in ammonia isn't going to stop them, so this tank is predicted cycled lets see if the adjusted test lines up.
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legionofdoon
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Stop doing water changes for a bit.
legionofdoon
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Cycles can stall, mine did. I started off BB and dead rock, I just dosed more of Dr Tim's bacteria and turned off my skimmer then dosed amonia every other day and checked to see if it was present. If you are positive for nitrates then you are almost done but you should not have nitrites or ammonia.
Vahanyos
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Do you have any live rock in there?
I'm wondering, is the sand sufficient enough to break down the ammonia?? Maybe your biological filtration is not strong enough? Just a couple things that crossed my mind.... Somebody jump in and tell me to shut up if i'm throwing out unrelated info...
I'm wondering, is the sand sufficient enough to break down the ammonia?? Maybe your biological filtration is not strong enough? Just a couple things that crossed my mind.... Somebody jump in and tell me to shut up if i'm throwing out unrelated info...
legionofdoon
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Don't shut up. That's the problem with this hobby lately, if you have a thought then voice it. I think you are right about not enough biological filtration and I think doing water changes at his point are counterproductive.
legionofdoon
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Bacteria can be "free living" in the water column, that's why carbon dosing works. If you keep doing water changes you are taking the bacteria out before it can colonize properly. Same thing with skimmers. If you are testing positive for nitrites and ammonia then no you are NOT completely cycled and your cycle has stalled.
brandon429
what, exactly, are you doing in your avatar
It is, your test kits aren’t indicating correctly bc they’re not calibrated.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/the-microbiology-of-reef-tank-cycling.214618/
The way we are out to 18 pages of tank cycling without using testing at all, and with no losses, is because all tanks cycle by day 30. If they don’t, someone will post dead fish for us to chart back to an incomplete cycle.
It must be agreed upon your testing is accurate before any premise about ammonia can be drawn, I did not assume it was correct due to links on page one there.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/the-microbiology-of-reef-tank-cycling.214618/
The way we are out to 18 pages of tank cycling without using testing at all, and with no losses, is because all tanks cycle by day 30. If they don’t, someone will post dead fish for us to chart back to an incomplete cycle.
It must be agreed upon your testing is accurate before any premise about ammonia can be drawn, I did not assume it was correct due to links on page one there.
legionofdoon
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I'm calling shenanigans, 30 days is an aprotray number. If you are testing ANY nitrites and ammonia then you are NOT cycled.
W1ngz
Failed Padawan
Gonna echo at least part of brandon's suggestion. Test brand new water and compare the result with what you are getting from the tank. Titration colour can be a little off a lot of the time either because of a bad test, or bad test procedure.
What test kit are you using?
There's no need to do any water changes unless you have excessively high (>100ppm) nitrates which can stall the cycle and/or give bad test results.
What test kit are you using?
There's no need to do any water changes unless you have excessively high (>100ppm) nitrates which can stall the cycle and/or give bad test results.
legionofdoon
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High nitrites give you a false high nitrate level.
brandon429
what, exactly, are you doing in your avatar
I don’t mind if you disagree, that drives science. The link above is pages of tank work examples, predictions about what tests will read before they’re taken etc. Examples of where we opted to skip a cycle, or go by the time frame all google cycling chart images show in searches
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I have red sea and api and salifurt. All have about same result. All three things are present so there has to be some bacteria I just wonder if the filtration is not sufficient. Please don't argue we are all here to learn and teach each other. I was looking for suggestions and maybe someone else's experience.
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