While I am preparing for my bigger reef tank, I have been setting up a 20 gallon tank with a hang off the back filter. This darn thing will not cycle after 11 weeks. Here's the run down:
This just does not seem normal to me. Any thoughts?
- Week 1:
- Day 1: Started with 20 gallons of RODI Saltwater: Ammonia 0; Nitrite 0, Nitrate 0, Ph 8.4 Salinity 1.03, Temp 78, kh 12, Chlorine 0
- Day 2: Added Fritz Zyme Fishless Fuel Ammonia and API Quick Start. (And continued to add according to instructions).
- Day 3: Numbers: Ammonia 8, all other numbers same as above.
- Week 2: No Change
- Week 3: No Change
- Week 4: No Change
- Week 5: No change, so took water sample to local fish store. Their numbers were the same, so I knew I didn't have a testing problem. At the recommendation of the store, they suggested a water change to bring the Ammonia down. I did that all other parameters the same and ammonia cut to 2.0. Added more API Quick Start. and some fish flakes.
- Week 6: Nitrite to .5 and Nitrate to 5, but no change in ammonia/
- Week 7: Ammonia went to 1, 0 Nitrite, 5 Nitrate.
- Week 8: Ammonia back to 2, Nitrite and Nitrate both 0 (Very confusing because I did not change the water, only topped off with RODI).
- Week 9: No change
- Week 10: No Change, back to fish store. Their measurements the same. They gave me some bio media out of their tank and a bottle of their recommended bacteria (Seed). Put that in the tank and have been adding bacteria according to the instructions. They really expected me to see the tank cycle in a few days. (or at least start seeing ammonia going down and Nitrite/Nitrate going up)
- We are mid- week 11 and all of the numbers are the same. (Note, as I think the salinity is a little low, I topped off with some saltwater today instead of RODI). I don't think that's going to change any of the other parameters. I'm just wanting to bring the salinity up a little closer to what my local fish store keeps theirs at.
This just does not seem normal to me. Any thoughts?