80 Gallon Aquarium In Cycle With 20 Year Old Fish :(

[Wildbetta]

I might be wrong but I keep reading where you turn the filters off and leave them off.  The bacteria need the filters to be on so they can colonize the media in them. You turning them off deprives the bacteria of O2 which would lead to you having issues with the colonies building up sufficiently.

 

[rrats]

okay... so i haven't changed the water since friday 7/19... i've added more than necessary: seachem bacteria (7/17), tetrasafe bacteria and api bacteria (7/19), and dr. tims bacteria (7/22) - each of these was WAY more than 80 gallon treatment and i dumped the whole thing in...
 
i've seen 0 nitrites with my test kit and the ammonia seems to be holding at 4ppm (api test kits)...
 
fish are still acting pretty normal, begging for food in the morning, eating well, swimming around nicely - they MIGHT be starting to look a little 'tilted' today - but no heavy breathing, no lethargy, no top/bottom hovering...
 
i've got an airstone ribbon and a deep sea diver air stone and one power filter going - the entire top is open - so we're off gassing quite a bit i'd think (top is getting a glass piece ordered, it had been broken forever and i didn't want a fish to jump into it and get cut up)
 
should i get different brand/type of test kits?  i'm using the API liquid 'chemistry' test kits... i noticed dr. tims said the water conditioner won't work with certain kinds because it negates ammonia, the seachem also negates ammonia (what i'm using for conditioner)... so i'm just not sure these readings are accurate...
 
i'm holding off on water changes a bit longer... i'll need to vac the sand in a couple weeks, it's staying pretty clean, but i don't it to get too dirty... i'm afraid i'll vac out any bacteria that MIGHT be doing something

wildbeta - i DO have the filters on, well one of them, the other is off because it makes a horrendous noise and stresses the fish out... so there has been one filter on since 7/19 at all times.

 

[DoubleDutch]

 

50% water change yesterday, ammonia level still at 1ppm at that time... woke up today, still at 1ppm - no sign of nitrites yet though... have filters off (added bacteria to them) until tomorrow, all lighting off, and poured the bacteria all over the decor as much as possible!!!

 
Hope I misunderstood. Did you turn your filters off

Don't ever do that (really NEVER !!!!). The bacteria for nitrificatie need waterflow (oxygin). When turned off they die in some hours and you've to cycle your tank more.

The bought bacteria aren't the ones I am talking about. Aerobe bacteria as they are, are not kept in pots, sacs aso.
The one you've bought are other straigns (heterotropic) that normally live on organic material, but have also the possibility to "consume" ammonia and nitrite. So they are not really startingbacteria (false name) but other bacteriastraigns that will help to keep the levels lower untill the real ones have grown and doing their job.

Feeding means pollution, pollution meena ammonia, ammonia means nitrite. I shouldn't feed them for some days and only do waterchanges when needed. Flow, an airstone (flow also) can help the good bacteria to grow !!!

Do a test on your tapwater, to be sure the reading of your tank all okay !!!

Ohhhh man I hope so I did misunderstood you turning of the filters.

Greets Aad

 

[rrats]

biggest happy dance EVER - my NITRITES ARE GOING UP!!!!!!!!!!!! finally   ammonia still holding steady at 4ppm, but the fish are all active, happy looking, and begging for food regularly (they're only getting a little bit once/day)!!!
 
so glad i can clean the tank in a few days and not fret so much!

doubledutch - when i changed out the undergravel filters, i had to clean the 2 power filters as well, they were HORRENDOUS with slime and had no filter medium in them... my mom hadn't been caring for the fish very well (she was very ill) and after the move they got neglected while life took over and we built a new stand so i could safely REACH in the tank to clean it...
 
so the bacteria in the filters was killed anyway, and they were only off for 2 days.  the 2nd one is still off and will never be turned back on, it will be replaced.  next month i will order a cannister filter and get that going while keeping the one power head filter for at least a few months...  the quieter one is going at full speed and is rated to 90 gallons... if you read above, the one that is off and will remain off makes a terrible noise and the fish really freak out with it going, even after having it on for 48 hours... the noise started AFTER i cleaned them, of course, but there is nothing stuck in the impeller or magnet!
 
i DO have air stones as well, LOTS of air circulation and the top of the tank is wide open right now.  i kept some of the substrate in nylons that went directly in to the new tank (as soon as water was conditioned and sat for 48 hours) after spending time in the original water with the fish (it was never out of the water for more than a few seconds) - so i DID have some bacteria left from before, it just wasn't doing the trick by itself...
 
i really appreciate all the advice i've gotten.  i will continue to monitor the ammonia levels and will be doing another major water change in a few days.  after this is resolved, i'll be needing to research quality cannister filters and how to take care of them!

 

[eaglesaquarium]

I'd put the substrate in nylons directly under the airstones, better chance for them to grow some more bacteria with a bit more water flow over them.

 

[rrats]

i will move the nylons when i get back in there to clean - great idea to get them more air flow!