Ask Questions About Cycling

[kwi]

Do you actually have 2-3ppm of ammonia in the water, or more?
If the ammonia level gets too high (5ppm+), the cycling process will stall.

What is the pH of the water?
If the pH is too low the cycling process will stall.

Is the filter run continuously (24/7)?

Have you cleaned or changed any of the filter media/ material?
You don't want to touch the filter until at least 2 weeks after the tank has finished cycling.

Dosed to 3ppm no more, calculated and dosed with a syringe. Then confirmed with a two seperate testing kits. (API and Waterworld)
pH 7.4
KH 5dg
Filter runs non stop and lights also used.
No changes to filter media.

Beginning to suspect the water board is too efficent at killing everything in the water..............
Though just got a 100ml bottle of safe start so have double dosed the tank.

 

[Ch4rlie]

Beginning to suspect the water board is too efficent at killing everything in the water..............
Though just got a 100ml bottle of safe start so have double dosed the tank.

Might be a silly question here but did you add dechlorinator to the tap water in the tank?

 

[kwi]

Might be a silly question here but did you add dechlorinator to the tap water in the tank?

Yes, using the Tetra one, and I have been checking and rechecking I got the dosage rates right, plus NI Water use Chlorine not Chloramine so it would gas off anyway.
I did get a large bloom early on so it must work......

 

[Ch4rlie]

What is the temperature of the tank water?

24C to 29C (75F and 85F) is what works best, any cooler than that slows the cycle down, higher temp won’t do much, so those are the optimal temperature range for cycling.

 

[kwi]

27C-28C, two thermometers disagree by 1C.

 

[Ch4rlie]

Then you SHOULD be cycling with all those factors in place.

Think something is up with your water supply.

Is your water connected to a water softener system?

 

[kwi]

I know, I SHOULD be, but I'm not and I'm baffled.

No softener system, I've done all the plumbing from the riser onwards.
Our mains pipes were all changed from asbestos to plastic about 6 years ago.
My wifes uncle is supplied from the same resevoir and has 5 200l on the go, I might go rob one of his filters, mind you he claims our water is hard when it's not.

Water Supply Zone	Dungonnell Glarryford
Zone water quality report (2019 dataset)	View report.
Calcium Hardness (mg CaCO3/l)	27.9
Magnesium (mg/l)	2.9
Potassium (mg/l)	0.1
Calcium (mg/l)	23.1
Total Hardness (mg CaCO3/l)	69.8
Clark English Degrees	4.9
French Degrees	7.0
German Degrees	3.9

I am within 1/4 mile of what is locally called the dam, it's more a sub pump station storage thing for our water supply, next time I find someone working at it I'm going to ask exactly what goes on there.

 

[kwi]

I'm going to wait until the end of October, and if nothing has progressed I'm going to empty the tank totally, clean everything, change the substrate (Which I really want to do anyway, but the Mrs chose the current gravel.) plant and try again.
The only thing I am left to thinking has happened is something has got into the tank that shouldn't have which is inhibiting bacteria growth.

 

[Ch4rlie]

I'm going to wait until the end of October, and if nothing has progressed I'm going to empty the tank totally, clean everything, change the substrate (Which I really want to do anyway, but the Mrs chose the current gravel.) plant and try again.
The only thing I am left to thinking has happened is something has got into the tank that shouldn't have which is inhibiting bacteria growth.

That’s what I am thinking too, some sort of foreign element has got into the tank via something inside the tank or even inside the filter itself perhaps.

I do not know without seeing the set up myself, extremely difficult to diagnose with just what I’ve pictured in my mind am afraid.

I would agree with your plan but rather than end of month, give it one more week and nothing changes at all, then restart afresh.

Am sorry your efforts so far seems to have been in vain.

 

[kwi]

Am sorry your efforts so far seems to have been in vain.

Thanks but it's not your fault.

 

[kwi]

So tank was gutted today, down to bare glass. Everything was washed, gravel ornaments the lot. Then rinsed in a bucket of dechlorinated water. I even found a few bits of Lego..........
Tank has been reset, filled with dechlorinated water, KH checked, not 1 degree so some food grade calcium carbonate has been added and I will test KH again in the morning.
Heater, filter and airstone all turned on and once I am happy with the KH I will dose with ammonia.

Have dug out my big hammer just in case it doesn't work this time.

 

[kwi]

Wohoo, I dumped a whole bottle (A double dose.) of Dr Tims Bacteria into the tank on Friday morning, don't know if it was the cause but now I have some Nitrite, not much but there has definitely been a shift in colour.........Khadens Birthday is in 7 weeks so fingers crossed we'll be able to go and get some livestock for him.........

 

[Wells]

Been about 8 days since I started my cycle, seeded with established media from another tank, doses of Dr.Tims bacteria and using Dr.Tims ammonia.

I'm currently on about 0.50 ammonia, down from what would have been at least 4ppm at some point, I have 40ppm on my Nitrates but my Nitrites are still a solid 2ppm, maybe more as I find the purples hard to see.

My thinking was that if tomorrow I have 40+ppm on Nitrates, 0 ammonia but still high nitrites to do a large water change, retest and then do another dose of ammonia and then retest after 24 hours to see where we are.

My concern is there may have been too much ammonia at the start, so potentially the nitrites have built up too much?

 

[kwi]

Is it possible to miss a nitrite peak if using bottled bacteria?
My nitrites seem to be dropping, my ammonia is at 0ppm so have just redosed to 3ppm (Dose 2 on the guide.)
Tested Nitrates and they are well up, also tested tap water for nitrate, it's 0.

 

[kwi]

Been about 8 days since I started my cycle, seeded with established media from another tank, doses of Dr.Tims bacteria and using Dr.Tims ammonia.

I'm currently on about 0.50 ammonia, down from what would have been at least 4ppm at some point, I have 40ppm on my Nitrates but my Nitrites are still a solid 2ppm, maybe more as I find the purples hard to see.

My thinking was that if tomorrow I have 40+ppm on Nitrates, 0 ammonia but still high nitrites to do a large water change, retest and then do another dose of ammonia and then retest after 24 hours to see where we are.

My concern is there may have been too much ammonia at the start, so potentially the nitrites have built up too much?

The nitrites would only be too much at about 16ppm iirc, and then that would stall the process and they won't come down.