Cycling My New Tank

[LongNY]

I have been cycling my tank for 4 weeks now and all I get from my water quality is a toxic level of ammonia....1.5..... Nitrites and Nitrates are and have always been at zero.

My water is very acidic....Ph-5 Hardness is also very soft at 2.....

I have one small Sword Plant in the tank and 3 Tiger Barbs. The TB's are doing just great...seem happy, hungry and playful even though they should be stressed.

My tank is a 20 gal xtra high 20widex10deepx24high.

I've read that by 4 weeks my tank should be well on it's way to a full cycle...

Please help if you can...

Thanks, John NYC

 

[Tolak]

Wow, that's a low PH! Did you use dechlorinator when you filled the tank, & with any water changes? Chlorine & chloramine will prevent bacteria from growing, keeping your tank from cycling. Chlorine will evaporate out of water in a day or so, but chloramine will stay no matter how long you age your water. I don't think the low PH should affect the cycle, I know the softness will not.

Tolak

 

[pendragon]

Patience, young grasshopper. If you have ammonia, you will eventually have a cycle. It just takes time. Some tanks cycle fast, some not-so-fast. Just hang in there.

As for the stress on the fish - ammonia's toxicity level is dependant on your pH (and to a far lesser extent, temperature). At a pH of 5.0 - which is incredibly low - the amount of ammonia you have present is barely enough to blink at. You shouldn't worry yourself much unless it gets higher. I'd be more concerned about figuring out why my pH was so low than 1.5 ppm ammonia. Does your water come right out of the tap at pH 5.0?

I also responded to your email yesterday, LongNY. Look for my response if you haven't seen it already.

pendragon!

 

[LongNY]

Thanks Pendragon....and Tolak..got your emails....

My tap is a perfect ph of 7...but I have a piece of driftwood in the tank and that's probably making it a ph reading of 5.

I am also using Amquel, which I read, thanks to Pendragon, that Amquel will make an ammonia test inaccurate, so I'm not sure where I'm at, but will keep up with a weekly 20% water change, rinse out the filter media in old tank water and refill with Amquel treated tap water uhless someone has better advice.

Thanks again to all the information.

John NYC

 

[rdd1952]

If you are doing a fishless cycle, stay away from the Amquel. You want the ammonia to be processed naturally. By using the chemicals, you are not giving the good bacteria a chance to form. Get a dechlorinator like Stress Coat and use it when you fill the tank. Don't do any water changes during cycling, just top off if water evaporates. My 75 gallon just finished cycling (nitrite spike finally dropped yesterday). It took about 3 weeks. Unfortunatly, you may need to do a huge water change and start over. Here is a good link on fishless cycling. It worked for me. Good luck.

aquatic-hobbyist.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=15

 

[LongNY]

Thanks...... I stopped using Amquel...Started using Tap Water Conditioner.... am doing 20% water changes...... I realize I may have messed up my Cycling, but will keep doing water changes because of the Amquel and keep testing the water..... I have 3 Tiger Barbs in a 20 gal tank...they seem really fine...soooo hungry and active..... but will persevere and not add any more fish until the cycle is completed.
Thanks John NYC