Cycling taking a long time.

[panboy]

i started cycling 3 weeks ago, and my readings are .7 ammonia, .1 nitrite, and 2.5 nitrate, 8.4 ph. i dont think this tank is going anywhere... its been moving really slowly...

the ph is soaring for some reason... not sure why
ideas?

ive added everyting possible to speed it up, like plants, gravel from my cycled tank, filter sponge.

should i start all over? its irritating me alot.

 

[Exiled]

3 weeks isnt that long to cycle a tank--consider that cycling with fish can take 6 weeks.... Don't start over--that will accomplish nothing.
--How much ammonia are you using?
--That 0.1 nitrite is barely even there -- What kind of test kit are you using that gives you such minute indications? On mine .25 is the lowest test result for nitrites.
--What was the highest your nitrites have been? If you already experienced your nitrite spike, it sounds like you're just about done. You can't have a true zero reading, it only looks like zero when using your standard test reagents. So you may be done... but:
--How long does it take for 1 ppm of ammonia to get consumed?
--Have your nitrates changed at all in the last few days? They should be rising....

 

[panboy]

nitrites have always been .1 since i first started.
i have some red sea test kits,
i saw some that went to higher levels. this one only goes to 1..... but its always been at .1, not higher. thats why i was wondering if i shoudl start ove, cause nitrites have been stuck there for a week.

nitrates just started to show up.

im putin about 15 drops of ammonia each day in a 46g

 

[Adrinal]

Yep 3 weeks is nothing...
esp if you dont have someones old rocks or filters to seed the bacteria... your just waiting for it to fly into your tank...

I wait 6weeks when seting up a new tank..
I just use food my self... but after reading this forum I would use a little amonia to feed the new tank.

If your not shy get an old filter pad from your lfs ... should only take a week then.

 

[Exiled]

I'd say, since your nitrites are so low that you just dont have enough ammonia in there to support a large enough bacterial colony to get a visible nitrite "spike". You only get a nitrosomonas colony large enough to survive on the ammonia you feed them, and a plateu of 0.1 nitrIte and 2.5 nitrAte result is indicative of that.
15 drops isnt a good measurement to describe amounts. Start measuring out your ammonia in a syringe, or medicine cup and get your ammonia level to 5 ppm. Record how much ammonia that took. In my 55 gallon that was exactly 20 mL.

I just measured out 15 drops using a medicine syringe -- that didnt even come to 1 mL.

Saturate your water with ammonia -- get it to 5 ppm. Your bacterial colony will grow to handle that amount. You'll start seeing higher, more mobile results.

 

[panboy]

forgot to tell u somethings, i did add about 2 cups of gravel from my other 10g tank. i also got a fitler pad, and 2 plants cause i heard those helped. the plants were being killed so i moved it back into my 10g for now.

and i read on a site that after nitrites start to appear, to cut down on ammonia.
i was adding 1/2 a cup of ammonia before. i wasnt sure how much ammonia raeding that was, cause my ammonia kit doesnt read to 5ppm. and once nitrite kicked in, i put in less, and somewhere i read a couple drops for each 10g or something, and it turned out to 15. im guessing that site is way off on that since u put 20ml.

but so ill start adding more ammonia than before, but im gonna have to guess on how much for now, cause i dont have a test kit that goes to 5ppm, and im really trying to restrict how much i buy right now because im REALLY tight on money