Cyle Not Kickstarting ....newbie Question

[Anthoz]

Hi all
I'm cycling my first 28l tank using a fish less cycle.
I increased ammonia to 4 over 2 weeks ago and it's still at 2.
Nitrites are at 0 so no cycle has begun yet.
Tank temp is 30 degrees and tap ph is low at 6.5
Any ideas at all
Thanks all very much indeed in advance
A

 

[lucasluke]

Its only been to weeks so its still early days.

Put some bicarb about a teaspoon will do to raise your PH into the 8's as this will speed up the cycle!

 

[Anthoz]

Its only been to weeks so its still early days.

Put some bicarb about a teaspoon will do to raise your PH into the 8's as this will speed up the cycle!

Ooh thanks for that
I assume a low ph is bad for those nice bacteria that I want to make feel at home in my tank??

 

[CezzaXV]

Agreed about the bicarb. It really won't be doing much at that pH - I learned this the hard way! Add a tiny amount of bicarb as and when you need to to bring your pH up to around 8.

It does seem your cycle is going a little slow but it's not overly so. The pH certainly won't be helping.

 

[lucasluke]

A PH of 6 will slow down the bacterial growth to nearly zero - which is probably why nothing has shifted! Bacteria love a PH of 8!

 

[doresy]

Hi, small tanks can be notoriously hard work to cycle. I did a 28lt one once for a betta set-up and it took 16 weeks to complete yet my current 240lt completed, from scratch, in seven!

Cycling + patience = success

 

[HayzH]

+1 i agree...my tanks are taking turns to crash atm....little tikes!

 

[Anthoz]

+1 i agree...my tanks are taking turns to crash atm....little tikes!

Thanks for all of the advice guys!!!
Off to get some bicarbonate and will keep you all posted as I slowly progress

 

[lucasluke]

Good luck! I suggest you open a thread for your cycling post's and update it daily with water test results. It helps you keep track and also people will tell you exactly what to do!

 

[MissTracy]

I would do a water change and get that Ammonia down to 1 or 2. There really isn't a need to dose to 4ppm.....the fish you will have in there just wont produce that much waste. It is also possible that with a smaller tank adding too much Ammonia stalls the cycle.

 

[lucasluke]

I would do a water change and get that Ammonia down to 1 or 2. There really isn't a need to dose to 4ppm.....the fish you will have in there just wont produce that much waste. It is also possible that with a smaller tank adding too much Ammonia stalls the cycle.

Not true. 4ppm is normal for any Fishless cycle. It wont stall the cycle.

It's not about the 'ppm' of ammonia you put in, it's about the amount/ML. Because in one tank 1ml of ammonia could be 4ppm and in another 20ml could be 4ppm. Cycling to 1 or 2ppm will just leave you with a filter and tank that wont take a full stocking straight away.

 

[HayzH]

I would do a water change and get that Ammonia down to 1 or 2. There really isn't a need to dose to 4ppm.....the fish you will have in there just wont produce that much waste. It is also possible that with a smaller tank adding too much Ammonia stalls the cycle.

Not true. 4ppm is normal for any Fishless cycle. It wont stall the cycle.

It's not about the 'ppm' of ammonia you put in, it's about the amount/ML. Because in one tank 1ml of ammonia could be 4ppm and in another 20ml could be 4ppm. Cycling to 1 or 2ppm will just leave you with a filter and tank that wont take a full stocking straight away.

+1

 

[MissTracy]

I would do a water change and get that Ammonia down to 1 or 2. There really isn't a need to dose to 4ppm.....the fish you will have in there just wont produce that much waste. It is also possible that with a smaller tank adding too much Ammonia stalls the cycle.

Not true. 4ppm is normal for any Fishless cycle. It wont stall the cycle.

It's not about the 'ppm' of ammonia you put in, it's about the amount/ML. Because in one tank 1ml of ammonia could be 4ppm and in another 20ml could be 4ppm. Cycling to 1 or 2ppm will just leave you with a filter and tank that wont take a full stocking straight away.

+1

A larger tank will handle more biomass per gallon than a smaller tank. The smaller fish we put into small tanks just don't create the bioload of large fish in a large tank, for this reason it is not necessary to dose ammonia as high in a smaller tank. You only need enough bacteria to handle what is going in your tank, anymore will just die off. A small tank with 10 guppies will not create near the bioload that a larger tank with 10 larger fish.

 

[lucasluke]

Yeh but because the water quantity is smaller, it will take less time for those small fish to bring the ammonia up to 4ppm. Compared to say they were in a 100 gallon tank, it would take a long time, but it in a small 10 gallon tank, just 10 small fish will bring it up quickly.

 

[Anthoz]

Yeh but because the water quantity is smaller, it will take less time for those small fish to bring the ammonia up to 4ppm. Compared to say they were in a 100 gallon tank, it would take a long time, but it in a small 10 gallon tank, just 10 small fish will bring it up quickly.

Hi all
So another week on I've raised ammonia to 4 and the ph is now 8.5 thanks to some bicarbonate but still nothing happening.
There is also white fur in the tank appearing
Raised ammonia 4 days ago and still level same
Any ideas