Getting disheartened cycling my tank - what next?

[Sunnyspots]

I'm getting disheartened cycling my tank. My nitrites have persisted, gone down, gone up again etc. although my ammonia is clearly being eaten now. In desperation, to hopefully kick start things again, I have done a 75 - 80% water change, left things cycling for an hour, and then retested all the parameters:

GH 2 - 3
KH 2 - 3
pH 7.0 - 7.5
ammonia 0
nitrites up to 0.3
nitrates 40

Prior to the water change:

ammonia 0
nitrites 0.8 - 1.6
nitrates 80+

I checked my tap water

nitrites 《0.3
nitrates 2.5 (4 - 16 according to water supplier)

What should I do next? Another water change? Another ammonia dose? Add more sodium bicarbonate to increase hardness? Any advice would be really helpful.

 

[Essjay]

How long have you been cycling? It took 7 weeks for mine to finish........

Now that the water change has got ammonia down to zero and nitrite almost zero, you need to add a full (3 ppm) dose of ammonia. I think I'd also add some bicarb since your KH is very low and you don't want to have a pH crash.

 

[Essjay]

I have just read your other thread and had forgotten you have plants. When there are plants in a tank, the cycle doesn't proceed the same way as a fishless cycle with no live plants as the plants remove some, if not all, of the ammonia that's added and there is less nitrite and nitrate made.

 

[Sunnyspots]

Hi Essjay I've done a month so only a fraction of yours! I think my impatience is really because the fish I want aren't commonly sold but happen to be available locally at present (between 2 shops). I'm worried I'll miss the boat.

Thanks for the advice. I had already added 15ml bicarb as I thought I'd better get the hardness up. I'm having to guesstimate the ammonia dose as I can't find a test that shows 3ppm. Mine (Tetra) does 2 and 4. I'll titrate it according to a middling colour.

Thank you again.

 

[Essjay]

I just went with a colour between 2 and 4.

 

[Slaphppy7]

How long have you been cycling? It took 7 weeks for mine to finish........

Now that the water change has got ammonia down to zero and nitrite almost zero, you need to add a full (3 ppm) dose of ammonia. I think I'd also add some bicarb since your KH is very low and you don't want to have a pH crash.

A fishless cycle took 7 weeks??

Mine have all lasted right around at 3, tops......

 

[Essjay]

This was done with no mature media, no bacterial starter and no plants. Just water, ammonia and a bit of bicarb (baking soda) to prevent a pH crash with a KH of 3 dH.


It was noted on the forum some years ago that for some reason, fishless cycles in the UK took longer than elsewhere. No-one knew why.

 

[Slaphppy7]

This was done with no mature media, no bacterial starter and no plants. Just water, ammonia and a bit of bicarb (baking soda) to prevent a pH crash with a KH of 3 dH.


It was noted on the forum some years ago that for some reason, fishless cycles in the UK took longer than elsewhere. No-one knew why.

Mine were done the same, minus the baking soda.

Interesting about the difference in cycle times depending on location; I have no clue about the reason, either...

 

[Sunnyspots]

Proximity of the sea.? It would be interesting to see how US and others cycle times varied with it.

 

[Slaphppy7]

Proximity of the sea.? It would be interesting to see how US and others cycle times varied with it.

I really don't know, had no idea until Essjay mentioned it...it DOES have me curious, though....

 

[Sunnyspots]

Could do a poll of sorts?

 

[Sunnyspots]

Technically, salt in the air might possibly have an effect, maybe? I don't know but much of other countries is comparatively landlocked.

 

[Essjay]

Someone from the US did suggest back then that perhaps the UK is better at killing bacteria in drinking water.

***stands back and waits for floods of posts by American members***

 

[Slaphppy7]

Someone from the US did suggest back then that perhaps the UK is better at killing bacteria in drinking water.

***stands back and waits for floods of posts by American members***

LOL....I still don't understand how that would affect cycle times

I DO know that when they flush the water lines in my town during the summer, you can actually smell the chlorine (chloramine) coming out of the tap...not very appetizing

 

[Essjay]

I thought that too. Even if there were fewer bacteria in mains water it would only take a few days extra not a couple of weeks extra.