My Crazy Cycle.....

[ddmcg]

Hoping someone can make some sense of this as my patience is wearing thinner by the day!

I started cycling with ammonia 6 weeks ago- added ammonia and waited. And waited. About 4 weeks later the ammonia was finally gone, some progress perhaps.
For the next 3 or 4 days i was adding ammonia every time it dropped to zero which was taking 12 hours or so with nitrites off the chart. Then it all stopped- the ammonia which had been taking 12 hours to disappear was still there and pretty high (4ppm or so) after 3 days!
I did a water change of about 80% last week, right away after this the ammonia was going within 12 hours again- every 12 hours for 3/4 days- so of course im thinking that im back in business- what a fool! Ammonia was last added on friday and is still around 2ppm with nitrates still off the chart.
Any advice as to my next step greatly appreciated!

 

[dthoffsett]

I have no idea why your cycle keeps stalling. How much ammonia are you adding? What's your PH, I know sometimes a very low PH can stall a cycle.

 

[rdd1952]

When you did the large water change, did your nitrite come down to a level that you could tell how high it was? Also, what is your nitrate reading? What is the temperature and pH of the water?

 

[rdd1952]

Sorry, double post somehow.

 

[ddmcg]

When you did the large water change, did your nitrite come down to a level that you could tell how high it was? Also, what is your nitrate reading? What is the temperature and pH of the water?

I added 5ml of ammonia at the very beginning, this took around 4 weeks to drop to zero. After this i was adding 5ml every time it dropped to zero which was every 12 hours or so. It is an 80 litre tank.
Nitrites have never beeen at any level on the chart- i am getting very tired of seeing those drops turn purple as soon as they hit the water! Temperature is at 29c/84f but i have just turned it up some more. I tested las night again with these results:

Ammonia 1.0 (3 days after adding 5 ml )
Nitrites Off the chart (As always)
Nitrates 10 (Never been much higher)
ph 6.6

I am running out of answers for my 3 year old nephew when he asks why i havent got any fish in there!

 

[rdd1952]

If your nitrate is only 10ppm after all that, then there isn't any nitrite being processed yet unless you have some type nitrate removal sponge or media in your filter. I would do a 100% water change to try to get things going again. Do you have any nitrate in your tapwater?

 

[ddmcg]

If your nitrate is only 10ppm after all that, then there isn't any nitrite being processed yet unless you have some type nitrate removal sponge or media in your filter. I would do a 100% water change to try to get things going again. Do you have any nitrate in your tapwater?

No nitrate in the tap water and as far as i know the filter sponge is 'normal', the water goes through the sponge and then through a pouch of ceramic rings and a pouch of carbon pellets, there are also some plastic 'bio balls' which i have no idea what they do!

Any ideas what can be stoppiing the nitrite processing? All that i have added to the water is 'aqua safe' dechlorinator and some stuff called 'cycle' supposedly to help the bacteria.

Im about to do a full water change but i fully expect that in 4 or 5 days ill be right back where i am now

 

[rabbut]

No nitrate in the tap water and as far as i know

Then at some point at least, nitrite was beeing processed. Do you know your tap waters pH reading? pHs between 7 and 6 will only slow the cycle, but not stop it, and I don't think a pH of 6.6 would slow things this much.

the filter sponge is 'normal', the water goes through the sponge and then through a pouch of ceramic rings and a pouch of carbon pellets, there are also some plastic 'bio balls' which i have no idea what they do!

Bio-balls are a biological filter media, that provide a surface for you nitrifying bactiria to colonate. You have plenty of biological media in the filter, so again I don't see this slowing the cycle as much as you are seeing here.

All that i have added to the water is 'aqua safe' dechlorinator and some stuff called 'cycle' supposedly to help the bacteria.

Im about to do a full water change but i fully expect that in 4 or 5 days ill be right back where i am now

Ok, you can save some money by not bothering with cycle. Most people belive that it niether helps or contains the nitrifying bactiria that filter ammonia and nitrite from your water. I recomend that you do enough waterchanges to keep nitrite on the chart, so you can at least see if it is moving, and if so, in which direction.
What type of test kits are you using, and are they in date?
HTH
rabbut

 

[ddmcg]

No nitrate in the tap water and as far as i know

Then at some point atleast, nitrite was beeing processed. Do you know your tap waters pH reading? pHs between 7 and 6 will only slow the cycle, but not stop it, and I don't think a pH of 6.6 would slow hings this much.

the filter sponge is 'normal', the water goes through the sponge and then through a pouch of ceramic rings and a pouch of carbon pellets, there are also some plastic 'bio balls' which i have no idea what they do!

Bio-balls are a biological filter media, that provide a surface for you nitrifying bactiria to colonate. You have plenty of biological media in the filter, so again I don't see this slowing the cycle as much as you are seeing here.

All that i have added to the water is 'aqua safe' dechlorinator and some stuff called 'cycle' supposedly to help the bacteria.

Im about to do a full water change but i fully expect that in 4 or 5 days ill be right back where i am now

Ok, you can save some money by not bothering with cycle. Most people belive that niether help or contain the nitrifying bactiria that filter ammonia and nitrite from your water. I recomend that you do enough waterchanges to keep nitrite on the chart, so you can at least see if it is moving, and if so, in which direction.
What type of test kits are you using, and are they in date?
HTH
rabbut

i am using the api master kit which i only bought around 7-8 weeks ago, i have just finished changing the water so i guess ill have to start over!