rat82883

Someone somewhere must REALLLLLY not want me to have fish, i just typed this all up and my comp crashed, typing it again now....

I have read this page : HELP! i can't get my ammonia levels down!! and it seems like the same problem i'm having with my 29g tank. I set it up 3 weeks ago, added 3 Zebra Danios the next day and returned them later that week after deciding to go fishless and cycle it in one go. I added enough ammonia to get it to about 5ppm on Friday before the long July 4th weekend. Come back monday, and no change. I add more ammonia (as stated by most websites) but added less than they stated (60 drops the first day to get 5ppm, added 15 drops for 3 days after I got back on sunday). Waited the rest of the week and still no change....no drops, no nitrites, no nitrates, nothing.

I then do 2 consecutive 20% followed by a 60% to drop my levels to about 2ppm (as I thought i might have overdosed the tank with ammonia). Been testing every day in the last 6 days and it looks like its SLOOOOWLY dropping to 1ppm. However, I think this is because I have 2 java ferns, 1 dwarf hairgrass, 1 annachoris, and a driftwood with another plant in it. Still 0 nitrites. Also, I have never seen a bacteria bloom (how long does it last for? a few hours or a few days?) and I am getting super frustrated and thinking I should have just kept the danios...

The first 15 drops of ammonia I added on the first day had surfactants in the ingredients. I immmedaitely went to Ace hardware and got some pure ammonia. I dont think those 15 drops of surfactants would have caused the cycle to not start...I have even seeded my gravel with some gravel from the LFS.

Some specs on my tank : 29g, moderately planted, small 3-5mm aquarium gravel, Tetra whisper 40i filter, Subrmersible heater (also tetra, i think), Rena 200 air pump used to pump an artificial rock bought from petsmart.

My game plan is to wait 2-3 more days....if I see no nitrites, i'll do a 99% water change, put in new water and toss a shrimp in (like the other poster did in the forum I linked earlier). I'll wait a week or two after that.....if nothing, i'mma do another 99% water change and just get some zebra danios and go from there.....

I really have no clue what's going wrong and I'm all ears. Patience was never one of my strong points and to sit through 2 weeks with no fish is just killing me....Just really bummed especially since I am just entering this hobby and was thinking of getting a large 65g tank if I enjoyed this. Needless to say, my friends tell me that my experience has taught them to stay away from fish, Thanks in advance for any help.

matt6765

fishless cycles take awhile but they are worth it...... hand in there....

Tony G.

Welcome to Fishlore
First off.. relax
You seem to be on the right track. Cycling your tank takes a while, some get instant cycles(seeding tank with cycled gravel) and some 3-4 week cycling periods. You need to be patient. I would stop adding the ammonia do a 30% water change, and then instead of adding the bottled ammonia add pinches of fish food everyday. The food will decay in the tank and cause ammonia to spike and will begin your cycle.
Thats all i can pretty much pass on to you. If i missed anything feel free o correct me

matt6765

add food can lead to lots of algae because of phosphate

Tony G.

true, but the algae depends on the wattage of the lights.

matt6765

Ok I guess but still phosphate is a nutrient algae needs to grow.....

Tony G.

it is. I guess you can lower the posphate by doing 10% water changes every day. YOu could also buy yourself some TSS( tetra safe start) some members have been succesful speeding their cycle with TSS.

gmen4life

patience young grasshopper

matt6765

I agree with the TSS (tetra safe start). Give it a try it might work...

rat82883

Thanks for the welcoming to the site. I think the site is great with good members. I am okay with waiting as long as I know eventually it's going to go somewhere. However, it seems like I'm stuck in a situation where I'll be like Eepruls in Can't get fishless cycle going; Ammonia not dropping and no Nitrites where ammonia levels just never come back down...

I threw in a bottle of Top Fin Bacteria Supplement when setting up the tank 3 weeks ago, and this past weekend, I bought Stress Zyme and tossed the recommended amount in there but still nothing, =( Is Tetra Safe Start similar to Stress Zyme and seeds it with bacteria to speed it up? At this point, I'll try anything.

Also want to add that I have a T-5 Aqualite lighting with 54W total.

Btw, when you guys got your bacterial bloom, how long did it last? I dont think my tank was ever cloudy other than when i first filled it with water, but that was just recently rinsed gravel kicking up some dirt....but that disappeared in an hour and the water has been clear ever since with no sign of any bloom....

matt6765

I think Stress Zyme is bad but I could be wrong..... as for a bacterial bloom it should go away in a couple of days

Tony G.

I wouldnt add the bacteria. IT basically makes your cycle depend on it. Just wait it out. THe bacteria will develop soon

Lucy

You just solved your own mystery. Many bacterial suppliments contain the wrong kind of bacteria. Its not aquatic and dies off quickly. It will use the ammonia and not allow the beneficial bacteria to grow because the suppliments are using the food.

TSS contains the right kind of bacteria, not stress zyme or TF.

rat82883

Thanks for the replies, all.

So Lucy, what do you recommend I do from here? Shall i do any partial water changes or buy some TSS and add that @ this point in time?

Or would I be better off starting from ground zero and doing a full water change and adding TSS when I get it going?

If the bacteria was using the ammonia, wouldnt I have have seen a decrease in ammonia? Also, if I have never seen the bacteria bloom in 3 weeks, shall I start over? Sorry for all these questions, just desperate to fix the problem....Thanks again for all the help, guys!

Lucy

Don't worry about asking questions, that's what the forum is for

Weird that the suppliments didn't use the ammonia. I just noticed that you seeded this tank. Wondering if the surfactants had effected them.
Hmmmm, very strange.

You've got a couple of choices.
You can start over with fresh water and use TSS and a couple of fish.
I think if you add TSS with your ammonia reading, it'll overwhem the TSS and cause it not to work.

With that said, 3 weeks isn't that long to wait for the bacteria that converts ammonia to nitrite to develop.

So the third option is patience and wait for the ammonia to start to drop. Please don't resort to cycling with fish. You'll need to do daily water changes and hope they don't get sick or die from the ammonia.

BTW, whats the tank temp? pH? Do you have aeration?

rat82883

Tank temp is solid @ 78-80 degrees. pH is about between 7.2-7.6 (can't relaly tell the color diff) I also have aeration with a Rena 200 powering a air bubble inside a rock I bought from petsmart

So adding TSS enables me to safely add fish after I set up the tank? Also, I've been reading up on how long it takes for bacteria to get converted to nitrite and i've been hearing half a week or so. I am just kinda frustrasted that I'm not getting anything after 2 weeks

Lucy

It can take a full six 6 weeks to cycle a tank, no two cycles are alike.

With TSS, you add it and a couple of fish you want to stock at the same time. I don't have personal experience with it but there's several threads about it here on the forum.
If you decide to go that route, you'd have to do a 100% water change to get the ammonia out.

rat82883

also want to say that there might be another thing. The second day after setting up the tank and letting it run, i bought 6 zebra danios (they gave me 7) and they all died within 3-4hrs..horrible, i know....=(..they would swim upside-down and then just start floating with the current...the LFS told me i could add in fish the next day...Ammonia/nitrate/Nitrite were all 0, what could possible have been the culprit?

Tony G.

did you add dechlorinator? how did you introduce them? they could have been shocked by your pH level.

rat82883

i did use dechlorinator in the required amount when i was setting up the tank. i just floated the bag in the water for an hour and let the fish in. the three that survived that i bought the next day, i acclimated them by mixing more tank water with their water before introducing them to the tank...

Lucy

I didn't know there were fish in the tank.
Are you adding ammonia with fish in there?

Tony G.

no i think he did in the begining, but they died. Right now hes doing fishless.

rat82883

That is correct....I got 7 fish which died.....then 3 which lived for a week before I returned to the store and decided to go the ammonia route. The whole time the fish were in there, it was 0 for Ammonia/Nitrite/Nitrate.

As an update, i think i MIGHT.......MIGHT be getting some progress....I just tested the water with the API kit and Nitrite looks like it might be EVER SO SLIGHTLY purple....can't really tell as when I put it side by side, it still looks like 0. However, it doesnt look as blue as it was when I tested yesterday....which was a very very clear light blue. Now its still light blue but it looks like there might be a SLIGHT touch of purple.....I REALLY REALLY hope its starting to cycle, as I was just about to do a 99% water change and try with shrimp....

I'll hold off for a few days and see if Nitrites start spiking....REALLY hoping it does....COME ON, TANK!

bolivianbaby

You'll more than likely be showing purple tomorrow. My tank did the same thing

Hang in there, you're moving forward.

rat82883

just want to update and say that my tank cycled today and I'll be getting fish tomorrow....I guess there was too much ammonia to begin with and after the water change, it started.

I am wondering if anyone has suggestions on how much I should stock the tank? 1/3 of max capacity? and wait 2 weeks or so and check to see levels are stable before adding more? thanks!

bolivianbaby

How much ammonia is it processing within 24 hours? That'll help you figure out how much of a stocking your nitrifying bacteria can handle.

And CONGRATULATIONS on the cycle! It's been a kicker for ya.

Lucy

Congrats on finishing the cycle!

Start with about 3 fish, wait two weeks and add a few more. Remember to Q any new additions for 2 weeks.
As always, keep an eye on your parameters.

kimb

If it just cycled today, I would watch it a few more days just to make sure your cycle is stable...(not what you wanted to hear I know), sometimes when the cycle is brand new it can go out of whack very quickly. If you decided to add tomorrow, like Lucy said keep a close eye on your water. Congrats on hanging in there...now have some fun!