Help! Any Suggestions Why Tiny Tank Won't Cycle?`

I have a 2.5 gallon tank - it was just a tiny one I bought to keep for "just in case" cases. Well, my Mystery Snail had a fertile clutch & I had baby snails before I had time to properly cycle the tank. It's had babies in it now since August. I've seeded the tank with filter media from my established tank, as well as some plants & gravel from my established tank. I do a water change EVERY SINGLE DAY 'cos the ammonia is at anywhere from 1.0ppm to 2.0pmm each day. NO NITRITES!! EVER! So, what's going on? Too many water changes? But, don't I have to do those to help the poor baby snails with all the ammonia in there?
Any ideas, please?

 

Do you have nitrates? One guess is that you might have a cycled tank, but that the bio-load is too high for the cycle. Mystery snails produce A LOT of waste.

 

Do you have nitrates? One guess is that you might have a cycled tank, but that the bio-load is too high for the cycle. Mystery snails produce A LOT of waste.

I do have a very small amount of nitrates - last time I checked, it was under 10ppm.
So, that's what I was worried about - the biolode. But, they're doing great so far! I've already give away about 30 of them & have another 60 or 70 small babies in tank

 

What are the nitrates in your tap water?

 

What are the nitrates in your tap water?

I do have a small amount of nitrates in my water - it measures in my kit I use as under 5ppm

 

Do you have nitrates? One guess is that you might have a cycled tank, but that the bio-load is too high for the cycle. Mystery snails produce A LOT of waste.

You know, I think you're right & that the tank is cycled & it's just too much for the biolode I'm going to be thinning them out again in a few days - I've got about 15 that are big enough to move safely.
Speaking of - you wouldn't happen to know about Mystery Snails? I just guessed with the ones I just gave to my LFS & took them in when they reached quarter size. Can I move them smaller than that without damaging their shells? I'd like to really lighten that biolode soon!

 

mystery snails need 2 gallons EACH to have a balanced bioload so you'll probably just have to change the water every day lol. at least its not a big tank and the snails are going to be very hardy

 

Yeah, this was not well thought out in any regard. My Mystery Snail Morty, Sr. had produced SIXTEEN infertile clutches that I would float in a container in the tiny tank, only half-heartedly thinking anything would ever happen. Well, her seventeenth (and last, for now, for at least 5 months, lol) clutch turned out to be fertile. And I feel very lucky it was a "small" one - only about 100 snails. Plus, I'm also lucky that I have two LFSs that are more than willing to take the baby Mystery Morty, Jrs.

 

You know, I think you're right & that the tank is cycled & it's just too much for the biolode I'm going to be thinning them out again in a few days - I've got about 15 that are big enough to move safely.
Speaking of - you wouldn't happen to know about Mystery Snails? I just guessed with the ones I just gave to my LFS & took them in when they reached quarter size. Can I move them smaller than that without damaging their shells? I'd like to really lighten that biolode soon!

Put an algea pellet in a clean bottle top or lid then when they are all over lid take it out so you dont break their teeny fragile shells and place in another tank. I have done that to lower bioload and it seems to work. Your tank sounds cycled for sure, since you ha e 0 nitrites and some nitrates. Are you filtering this 2.5 gallon with any charcoal?

 

Put an algea pellet in a clean bottle top or lid then when they are all over lid take it out so you dont break their teeny fragile shells and place in another tank. I have done that to lower bioload and it seems to work. Your tank sounds cycled for sure, since you ha e 0 nitrites and some nitrates. Are you filtering this 2.5 gallon with any charcoal?

Yeah, I am filtering it with charcoal. I do a water change a day & am thinking of doing 2 changes a day until I can get some of the babies to the LFS. Maybe I can do that tomorrow. I just can't seem to get a good answer on how big they should be in order to be safely moved. Here are a few pics of the different sizes they are now. Maybe someone could let me know if these babies look big enough to transport across town to the LFS?

 

Yeah, I am filtering it with charcoal. I do a water change a day & am thinking of doing 2 changes a day until I can get some of the babies to the LFS. Maybe I can do that tomorrow. I just can't seem to get a good answer on how big they should be in order to be safely moved. Here are a few pics of the different sizes they are now. Maybe someone could let me know if these babies look big enough to transport across town to the LFS?
View attachment 734181

Those look nice and healthy, not as teeny as I thought you meant. Yes, most LFS will take them that size since they are usually hardy little creatures. 2 changes a day may crash a cycle and then your ammonia could possibly get worse

 

Those look nice and healthy, not as teeny as I thought you meant. Yes, most LFS will take them that size since they are usually hardy little creatures. 2 changes a day may crash a cycle and then your ammonia could possibly get worse

Ah - thanks for the advice on 2 water changes a day! I never thought of that! I think I've been able to keep them healthy by daily changes & probably pure genetics on the part of the Gold Mystery Snail parents.
If they look well enough/big enough, I think I'll take most of them to the LFS tomorrow. There are still a handful that, strangely enough, are still smaller than a pea. But, I can definitely give away at least 30 tomorrow. *Sigh* It's kinda hard to see them go - even though I know they'll be happier & healthier.

 

Ah - thanks for the advice on 2 water changes a day! I never thought of that! I think I've been able to keep them healthy by daily changes & probably pure genetics on the part of the Gold Mystery Snail parents.
If they look well enough/big enough, I think I'll take most of them to the LFS tomorrow. There are still a handful that, strangely enough, are still smaller than a pea. But, I can definitely give away at least 30 tomorrow. *Sigh* It's kinda hard to see them go - even though I know they'll be happier & healthier.

It will feel good to know that people will go home and enjoy them, and yes different sizes is normal, at least for me. Some are better at finding food than others, just like how there are dominant pups in a litter.

 

You know, I think you're right & that the tank is cycled & it's just too much for the biolode I'm going to be thinning them out again in a few days - I've got about 15 that are big enough to move safely.
Speaking of - you wouldn't happen to know about Mystery Snails? I just guessed with the ones I just gave to my LFS & took them in when they reached quarter size. Can I move them smaller than that without damaging their shells? I'd like to really lighten that biolode soon!

You can certainly move them before they reach the size of a quarter, but each move will show on their shell. It won't damage the shell, but there will be a line on their shell indicating when they moved to different water parameters.

 

You can certainly move them before they reach the size of a quarter, but each move will show on their shell. It won't damage the shell, but there will be a line on their shell indicating when they moved to different water parameters.

Thank you! That makes me feel better - I'll take a lot of them to my LFS tomorrow so that I can let the tiny ones grow in healthier water & get the other ones better homes

 

When it comes to a tiny tank with a heavy bio-load you need to run a much bigger filter than you would in the same tank with a very light bio-load. I am thinking this tank may be cycled but the filter can't pull enough of the ammonia laden water through it and then grow enough bacteria to clear it out.

If you could run a HOB filter designed for maybe a 10 gallon tank on this tank it would be big enough and would hold enough media to handle this heavy bio-load. You may have to baffle the out flow of water but that can easily be done with a piece of sponge. The sponge will be another place to grow bacteria so it is a win win set-up.

 

When it comes to a tiny tank with a heavy bio-load you need to run a much bigger filter than you would in the same tank with a very light bio-load. I am thinking this tank may be cycled but the filter can't pull enough of the ammonia laden water through it and then grow enough bacteria to clear it out.

If you could run a HOB filter designed for maybe a 10 gallon tank on this tank it would be big enough and would hold enough media to handle this heavy bio-load. You may have to baffle the out flow of water but that can easily be done with a piece of sponge. The sponge will be another place to grow bacteria so it is a win win set-up.

Great idea! That's perfect - and I also happen to have a hob filter sitting in my closet going to waste! Thanks for the suggestion!

 

Great idea! That's perfect - and I also happen to have a hob filter sitting in my closet going to waste! Thanks for the suggestion!

You are so very welcome. I am sure you are already going to do so but want to say, be sure to move all the media from the filter you are using right now over to the bigger filter.