About to give up. Not cycling and very frustrated.

H

hhgtrillian

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Dec 2, 2006
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I have posted for help on this before but it's just not cycling.

I have a 29 gallon tank with a Rena Filstar XP2 that we put the ceramic rings in. The water return is below the water surface so to help with oxygenation/circulation, I also have an airpump with two small airstones running down the back two corners. I have a heater. I treat my water with SeaChem Prime. Our tap water is of fairly high pH at about 8.0. Temperature kept around 76 F. We have a few decorations and fake plants.

I am doing a fishy cycle and have 6 tiger barbs in the tank and a blue crayfish. The tank has been going since shortly after Christmas. I had ammonia showing up and had been doing regular water changes (every 2-3 days) to keep that in check, but have yet to see any nitrite. I tried to let it go a little longer and the ammonia got really high but still no nitrites. It seems there should be nitrite by now? Where are my nitrifying bacteria? What can I do to help them grow? As a desperate measure I tried Hagen Cycle even though I didn't think it would help...and it didn't seem to. There isn't any place local that sells Bio-Spira or I would have bought that. I'm also getting a lot of the brown algae/diatoms growing on the walls and decorations that I have to scrub off. It seems like anymore the ammonia will spike relatively quickly, and I can tell that the fish aren't acting like healthy fish should.

I've never had such problems with an aquarium before. I decided to get this after 4 years of not having anything (I've had up to 6 aquariums at one time in the past), but am starting to get frustrated enough to give up and get rid of the thing. I just don't know what's going on. Any insight? Suggestions?
 
tinymitymo said:
Can you get some filter media, gravel or ornaments from someone elses established tank?
Click to expand...

I've been thinking about going to the local fish shop I go to and seeing it I can buy some off of them, but haven't done that yet. Maybe I'll stop by this week and ask them.
 
I was able to buy a planted driftwood from my lfs. They said it had been in established tanks for at least a year. It helped my cycle go really fast but I did get snails from it.
 
Test your source water as well as your tank water for nitrates. Compare the two, if your tank has nitrates, but your tap doesnt I would say you are cycled. The prime does have ammonia detoxifying agents that are suppose to leave the ammonia available for the biological filter..but who knows...maybe its not useing it.

How do you do water changes, and at which stage do you use water conditioner? What kind of test kit are you using? Are you changing your filter media, or rinsing it under untreated tap water?

A suggestion..stop cleaning the algae off...it will dissappear as your tank matures. You could be removing beneficical bacteria during the process of removing the algae, and during a cycle, before the bacteria has full established itself in the filter...you need all the bacteria you can get.

Please post your ammonia, nitrite and nitrate readings.

Blue
 
This is the city test:

pH-8.56(pH units)
Alkalinity (Total)*-116
Phenolphthalein Alkalinity*-13
Total Hardness*-158
Calcium (as calcium carbonate)*-82
Magnesium (as calcium carbonate)*-76
Sulfate**-76
Total Dissolved Solids**-290
Turbidity-2.1 Nephelometric units
Fluoride**-1.02
Free Chlorine-1.8
Total Chlorine-2.1
Chloride**-32
Iron**-0.10
Manganese**-<none detected
Silica-21.4
Nitrate/Nitrite/Amm-none detected

I tested the Nitrite, Ammonia, and pH of the tap water and they seemed to confirm these tests. I haven't done Nitrate tests (don't have a test for that yet), but figured if i was getting high ammonia and no nitrites that there probably won't be any nitrates?

In the beginning I was keeping the Ammonia down to 0.25 and less by doing frequent (every 1-3 days) water changes, but when left for a week or so it spiked to somewhere around 2.5, maybe a little higher. I was changing around 5 gallons or so when I was doing the frequent changes, when it got really high I took probably 10-15 gallons out just to get it under control. I add the water conditioner to the bucket as I'm adding water to it and then I pour the bucket of treated water into the tank. I've been changing the filter media about every month and rinsing it more often in the water I take out of the tank. I don't rinse the ceramic rings at all. I've only cleaned the algae off twice since it was getting pretty bad and I thought it could be making things worse.

Hope this information gives you some insight. Thanks.
 
Heres what I want you to do. Forget about the city testing results. Test your tap water, purchase a nitrate test kit ASAP, and test your tank water as well. I take it you are using liquid test kits and not the strips. If you are using the strips, they are trash.

If your ammonia is being transformed into the not toxic form by your water conditioner and your biofilter for some reason is not using it, this could be the reason for showing positive on the ammonia. In other words your tank could really be cycled. Stop rinsing yorur media off for now unless it becomes clogged and inhibits the water flow...and no need to replace it unless its falling apart really.

Replacing filter media removes a huge portion of your biological filter.. but you said you have bio rings...hmm....

Get a nitrate test kit...test your ammonia, nitrite and nitrate and post your results here..
 
Oh yeah...I forgot to say what kind of kit I'm using. It's on by Red Sea called Fresh Lab. And it is a liquid test kit, not strips. It has tests for pH, NH3/NH4+, and NO2. I tested the tap water with this kit as well and got negative on the Nitrite and Ammonia and an 8+ a bit on the pH.

I'll try to get a nitrate test sometime soon. I just did a huge water change and tested before the change and I had 2.5+ on the ammonia, and 0 on the nitrite.

I guess part of the reason I didn't think it was cycled is because of the high ammonia and nitrite never showing up, and the fact the fish are obviously stressed and not doing well if I let the water go for even a week. They start hiding in the corner behind the fake plants and not eating.

How long can I leave the filter media in? I was also wondering that since I don't have a HOB filther that maybe the water isn't having enough contact with the air or something and it might be inhibiting the growth of bacteria?

I'll work on your suggestions for now and see how it goes. Thanks for your help in this. I'll be back for more help soon I'm sure. :)
 
Do you have a cannister filter? Just rinse your media out as needed, and when it starts to fall apart, replace it.

I would say something is definately up with your tank....and im thinking that it could be the change of filter media...youll know more when you get get your nitrate test kit..

Maybe someone else has some ideas?
 
Yeah...it's the Rena Filstar XP2 Cannister filter. I've never had so much trouble with a tank before. I've usually had a HOB filter either alone or in combination with something else (wet dry/cannister/etc.), I've never had just a cannister alone, I guess that's why I was wondering if that could be a problem.
 
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