10g Aquarium won't cycle been 3+ months!

blue2fyre said:
I would also stop cleaning the filter until your tank is cycled. That's where all the beneficial bacteria is. With an ammonia of 8 I would think your fish would be dead. What kind of test are you using? Are you sure it's good?
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Agree try a dif test. That ammonia is very high.
 
Ammonia 8 would not be acutely toxic with a pH of 6. Ammonia readings are only meaningful in conjunction with pH.
 
KarlTh said:
10-25% water changes will have almost no effect on the ammonia levels; it's simple mathematics. The reason for the problem is the pH - it's too low for the bacteria to efficiently multiply. Do not suddenly raise it; with 8ppm ammonia a pH of 7 would be almost instant death for the fish.

Get a KH test kit. You'll probably find KH is very low. Then do a series of water changes to get the ammonia down to 0.25 ppm or less. Ignore anyone telling you water changes will slow the cycle; it's an old myth.

Once it's down, you can then start to raise the KH using sodium bicarb. When it gets to around 4 degrees, the pH will have risen above 7 and the bacterial inhibition will be much reduced. Keep KH at 4 degrees during the cycling process and you'll be done in a couple of weeks or so.
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Agreed, need to listen here.
 
KarlTh and Reframer... on the money. Helpful advice from all, though.

I didn't notice what kind of test kit you're using. Strips are extremely unreliable and most often inaccurate. A good liquid test kit is API Master. You'll know the true parameters in your tank if you use a liquid kit.

Also, someone mentioned Prime. YES!! It can be a life saver. Prime removes chlorine, chloramines and detoxifies ammonia and nitrites.

You can even use an overdose of 5X normal dosage in an emergency to neutralize ammonia and nitrite spikes. You still have to do the frequent water changes, Prime only detoxes for appx. 24 hours, but this gives you breathing room to do the water change in a less frantic mode.

Prime is inexpensive and has saved my fish and my sanity on many occasions.
 
djfsolo said:
All good info: also:

by doing water changes, you are not removing bacteria- they reside in the filter, gravel, decorations- change the water immediately, as this is the only way to remove nitrite and ammonia.
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:iagree: The bacteria are not in the water, if that were the case we would have to cycle our tanks again every time we did a water change. The bacteria live in/on the surfaces of the tank and filter, such as the places mentioned above (doing a gravel vacuuming will NOT cause you to have to cycle your tank again however).

So the bottom line is this: the bacteria do not reside in the water and doing a water change will NOT affect your cycle/remove bacteria.

I agree that you should do a large water change immediately.

I also would like to know what kind of test kit you are using as strips can be very inaccurate.
 
i seem to have no problem quick cycling mine. Plants, a bit of water/bacteria from another tank, and filter running, then add some fish food in, its organic matter, it'll break down,
 
bettabeats said:
i seem to have no problem quick cycling mine. Plants, a bit of water/bacteria from another tank, and filter running, then add some fish food in, its organic matter, it'll break down,
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Yeah, but you're not trying to cycle dilute battery acid ;)
 
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