6 Months, 55 Gallon Tank Still Not Cycled

[Falconfree]

Hey, thanks for reading! I'm a beginner to this fish hobby, and having a tough time with my 55 gallon tank. I got it around 6 or 7 months ago, planted it, and put a few cories in for a fish-in cycle. It was going well, I guess, but I made the beginner mistake of buying a new cory from the pet store, from a tank with a dead fish in it (and no quarantine). I know, I know... it was a pretty color and I'm bullheadedly stupid sometimes. My cories were all dead within a week, despite my treating the tank after realizing my mistake.

I switched to a fishless cycle, but couldn't source pure ammonia. Just left it alone for a while, doing water changes about twice a month. I read you can use fish food as an ammonia source, so I've been tossing in a cube of freeze dried shrimp a couple times a week for about 2 months. The tank started to look gross after I started doing this, so I was hoping that the parameters would finally start to change. I've tested only sporadically since switching to a fishless cycle (trying to be honest here, I was militant about testing and changes with the fish, but really pretty lax afterward). Still nothing. I tested today, and it read .25ppm ammonia, and no nitrites or nitrates.

I do have a cycled 10 gallon with a couple guppies in it. It cycled pretty easily, comparatively, and is stable. I use the same water testing kit (with the drops and test tubes, not strips) for both, so it isn't likely a problem with my tests.

An idea that I've had for why it isn't cycling, and remember that I'm really new to this before you laugh too hard, can a filter be too strong for a tank? My filter is a Penn Plax Cascade canister filter for a 100 gallon tank (it was on sale). I've never had ammonia spike in that tank, at least not that I caught on the test, even when I had fish in it. I condition tap water with Seachem Prime.

I've got a couple embarrassing pictures to show you how terrible it looks. Any ideas?

 

[Falconfree]

Oops, here is the other pic. By the way, some of those plants aren't doing real well (the middle tank ones mostly), but the ones in the back aren't brown, they are covered with algae (I'm assuming that's what it is).

 

[fishorama]

Well, my guess is your small amount of FD shrimp in enough for your hairgrass (looks good, maybe... some hair algae) but not for ? those other unhappy plants? Not sure what you have there...java fern on left planted too deep (the sideways stem needs to be above the substrate)? Water sprite? the floaty 2 also on left. Wisteria? on back right? Both of those should grow pretty fast.

You can by ammonia at Dollar Tree or many grocery stores (you want the kind without scent or "suds"). You want to dose to 2-4ppm, I forget the amount you need for 55g, Your plants will use some but you don't have enough "plant mass" to "silent cycle" well at all.

While your castle is pretty, crud can accumulate inside & fish can get trapped. Be careful.

 

[Frank Castle]

Well, my guess is your small amount of FD shrimp in enough for your hairgrass (looks good, maybe... some hair algae) but not for ? those other unhappy plants? Not sure what you have there...java fern on left planted too deep (the sideways stem needs to be above the substrate)? Water sprite? the floaty 2 also on left. Wisteria? on back right? Both of those should grow pretty fast.

You can by ammonia at Dollar Tree or many grocery stores (you want the kind without scent or "suds"). You want to dose to 2-4ppm, I forget the amount you need for 55g, Your plants will use some but you don't have enough "plant mass" to "silent cycle" well at all.

While your castle is pretty, crud can accumulate inside & fish can get trapped. Be careful.

I thought plants fed on nitrates, not ammonia? I would say that the reason the tank isn't cycled is because there's nothing providing constant ammonia for the Beneficial Bacteria to feed on so without fish waste to feed them, they are dying of starvation which explains why there is still ammonia. If you had healthy colonies of Beneficial Bacteria there should only be nitrate, no ammonia or nitrite.

I would just go ahead and get a couple HARDY catfish - not Corys, they are too sensitive - something like Raphaels or Synodontis or Spotted Pimelodus , do a large water change prior to adding them, then add some bottled Beneficial Bacteria into your filter (don't be afraid to overdose) and just test daily for ammonia.

A large water change will remove the ammonia for now and you can do water changes everyday if you need to.

What is inside your canister filter? Are you cleaning your filter or just letting it run? How much bio-media do you have and what type? F Falconfree

Do you have any friends or know anyone with an established tank that you can pinch their Bio-media or even get a used filter cartridge/pad/sponge, etc?

 

[Tifftastic]

Plants will consume both ammonia and nitrates. Though they will consume ammonia in smaller amounts. It's the nitrogen they really want and both compounds contain it, it's just more easily accessible in its ammonia form.

By adding fish food to the tank the OP has been feeding the BB. Just not enough, perhaps, to cycle it. I wouldn't recommend getting those fish to cycle a tank unless you want to keep them long term.

Another option is to do a large water change and clean up, and use the used filter media from your ten gallon to jump start the cycle. If you do this you'll want to add fish right away, but just enough for ten gallons worth of BB, then start slowly adding fish.

Your filter is not the problem, the larger filter will provide more surface area for BB but if you had them present you'll be seeing nitrates. I'd suggest your readings are more indicative of under supplying an ammonia source.

 

[Frank Castle]

Plants will consume both ammonia and nitrates. Though they will consume ammonia in smaller amounts. It's the nitrogen they really want and both compounds contain it, it's just more easily accessible in its ammonia form.

By adding fish food to the tank the OP has been feeding the BB. Just not enough, perhaps, to cycle it. I wouldn't recommend getting those fish to cycle a tank unless you want to keep them long term.

Another option is to do a large water change and clean up, and use the used filter media from your ten gallon to jump start the cycle. If you do this you'll want to add fish right away, but just enough for ten gallons worth of BB, then start slowly adding fish.

Your filter is not the problem, the larger filter will provide more surface area for BB but if you had them present you'll be seeing nitrates. I'd suggest your readings are more indicative of under supplying an ammonia source.

I can't think of a better fish than a Raphael for a fish-in cycle.....what else could be more hardy? Striped will eventually grow 8-10" after 5 years or so, but Spotteds are perfect for a 55g maxing out around 6". I wasn't suggesting a Megalodoras or something like that lol

What fish do you think would be good and hardy to fit this role?

 

[Tifftastic]

It's just that considering the OP had cories, they probably want small community fish. Raphs have big mouths and if the OP wants small community shoalers, they won't be safe with those catfish.

Personally I don't recommend any fish for cycling. The damage ammonia does is awful. Even though hardy fish survive they still suffer burns, possible stunting and a poor environment. Dogs can survive living in their own waste but that doesn't mean they're comfortable or happy and not getting burns on their feet from ammonia. Just like I wouldn't do that to a dog or a cat, I won't do it to a fish.

 

[Frank Castle]

It's just that considering the OP had cories, they probably want small community fish. Raphs have big mouths and if the OP wants small community shoalers, they won't be safe with those catfish.

Personally I don't recommend any fish for cycling. The damage ammonia does is awful. Even though hardy fish survive they still suffer burns, possible stunting and a poor environment. Dogs can survive living in their own waste but that doesn't mean they're comfortable or happy and not getting burns on their feet from ammonia. Just like I wouldn't do that to a dog or a cat, I won't do it to a fish.

I have 4 different species of Corys living with Spotted and Striped Raphaels. The OP has stated the Corys all died, that's why they are doing a fishless cycle and I recommended something else besides Corys. Ammonia burns don't happen as often as you might think, plus as long as the OP keeps testing and doing water changes they won't happen at all, especially if they are pinching bio-load.

my new tanks cycle instantly - like less than 24 hours when I super-cycle/speed-cycle. Pinching is the best method out there - old tank water from a WC to fill the new tank, a cultured filter, or at least filling a new filter with the grime from an old filter pad and BAM, no problemo

 

[Tifftastic]

Yes cories and raphs can live together, but can raphs and neons? All I'm saying is unless they want that species in the end, dont buy it just to cycle a tank.

Ammonia levels have to climb above 0.25 ppm to cycle a tank, if you're not adding media from an established filter. Ammonia above that level is harmful. Even for short exposure, it damages soft tissues. Internal gill structures are damaged and burned very, very easily. You can't see them without a microscope though, doesn't mean they're not happening.

You asked what fish I *think* would be good. My answer is that I don't *think* any would be good. This is opinion, backed by science, but opinion. It's going to always be a subjective answer as different people have different opinions of what level of exposure is harmful, based on their interpretation of harmful.

 

[Falconfree]

Thanks, y'all! That all helps a lot. I think we are going to stick to a fishless cycle, since the only two kinds of fish we want eventually are cories and guppies. This tank is technically my toddler's birthday gift, so she got to pick the fish (from a list of good community fish). We'll have 5 or 6 cories, and then just guppies galore. The ten gallon is also hers. Kiddo loves her fish.

I honestly haven't a clue what filter media is in my canister, it's whatever came with the filter. Sorry, this is one of those areas that is still so totally over my head, I don't even know the lingo. I don't clean the filter. Once I assembled it and turned it on I haven't touched it at all.

I don't have any fishkeeping friends, and our LFS is saltwater-only.

Nowhere around here has plain ammonia, it all has dang surfactants. I ordered some on Amazon, and it arrived today. Dosed the tank up to about 3 or 4 ppm. Hopefully we'll actually get some movement now! I think I just didn't have enough fish waste from my few cories to do anything (I was cycling it with them for over a month with no real ammonia buildup before adding the sick cory), and then the fish food wasn't cutting it either.

With the plants, I think I'm going to pull everything but the wisteria and moss, and replace them with more java moss, I really like the way it looks. It's weird to me that so many of the plants that are supposed to be okay in low light are doing so poorly in this tank (with a light specifically marketed for plants), but the ones in my 10 gallon with the light that came with it look good. I guess researching that more is next on my list, but I admit CO2 intimidates me.

Thank you for the warning on the castle! I read a bunch of reviews, and sanded down a few places that people recommended, but I'll make sure to keep a close eye on that. I really love the way it looks, but if it ends up being an issue, I'll take it out.