Do you let the sample sit for 5 min before reading the nitrates, or do you read it immediately after the 1 min of shaking?
Tank that will NOT cycle!!! Please help.
- Thread starter jarrett181
- Start date
With the stocking you have in that 55g, you should have some beneficial bacteria colonized in the substrate and on the hardscape. Probably not enough to sustain the tank on it's own though. The key is your bio media in your filtration. Unless you are swapping this out with new every week or killing off the bacteria on it weekly, this tank HAS to have a nitrogen cycle going on at this point. Low nitrate creep between your weekly water change is a good thing, but this tank, with this stocking should be producing well over 20ppm nitrates /week. Especially with an oscar in there.
FWIW, you can do a single oscar by themselves in a 55g, but it's not ideal and will often require 2 fin-level WCs per week to keep nitrate creep no more than 20ppm.
FWIW, you can do a single oscar by themselves in a 55g, but it's not ideal and will often require 2 fin-level WCs per week to keep nitrate creep no more than 20ppm.
What kind of filter media are you using in the filter? When was the last time you cleaned it? How did you clean it?
Really need to know what kind of filter you have. "Hang on the back", and "came with the tank", is not helpful enough.
Really need to know what kind of filter you have. "Hang on the back", and "came with the tank", is not helpful enough.
This is the kind of cartridge it uses....it's a double HOB.....Aqua Tech power filter?? I clean it by rinsing it in the tank water when I do water changes.(not every water change. About once every 2-2 1/2 weeks.)
That's kind of a marginally horrible HOB filter in terms of bio media capacity. I believe what's pictured in red or orange, downstream of the filter cartridges in one of the pics is supposed to be the bio media. Those need to be preserved during filter cleanings, water changes and cartridge swaps.
Yea I have the red pieces in the filter as well and I've never taken them out so they have never been cleaned....I just clean the filter cartridge itself.
Before the sand was added my PH was really low that it wasn't even readable on the test. Now after the sand my PH is 8.0
Those are massive pH swings, but that shouldn't effect the nitrogen cycle to that degree (I'd think?). It would be detrimental to the fish in your tank though if the pH swing happened too fast.
If you've used seeded media, such as a well used sponge bubbler filter and STILL don't see readings like 0,0,20, I definitely don't get it. That should be an instant cycle.
The fish you have wouldn't still be thriving is they are being subjected to ammonia or nitrites.
If you've used seeded media, such as a well used sponge bubbler filter and STILL don't see readings like 0,0,20, I definitely don't get it. That should be an instant cycle.
The fish you have wouldn't still be thriving is they are being subjected to ammonia or nitrites.
