# Frustrating fishless cycling..



## clock906 (Nov 22, 2007)

I have been waiting and waiting for this tank to cycle and it seems like this is taking forever and going nowhere!!! 
My setup is quite similar to this -> http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=5322
No existing media, no substrate & decor, just filter and ammonia. 
His cycle took <20 days to complete
I am running a emperor 400 with biowheel and 2 slot full of seachem matrix on a empty 10g.

I started on Feb 28, dosed ammonia to >5ppm
March 2: did a water change to bring it back to 3-5ppm.
March 3-7: ammonia 3-5 / nitrite 0
March 8: nitrite starts showing up, <0.25ppm
March 9: nitrite 0.25ppm / ammonia 3-5 (no change)
March 10: nitrite 0.5 ppm
March 11: nitrite 0.5-1ppm / ammonia 3-5 (same as before) / nitrate <10ppm
March 12: nitrite 1ppm?
March 13: nitrite 1ppm? 
March 14: nitrite 1ppm? Nitrate 10ppm. 
March 15: nitrite 1ppm? (can't tell whether it is a 1ppm or 5ppm, it is not pinky like the 2ppm for sure) Ammonia 3-5ppm (same as before)
March 16: nitrite still the SAME! Nitrate still 10ppm!! Ammonia still 3-5ppm.

It has been 16 days, but the progress seem to have stalled somehow?!??
Most fishless cycling journal indicate the cycle are usually completed 1 week after nitrite show up, nitrate goes up everyday and ammonia drops everyday..
but for the whole last week, my ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate seem to have stopped moving and didn't go anywhere.

I guess there is nothing I can do other than wait....sigh..just feel like ranting


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## viperblue21 (Feb 10, 2009)

i was going to try fishless but i read it takes longer


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## conix67 (Jul 27, 2008)

Which test kit are you using? Try a small water change.


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## breeze905 (Feb 1, 2009)

jeez... this does sound ridiculous... i was origionally gonna go with fishless cycling on my 33 but i ended up obtaining fish from someone who didn't want to keep his fish so i used them to cycle the tank and just feed it using the media from my other filter and honestly... i never thought it would cycle so fast! i put the fish in.. over fed... let the amonia build up to dangerous levels... then started seeding from the filter media from my other tank... tank cycled fully in two weeks. very pleased.


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 28, 2008)

breeze905 said:


> i put the fish in.. over fed... *let the amonia build up to dangerous levels*... then started seeding from the filter media from my other tank... tank cycled fully in two weeks. very pleased.


This will likely have shortened the fishes' lifespans.


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## Prodicus (Nov 3, 2008)

If you see no changes in any of the big three, you have a stalled cycle.

I'm guessing your nitrites are > 5ppm. It is hard to tell with the api colour reference. Your cycle is stalled due to excess nitrites, and you need to partial water changes to bring the nitrite down. I had the same experience (even the misreading of nitrite). When I did this, the cycle restarted.


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## pat3612 (Jan 29, 2008)

Iam not sure where your located if in Toronto Iam sure someone on here would give you some used media. If not you could ask at your LFS.


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

What test kit are you using to get NO3 at 1 ppm?

Try overdosing ammonia.


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 28, 2008)

ameekplec. said:


> What test kit are you using to get NO3 at 1 ppm?


I don't see clock906 having an NO3 reading of 1 ppm.


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Ah, my mistake. Read -NO2 as -NO3.

Carry on.


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## clock906 (Nov 22, 2007)

thanks guys...
I am going to do some testing again tonight and if nothing changes again, I am going to do a 50% water change

I actually has a bunch of existing cycled media, but I wanted to give this tank a very very clean fresh start without introducing any bad stuffs or pest so I didn't use media from my existing tanks.

I thought the process wouldn't take more than 15 days and I wasn't in a hurry at that time (but now i am...)

I use the API test kit btw -> http://www.bigalsonline.ca/StoreCat...it?&query=master+test+kit&queryType=0&offset=
I have tried testing in different tank (regularly), and they all look right.


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## Prodicus (Nov 3, 2008)

Filter media can help, but if you have nitrates you have both essential bacteria cultures already in place. They just need to grow. I really think the growth is totally stalled and the water change will fix the problem. You're close!



clock906 said:


> thanks guys...
> I am going to do some testing again tonight and if nothing changes again, I am going to do a 50% water change
> 
> I actually has a bunch of existing cycled media, but I wanted to give this tank a very very clean fresh start without introducing any bad stuffs or pest so I didn't use media from my existing tanks.
> ...


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## clock906 (Nov 22, 2007)

this is just weird...

I took my same nitrate test kit to test the water today and I am getting some very strange result..

normally, with the API test kit, bottle #1 should give the test tube a clear yellow color, and the orange / red tint should only show up after you add bottle #2 and nitrate is present in the water

But I am getting this very deep orange color right after adding bottle #1! (which is not normal) I use the same test kit on my other tank and they show normally just the way the should...so this probably means the test kit is okay, but something is wrong with this tank water...

Any ever experienced the same thing with test kit??

I did a 40% water change today, hopefully this will help with the cycling process. (I had the testing problem BEFORE changing the water, and the tank hasn't had any water change or dechlorinator / chemical added to it for at least 1 week, except for ammonia)


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