No cycling

[Tink]

Help!
My 29Gallon tank has been up for about 5 weeks and I can't get it to cycle,
I have a emporer tetra and 4 frie. I am using Eco-compleat and seachem Alk.
and acid buffer for a dKH of 5.0 and Equilibrium for a dGH of 6.0. I had at
started with 5 Emporers and lost 2, and then added 4 more but they all
jumped out. My LFS gave me some TLC. to starte the cycle and I have been
using it as indicated at 2 Oz. every week this is my 3rd week and no change.
I started my tank with a bad bach of Eco-Compleat and had some cycking
but sence then no cycling.

Any ideas.

TIA,
Tink.

[Daniel Morrow]

"Tink" > wrote in message
...
> Help!
> My 29Gallon tank has been up for about 5 weeks and I can't get it to
cycle,
> I have a emporer tetra and 4 frie. I am using Eco-compleat and seachem
Alk.
> and acid buffer for a dKH of 5.0 and Equilibrium for a dGH of 6.0. I had
at
> started with 5 Emporers and lost 2, and then added 4 more but they all
> jumped out. My LFS gave me some TLC. to starte the cycle and I have been
> using it as indicated at 2 Oz. every week this is my 3rd week and no
change.
> I started my tank with a bad bach of Eco-Compleat and had some cycking
> but sence then no cycling.
>
> Any ideas.
>
> TIA,
> Tink.
>
>

If you have plants in the tank your are talking about then the plants can be
absorbing the ammonia and nitrites/nitrates so there isn't food for the good
bacteria. You might not have to worry about cycling the tank unless you have
a large bioload or not enough plants. Could someone with the knowledge post
here for tink an answer? Cool - interested in the answer myself as well. How
many plants would tink need to not need to cycle? Later and good luck!

[Tink]

I just found the answer to my Question, the tank actually cycled it was just
so fast and low that it was hardly noticeable.
"Tink" > wrote in message
...
> Help!
> My 29Gallon tank has been up for about 5 weeks and I can't get it to
> cycle, I have a emporer tetra and 4 frie. I am using Eco-compleat and
> seachem Alk. and acid buffer for a dKH of 5.0 and Equilibrium for a dGH of
> 6.0. I had at started with 5 Emporers and lost 2, and then added 4 more
> but they all jumped out. My LFS gave me some TLC. to starte the cycle and
> I have been using it as indicated at 2 Oz. every week this is my 3rd week
> and no change.
> I started my tank with a bad bach of Eco-Compleat and had some cycking
> but sence then no cycling.
>
> Any ideas.
>
> TIA,
> Tink.
>

[Elaine T]

Tink wrote:
> Help!
> My 29Gallon tank has been up for about 5 weeks and I can't get it to cycle,
> I have a emporer tetra and 4 frie. I am using Eco-compleat and seachem Alk.
> and acid buffer for a dKH of 5.0 and Equilibrium for a dGH of 6.0. I had at
> started with 5 Emporers and lost 2, and then added 4 more but they all
> jumped out. My LFS gave me some TLC. to starte the cycle and I have been
> using it as indicated at 2 Oz. every week this is my 3rd week and no change.
> I started my tank with a bad bach of Eco-Compleat and had some cycking
> but sence then no cycling.
>
> Any ideas.
>
> TIA,
> Tink.
>
>
Is your tank very heavily planted? It's possible for a planted tank to
establish filtration without ammonia and nitrite spikes, especially with
a low fish load.

--
Elaine T __
http://eethomp.com/fish.html <'__><
rec.aquaria.* FAQ http://faq.thekrib.com

[Dick]

On Thu, 23 Jun 2005 19:33:33 GMT, "Tink" >
wrote:

>Help!
>My 29Gallon tank has been up for about 5 weeks and I can't get it to cycle,
>I have a emporer tetra and 4 frie. I am using Eco-compleat and seachem Alk.
>and acid buffer for a dKH of 5.0 and Equilibrium for a dGH of 6.0. I had at
>started with 5 Emporers and lost 2, and then added 4 more but they all
>jumped out. My LFS gave me some TLC. to starte the cycle and I have been
>using it as indicated at 2 Oz. every week this is my 3rd week and no change.
> I started my tank with a bad bach of Eco-Compleat and had some cycking
>but sence then no cycling.
>
>Any ideas.
>
>TIA,
>Tink.
>

Hi Tink,

I get lost in "techno talk." The numbers mean nothing to me, but I
have gone through "cycling" of 5 tanks. Some went easier than others.
The hardest, taking the longest, was a 10 gallon tank meant to be the
"hospital" tank. It appeared milky all the time. I think it was
hardest because there was no gravel to hold the bacteria. However, it
finally came around and now stays clear.

Another 10 gallon tank was a killer. Plants wouldn't grow, fish died
early. It was just a heart ache. But, it to settled down after about
a year or more and now has lush plant growth and a stable fish
population.

I use no chemicals in the tanks and rely on 20% water changes twice
weekly. I don't even use charcoal, just filter media which I rinse
out when the water flow through gets too weak.

I have one 29 gallon tank which cycled within a couple of weeks and
has been the easiest to maintain.

I can't really suggest anything in the language of techno you seem
comfortable with. But patience does seem to help. Hard to be patient
when the fish die isn't it?

dick