Still struggling to get tank cycled after more than two months

Hi, I also have the AP master test kit and never get a zero reading for
ammonia or nitrates. I've taken a sample to a LFS and they have used a
different kit and told me it was clear. I always get the minimum
reading. I've had this discussion with others on this board who also
have the same problem. Take a sample to an LFS who uses a different
kit and see what they say. I have to say that the dip strips that I've
used haven't been at all impressive. I still use the AP test as i like
the ease of testing. I just know to expect these reading.

Hope this helps
Mellie

On Mon, 08 May 2006 22:00:48 -0000, "Frederick B. Henry Jr."
wrote:

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On 2006-05-08, Mister Gardener wrote:
On Mon, 08 May 2006 20:17:07 -0000, "Frederick B. Henry Jr."
wrote:

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On 2006-05-08, Koi-Lo wrote:

"Frederick B. Henry Jr." wrote in message
...
My 3 black neon tetras, 1 h. rasbora and 2 glowlight tetras seem very
happy, and aside from the diatom/brown algae I have to scrub away with
water changes, the tank is clear. Today, more than two months after I
set up the 10g tank, and after even trying some (useless) Cycle, my

Actually, 6 fish in a 10 gallon is a lot of fish for cycling, more
than enough. Have you taken a sample of water to your lfs for testing?
Can you bring home a cup of seasoned gravel from a lfs tank?
Test kits can lie sometimes. How is your tank furnished? Gravel?
Ornaments? Plants? Sponge in the filter? All places for bacteria to
grab hold of and grow? If you have gravel, go easy on the vacuuming as
you want bacteria to grow there. During the cycling phase, you don't
want to be scrubbing anything to squeaky clean. Hmmm.


OK, here is the deal. I change the water only when the ammonia gets
around or over that 2 ppm level. I don't vacumm the gravel, though I
did in the beginning. I feed the fish *very* sparingly. I effectively
have two testing kits: 1) aquarium pharma kit 2) dip stick. They
coincide. My test kits are not off. There is brown algae growing like
crazy (here in Chicago we have a high silica level). The water is hard
as ell and clear. I only scrub the brown stuff off because it was
literally obscuring my view. I use tap water treated with Aquasafe. My
buckets are clean and dedicated. I just dons't know why it is taking so
long....

Fred
I think we've asked all the right questions, and I think you gave all
the right answers. And we're not getting very far. Has Richard logged
in on this thread? Netmax maybe? Dr. Axelrod?

-- Mister Gardener
-- Pull the WEED to email me

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On 2006-05-08, Mellie101 wrote:
Hi, I also have the AP master test kit and never get a zero reading for
ammonia or nitrates. I've taken a sample to a LFS and they have used a
different kit and told me it was clear. I always get the minimum
reading. I've had this discussion with others on this board who also
have the same problem. Take a sample to an LFS who uses a different
kit and see what they say. I have to say that the dip strips that I've
used haven't been at all impressive. I still use the AP test as i like
the ease of testing. I just know to expect these reading.

Hope this helps
Mellie


Thanks. I definitely will take a sample to the LFS. The dip stick
tests I bought mainly because I wanted GH and KH readings (which the AP
master kit lacks). But I find the colors far more difficult to
interpret than the AP liquid tests. I know I have very hard water (lake
Michigan water) and good buffering. pH stays around 7.5/6

Gee, maybe I should be keeping smelts or lake trout

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--
"Never put off till tomorrow what you can do the day after."
--Alphonse Allais

I live in Madison, WI and can sympathize with your rock hard water. A
10 gal tank is pretty small for most African cichlids, but they thrive
in my 54 gal corner tank. You might post a few questions to:

http://www.cichlidforum.com/

asking what species would work for a 10 gal tank.

What type of filtration are you using? The benefical bacteria will
grow in your gravel and on your ornaments, but they will be abundant in
a good sponge filter or bio wheel. I had a 2 gal tank with a UGF and
it took quite a while to cycle - eventually the LFS squeezed the
contents of one of his filters into a bag for me and I finally got the
bugger cycled.

"Frederick B. Henry Jr." wrote in message
...
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Thanks. I definitely will take a sample to the LFS. The dip stick
tests I bought mainly because I wanted GH and KH readings (which the AP
master kit lacks). But I find the colors far more difficult to
interpret than the AP liquid tests. I know I have very hard water (lake
Michigan water) and good buffering. pH stays around 7.5/6

Gee, maybe I should be keeping smelts or lake trout
=======================
Or African cichlids. ;-)
--
Koi-Lo....
Aquariums since 1952.
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
Aquarium FAQ are at: http://faq.thekrib.com/
~~~~ }((((* ~~~ }{{{{(ö ~~~~ }((((({*

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On 2006-05-09, ClownPleco wrote:
I live in Madison, WI and can sympathize with your rock hard water. A
10 gal tank is pretty small for most African cichlids, but they thrive
in my 54 gal corner tank. You might post a few questions to:

http://www.cichlidforum.com/

asking what species would work for a 10 gal tank.

What type of filtration are you using? The benefical bacteria will
grow in your gravel and on your ornaments, but they will be abundant in
a good sponge filter or bio wheel. I had a 2 gal tank with a UGF and
it took quite a while to cycle - eventually the LFS squeezed the
contents of one of his filters into a bag for me and I finally got the
bugger cycled.


A Whisper Bio-Filter. The readings today we ammonia between 1 - 2
ppm, nitrite approaching 0.5 ppm and nitrate approaching 10 ppm. So the
nitrite and nitrate do seem to be climbing whereas the ammonia is
definitely not spiking. Just seems to be taking an awful long time.

I fed the fish and then did a 25% water change.

Cheers,

Fred
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--
"Never put off till tomorrow what you can do the day after."
--Alphonse Allais

Fred wrote,
Just seems to be taking an awful long time...
I fed the fish and then did a 25% water change...

Sounds like what is called 'a never ending cycle'. Happens (sometimes)
with a fishless cycle when ammonia is added everyday (feeding the
filter). Stop adding ammonia every day (stop feeding the fish). Your
nitrites should drop to 0 and end the cycle within a week to 10
days.............. Frank