Fishless Cycle Won't Start After 3 Weeks

[j.elyse.96]

I apologise if this is the wrong place for this, no worries if it needs deleted. Please just let me know where it belongs!


I started a freshwater tank (just water and sand in it right now, no decorations or plants) about three weeks ago trying to do a fishless cycle and it just will not start cycling.
I used store bought ammonia (it doesn't say it's mixed with anything and it doesn't foam up when I shake it, so I think it's pure) to raise it to 4ppm, with 0 nitrites and nitrates. It stayed that way without me adding any more ammonia for two weeks.
I thought 4ppm might be too high, so I did a partial water change and brought it to 2ppm ammonia, 0 nitrites and nitrates. It's been that way for a week now.
Throughout this whole process I've been using SeaChem Prime water conditioner and SeaChem Stability, my water has been at 79F, and my filter on the back of my tank actually only has a sponge and some media for the bacteria to grow on. I took the activated carbon out after a few days because...idk. Reasons. I've been testing it at the same time every day with the API Freshwater Test Kit.
What can I possibly do to get this cycle started? I don't know anyone with a tank, so seeding it that way would be difficult..

 

[deeda]

That is the correct ammonia product and the same one I use when I cycle my new tanks.

Have you been monitoring (and writing down) the ammonia level in the tank every couple days? I find that is the easiest way to keep track of whether you need to add more ammonia to the tank. I prefer to keep the ammonia level at 2ppm to 3ppm as any higher can stall the cycle.

I find that the ammonia portion of the cycle takes a couple weeks, even up to 4+ weeks to start naturally dropping. I don't even start testing for nitrite or nitrate until you see the ammonia drop back down to zero naturally.

No reason to use Prime unless you decide to do a water change which I only found necessary IF the ammonia gets at 4ppm or above.

You could always bump up the water temperature to 82F, no harm if you do.

What is the pH of your tap water and the aquarium water? Sometimes a pH below 7 will extend the time it takes for the cycle to progress more quickly.

 

[pops]

takes about 6 weeks to cycle a tank, keep up what you are doing, i personally always used a raw jumbo shrimp tail in a bio bag, can just drop it in and forget it, but ammonia works also, I would not do any water changes, just let it run.

 

[j.elyse.96]

Thanks so much! I'll let checking it every day like I have been, and bump the temperature up a little and let it keep going. It's good to hear that's the right ammonia product.
The pH is at 6.8, so I might to adjust that up or give it more time.

 

[pops]

naa your PH is fine, PH not something you want to miss with unless you know what you are doing and running fish that need dark water.

on the API fresh water test kit, most is straight forward but where some folks get hooked up is the nitrate test is not shaking bottle #2 inof, this needs the pee shook out of it, beat it on a desk, what ever before adding the drops to the test vile.

 

[deeda]

As Greg said, your pH is fine, usually the problem with slow cycling happens when it gets in the low 6's.

I would still test your tap pH initially and then leave a sample of the tap water overnight in a clean glass container and test the pH again just to see if there is a change in the pH. Some people either see their pH lower, raise or remain the same after the 24 hour off-gas test. The importance of the pH may depend on which species of fish or invertebrates you are planning on keeping.

On a side note, what size tank are you cycling?

 

[DRC]

4 ppm shouldn’t be too high at all. But personally I think Stability is waste of money in a bottle, it doesn’t contain any of the type of bacteria you need in your tank. I have tried it, but I didn’t see any benefit. That does seem like a long time without the ammonia going down at all. I have found that adding substrate from another cycled tank is the best way to kick things off. If you don’t have another tank, you might be able to get some from your LFS. But remember bacteria is living so put it in a bag of water and treat it like your bringing home a fish to add to your aquarium. Some people go so far as to acclimate the substrate to the aquarium water just like a fish to prevent killing off the bacteria from a temperature or ph shock (I’ve never gone that far though) As for Prime you should use it initially to de chlorinate the water, but if it is fishless, there is no need to constantly detoxify the ammonia it might even slow down the cycle.

 

[j.elyse.96]

As Greg said, your pH is fine, usually the problem with slow cycling happens when it gets in the low 6's.

I would still test your tap pH initially and then leave a sample of the tap water overnight in a clean glass container and test the pH again just to see if there is a change in the pH. Some people either see their pH lower, raise or remain the same after the 24 hour off-gas test. The importance of the pH may depend on which species of fish or invertebrates you are planning on keeping.

On a side note, what size tank are you cycling?

36 gallon bow front
I'll be monitoring pH more closely later anyway, I want to try to do a darkwater tank. I haven't added the Indian almond leaves yet though, I wanted bacteria to at least be to an okay level before trying to change anything. It'll be a while before anyone actually goes in this tank.

 

[j.elyse.96]

4 ppm shouldn’t be too high at all. But personally I think Stability is waste of money in a bottle, it doesn’t contain any of the type of bacteria you need in your tank. I have tried it, but I didn’t see any benefit. That does seem like a long time without the ammonia going down at all. I have found that adding substrate from another cycled tank is the best way to kick things off. If you don’t have another tank, you might be able to get some from your LFS. But remember bacteria is living so put it in a bag of water and treat it like your bringing home a fish to add to your aquarium. Some people go so far as to acclimate the substrate to the aquarium water just like a fish to prevent killing off the bacteria from a temperature or ph shock (I’ve never gone that far though) As for Prime you should use it initially to de chlorinate the water, but if it is fishless, there is no need to constantly detoxify the ammonia it might even slow down the cycle.

I might try a local place, thanks for the suggestion!
I did word my original post a bit poorly I guess, but I'm using Prime whenever I add new water only, which has been at the beginning and then once two weeks later.

 

[Rocksor]

I might try a local place, thanks for the suggestion!
I did word my original post a bit poorly I guess, but I'm using Prime whenever I add new water only, which has been at the beginning and then once two weeks later.

Make sure that you have enough water surface agitation. That's how oxygen enters the water column.

Also, I don't like taking chances with media from an LFS. It can introduce bad bacteria, unless this LFS is where you will be getting your initial stocking of fish.