6 weeks in

[RedLoach]

I started at 5ppm ammonia, but had no action until I brought it down to about 2.5ppm. I have heard that adding about half the starting amount after that to feed the bacteria is good. If the water change doesn't do it, I might bump up the amount of ammonia I'm adding daily. Thanks for the reply's

[~firefly~]

I think 4ppm is the maximum for cycling. More than that and the cycle stalls.

[Goes to 11!]

I started at 5ppm ammonia, but had no action until I brought it down to about 2.5ppm. I have heard that adding about half the starting amount after that to feed the bacteria is good. If the water change doesn't do it, I might bump up the amount of ammonia I'm adding daily. Thanks for the reply's

+1 - 1pp is too low.

A 75g tank requires 4 or 5 ppm to cycle if you intend to fully stock it. You do NOT halve the ammonia dose until the NitrItes show up.

This is all laid out pretty clearly in the fishless cycling sticky.

[RedLoach]

Curses, last few days, my tank stopped processing ammonia. Checked everything out, and I had a good kink in my intake. Don't know how long its been there or how much it has hampered my cycle. Oh well, I'm doing a water change right now and re-positioning the hoses. Hopefully one day I'll get this thing cycled.

[fishmommie]

EDIT - posted this before I saw you had a kink. hope you're back on the right track. this

Do the water change.... I had the same problem you have and that is how I got my tank to finish it's cycle.

Jim

++ I was stalled like this too. finally did a huge W/C and the next day it was done. 0/0/5
Good luck

[RedLoach]

This tank is killing me, couple of days after changing the water and fixing the kink, and this thing is at square one. Even with a kink, you might think that enough flow would get through to keep some bacteria alive, but apparently not. The tank was still converting ammonia to nitrite three days before I found and fixed it, and there was still some flow through the canister, I could feel it with my hand near the spray bar when I found the kink.

I'm near my wits end on this thing. I'm new to forums, and this is the second thread I've started on cycling this tank. I did this because the old thread was getting long and convoluted, and I wanted a specific answer for a specific question this time about high nitrites while cycling and wether a water change would help things along. I apologize for that, I realize now that starting a second thread for cycling my tank can be confusing to people trying to help, so I'll try to quickly summarize

[RedLoach]

I'm trying to cycle a 75 gallon freshwater tank using the fishless cycling method. Started with 5 ppm ammonia, using goldex brand ammonia. I am using an Eheim 2217 filter, a 4' bubble wand along the back powered by a whisper 120, and a 1050gph power head. I had no access to used filter media, I used a freshwater bacteria product called Colony. It was recommended to me by my LFS. I wouldn't try any bacteria booster again. After a month of nothing, absolutely no drop in ammonia I did a 50% water change to lower the ammonia to about 2.5ppm. This was recommended to me in my first thread, I know 5ppm works for most people, but it wasn't working for me. I added gravel from one of my cycled tanks into my 2217 canister when I did the water change. This also was recommended to me in my first thread. This started things, and I had nitrite readings shortly after that, and the tank processed the and read 0ppm. I halved the amount of ammonia and added the same amount daily, and the tank would convert it to nitrite within 24 hours. After a couple weeks of this, I was getting no increase in nitrate readings. Nitrite was over my test kit range, and had been for over a week. I was concerned that too high of nitrite could negatively affect my cycle, which was why I started this thread. Now I don't know what to do. It seems I have to start from the beginning after my intake hose kink incident, and my first attempt was a far cry from successful. Any advice would be great. I'm tempted to try a raw shrimp. I love all my other tanks, but the sight of my 75 now, which is in my living room, just frustrates the bejesus out of me now.

[RedLoach]

I'm at my absolute wits end on this thing. Sank 120+ more on this thing. Bought an AC 110 and an extra bag of bio-media to replace the carbon. Put a new bag of gravel from a cycled tank in the canister of the eheim 2217, put a bag of gravel from a different cycled tank in the 110. Put scenery pieces from a third cycled tank in the new tank. Within 2 days of putting on the AC, it converted all the nitrite to nitrate, wow, sounds good, but it still won't process ammonia. So I figure all the bacteria that eats nitrite is dead now afters days of no food. I don't even want to test this thing, the results put me in a mood, after all the money and time I've put in this thing. I bought this tank because of the joy my other tanks have brought me, but this thing is 75 gallons of pure failure. I have no clue what to do or try now, I'm back to 4ppm ammonia. I live in the Toronto area, if there is anyone out there who could supply me with used filter media, I would be grateful, name your price.

[RedLoach]

I'm at my absolute wits end on this thing. Sank 120+ more on this thing. Bought an AC 110 and an extra bag of bio-media to replace the carbon. Put a new bag of gravel from a cycled tank in the canister of the eheim 2217, put a bag of gravel from a different cycled tank in the 110. Put scenery pieces from a third cycled tank in the new tank. Within 2 days of putting on the AC, it converted all the nitrite to nitrate, wow, sounds good, but it still won't process ammonia. So I figure all the bacteria that eats nitrite is dead now afters days of no food. I don't even want to test this thing, the results put me in a mood, after all the money and time I've put in this thing. I bought this tank because of the joy my other tanks have brought me, but this thing is 75 gallons of pure failure. I have no clue what to do or try now, I'm back to 4ppm ammonia. I live in the Toronto area, if there is anyone out there who could supply me with used filter media, I would be grateful, name your price.

[RedLoach]

I'm at my absolute wits end on this thing. Sank 120+ more on this thing. Bought an AC 110 and an extra bag of bio-media to replace the carbon. Put a new bag of gravel from a cycled tank in the canister of the eheim 2217, put a bag of gravel from a different cycled tank in the 110. Put scenery pieces from a third cycled tank in the new tank. Within 2 days of putting on the AC, it converted all the nitrite to nitrate, wow, sounds good, but it still won't process ammonia. So I figure all the bacteria that eats nitrite is dead now afters days of no food. I don't even want to test this thing, the results put me in a mood, after all the money and time I've put in this thing. I bought this tank because of the joy my other tanks have brought me, but this thing is 75 gallons of pure failure. I have no clue what to do or try now, I'm back to 4ppm ammonia. I live in the Toronto area, if there is anyone out there who could supply me with used filter media, I would be grateful, name your price.