4 weeks is very long, even if the original
BB was destroyed on the first day. Normally, bb takes 2-3'weeks to be established. When did you add the soil? Did you make any changes to the media?
4 weeks ago i reset my 4 ft shrimp tank but until today it is still very high in ammonia (maximum the test kit can measure)
i had reused the old media (biohome) in my canister hoping that it will speed up cycling, but the bacteria inside was probably killed by the chlorine since day one
my new soil is ADA soil and i also added some BT9
i added some plants and they seem to be doing well
do i need to do anything or wait for another 1-2 weeks?
4 weeks is very long, even if the original
BB was destroyed on the first day. Normally, bb takes 2-3'weeks to be established. When did you add the soil? Did you make any changes to the media?
this was what i did:
- i shifted my livestocks to a temporary tank and kept the main canister running at the temporary tank
- i then took about 1 week to clear out and wash my 4ft tank
- on 21 Apr i did the following
- i got a temporary canister, transferred a tray of media from main canister to the temporary canister
- connected the temporary canister to the temporary tank with livestock
- added ADA soil + BT9 to main tank
- fill up main tank with tap water
- connect back the main canister to the main tank and start cycling
- added some plants to the main tank (no fish)
i tested the main tank every week and so far it is high ammonia but no nitrate / nitrite
the temporary tank is ok without ammonia...
Have you been doing water changes, which would have helped decrease the amount ammonia? And how much soil is there?
Hmm
Shouldn't be that much ammonia buildup. I Suggest Doing a large water change, about 50%, and monitor from there
Errhhmmm... do big water changes to reduce the ammonia to a testable level first. The amount of ammonia in your water column now may have overwhelmed the bacteria colony's ability to process the ammonia. ADA soil keeps releasing ammonia for the first few weeks so if the levels are beyond the capabilities of your bacteria colony, it'll be unlikely to see it come down at all. Do check your PH as well, I've experienced low PH (5) stalling my cycling before.
Normally, I keep my cycling tanks at 3-4ppm at most.... if the test shows 0 ammonia 24hours later for 3 days then I will introduce livestocks. I ever managed to cycle a new tank using old filter media in 2 weeks before.
Just to add... whats the dimensions/volume of your 4ft tank? In larger tanks, the cycle process can take comparatively longer than in smaller tanks.
it is a 4x1.5x1.5 tank - should be around 200l
just tested the PH - it is close to 6.0
will do more water change and test again this weekend
Erm...you mentioned that you "had reused the old media (biohome) in my canister hoping that it will speed up cycling, but the bacteria inside was probably killed by the chlorine since day one".
Why was there chlorine to begin with? What kind of water did you use and how did you treat it?
What test kit you used that shows that its full of ammonia ? The test kit is also measuring the total of ammonium and ammonia confirm. Ph lower than 7 will be ammonium which is harmless. Above 7 ph will be ammonia which is harmful and toxic. When i first started adding in ada soil in my tank with a 6month old canister filter, the test kit still shows the highest indication of ammonia but on that day after , put in my group of discus and they have no problem . When using the ammonia test product from seachem that come with a suction cup, and it did mot detect any ammonia at all
Last edited by sawzai; 21st May 2013 at 23:16.
i use this API test kit
http://www.apifishcare.com/product.p...catid=0&id=582
after 4 weeks it is still showing the maximum level...
my temporary tank is showing 0 so there is nothing wrong with the test kit
ADA aqua soil (new from bag) would usually release more ammonia for a longer period of time, so i guess that probably result in longer cycle. More large water changes should help remove the excess ammonia.
Btw, if you do add in fishes when the ammonia readings are still high but with low pH, do be careful when doing large water changes, as that might inadvertently swing pH back up too quickly (as our tap water usually has neutral to alkaline pH) and a percentage of the harmless ammonium might turn to harmful ammonia in just that instant, some fishes and shrimps might not be able to take that sudden spike. Thats why some people report that their shrimps or fishes started dying after a larger water change, could be that reason.
Last edited by Urban Aquaria; 22nd May 2013 at 15:58.
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