Tank refuses to cycle

MyGiants

Piranha
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How is the water is it clear or cloudy. You haven't cleaned out the canister filter since its been running right? cause you need bacteria to build up. Have you lost any fish? do they seem distressed breathing heavy at the surface. If No to cloudy water No to no fish lost No to fish don't seem distressed. Then I suggest throw away your test kit and enjoy your fish.
 

Beetlebug515

Fire Eel
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Jul 28, 2015
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They don't seem too distressed. I know for sure that the aro and the bichir especially are borderline bullet proof. I worry about the BGK. Ive never owned one before, but I have read that they are very sensitive. Water is crystal clear, and I haven't cleaned my filter since I got it. I have opened it up a few times to rearrange the media in hopes of achieving better results though.
 

ragin_cajun

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I hope you used some/all of the matrix from the first pump in the new pump. If not, you're starting over from scratch.
 

Beetlebug515

Fire Eel
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This morning's nitrite test. Nitrites dropped to .25 overnight. I'll be honest, I'm pretty proud of my filter mod.

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ragin_cajun

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ShadowP

Candiru
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Apr 23, 2015
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What I would do is nothing, just wait it out--no water changes. But, that might kill some fish.
Not so... Beetle is using Prime and Prime dechlorinates/dechloramines and bonds with the nitrites and nitrates making them non toxic for fish.
Let the tank cycle. If nitites continue to rise, add one drop Prime per gallon every other day to bind it and detoxify it (until it peaks) then you can relax as it begins to fall to zero. First slowly and then rapidly as bb colony takes off. Not quite the perfect solution, but better than finding a new home for the fish in the mean time.
You will be reading what are referred to as false positives with your test kit. Oh true!!! It is reading all that is present, but it doesn't distinguish the free nitrites from the bound non toxic nitrites. The bound nitrites are also just a little bit harder for your bb to break down but they will break them down. Be patient.
 

ShadowP

Candiru
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Apr 23, 2015
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Keep the test kit. I have yet to see anyone able to look at the clear or cloudy water and accurately tell me what is going on in there. I can spot ammonia infusion clouds too! They start to show up at 2 ppm in very softwater, but even I can't open the lid and take a whiff and say with any credibility... "Yep!, that's pert near 4 parts per million!" And I've yet to know what nitrites smell like and I ain't gonna taste it either to figure if there's something else I can go by.!!,
 

Beetlebug515

Fire Eel
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Update! Just got home and did a full test. Ammonia is good, nitrites are still way down from what they were before, and interestingly nitrates are way down as well. I'm not sure what would have dropped it that fast. The next questions are should I do the same thing to my other filter? Am I overstocked right now? I've been wanting to drop my ph and hardness with ro water. Good idea? Are these questions for another thread?

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