Aquarium Cycling Issues
- Thread starter imabot
- Start date
Hello; I am going to put a link to an article about the nitrogen cycle. It is a long read and likely will take several sessions but may be worth the effort.
I keep it for a reference.
Aquarium cycling link
http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/nitrogen_cycle.html
I keep it for a reference.
Aquarium cycling link
http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/nitrogen_cycle.html
Thanks for the link, I read part of it. It said that a heavily planted aquarium might not cycle because the plants can absorb ammonia before the bacteria processes the ammonia. I'm getting 60 something stem plants from a guy online;will the plants inhibit my cycle?
Also,I forgot about this until now but a few months ago when I still had 2 goldfish from my parents, I wanted to add in some bio media for my filter. I read that lava rock is a bio media so I got some from our outdoor fountain. I dried it out for a day in the sun outside and then put it in my aquarium filter and that's where it has been since. Could the lava rock be causing my cycle crashes? My temperature is also around 76 degrees Fahrenheit.
Also,I forgot about this until now but a few months ago when I still had 2 goldfish from my parents, I wanted to add in some bio media for my filter. I read that lava rock is a bio media so I got some from our outdoor fountain. I dried it out for a day in the sun outside and then put it in my aquarium filter and that's where it has been since. Could the lava rock be causing my cycle crashes? My temperature is also around 76 degrees Fahrenheit.
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I would not worry at 3-4 ppm but I would not dose any higher than that or have any higher level than that at any given time.
What type of ammonia are you dosing? Is it possible it's got additives and you're essentially disinfecting the tank at each dose?
How about your filter? What type of filter and do you provide ample surface movement?What size is your tank?
Also, what is the substrate type? If its old and deep it could be leaching ammonia and with the extra dosage, your filter can't handle it.
Any pictures of that tank?
Not always the case....However, if your pH in the tank has not dropped then you're safe in terms of cycling. It can only drop when the KH zeros out.
Hello; This will be in the future and has not been a factor to date? I think the issue with plants has not been the problem as you did not have them the past few months.
Hello; Short answer is yes this is possible. Better answer is maybe but I am not sure what might be the issue with the lava rock. Did some yard chemical get soaked into the lava rock or some such thing. Over the years I have become reluctant to add rocks and such I happen to find around to a closed system such as a tank.
Even if the lava rock is not a problem my suggestion is to remove it and any other such ornaments at least for now.
Ammonia type : ace hardware pure ammonia. It has no additives in it. Just pure ammonia.
Filter:HOB topfin 20. I get a lot of bubbles from the filter waterfall. It's a 18g.
Currently has no substrate.
Sorry for the poor wording, I plan on getting plants by the end of the week.
I'm not 100 percent sure about yard chemicals but it has been out in the backyard since 2009 or 2010 so there's been plenty of time for something poisonous or polluting to come soak into it.
Yeah that used to be the case with the old bacteria in bottle. Stability stores bacteria in spores and is supposed to be resilient from dying off due to spikes in temperature. So probably a worthwhile investment for you.
And yes, given your lack of success with the fishless cycle add around 4 mollies and give a cycle with fish a try. If the fish are swimming around fine, your tank is doing well. If they are on the surface struggling, it means there is some other problem.
The quantity of prime seems fine and I doubt that rock is an issue, if anything it adds to the biological filtration as large number of beneficial bacteria will live on it.
My guess would be some issue with the testing kit. Even if your filter was off, there should be enough bacteria buildup on the rock to keep the cycle going.
Ok,I'll get some stability at the store today. The mollies are pretty expensive (1.99 at petco) so I want to lightly stock it with maybe 2 mollies and a few snails. Would that work? The lava rock was in the filter to be clear. It was in the backyard for a long time so I figure some thing that would stop/prevent cycling might have gotten on it so I took it all out last night.
Hello The lava rock may be OK but likely best to have it out for now. if you decide to try it later perhaps soak it is a bucket of water for a couple of weeks and change out the water every couple of days.
