Cycling Help.......

[robcope]

Cycling our third tank; 75 gallon containing five perfectly healthy angle fish and a live plant (no idea what it is). The tank is running 79 degrees. The tank is being filtered by a cascade 1000 and cascade 1200 canister and a sponge filter. The canisters are packed full of Biohome Ultimate and Matrix. The PH is perfect.

Issue:

The tank has been running for a little over a month. The tank went through the ammonia and nitrite stage with no problems, but now ammonia, nitrite and nitrates are at zero. The tank has shown no nitrates since the nitrites hit zero about five days ago.

Do I need to do anything or just let it be? The fish seem fine!! Grateful for any and all input.

Uhg, this is my third tank and I have never seen this.

Thanks, Rob

 

[pops]

sounds like you are not doing the nitrate test right. A common mistake. test bottle number 2 needs the holy pee shook out of it. beat on a table what ever for a good 2 to 4 minutes before adding the drops to the test vile. I take it you are using API master fresh water test kit.

 

[robcope]

sounds like you are not doing the nitrate test right. A common mistake. test bottle number 2 needs the holy pee shook out of it. beat on a table what ever for a good 2 to 4 minutes before adding the drops to the test vile. I take it you are using API master fresh water test kit.

That is not the issue because my 55 gallon overstocked African Cichlid tank is nitrate Hell and I test both every other day and change water in the Cichlid tank every three days. The Cichlid tank shows about 20ppm at the moment and the 75, zero. Any other ideas? I knew this would come up right after I posted this thread and should have been clear about testing.

Thank you for replying.

 

[pops]

more than welcome, here is the thing, you have fish in yes? and you are showing zero on every thing, this is not possible. that would be magic water, and i would love to have some.

 

[pops]

as an FYI takes about 6 weeks to cycle a tank, 4 months a little short, thats about time nitrite starts showing well and nitrate starts being created.

 

[skjl47]

Cycling our third tank

Hello; You have two other already cycled tanks right? The third tank should be able to be quickly cycled by robbing some material from one of the other tanks. The 55 nitrate hell tank should be a good choice.
Take some solid surfaces from the 55 nitrate hell tank and place them in the third tank. Those surfaces should be loaded with the beneficial bacteria (bb) needed. Most any solid material will do with stuff in water flow being a primary choice. Many use filter media but other surfaces will do.

 

[Gourami Swami]

Hello; You have two other already cycled tanks right? The third tank should be able to be quickly cycled by robbing some material from one of the other tanks. The 55 nitrate hell tank should be a good choice.
Take some solid surfaces from the 55 nitrate hell tank and place them in the third tank. Those surfaces should be loaded with the beneficial bacteria (bb) needed. Most any solid material will do with stuff in water flow being a primary choice. Many use filter media but other surfaces will do.

Agreed, I can't remember the last time I cycled a tank the old fashioned way. Just take some of the bio-media from the existing tank and plop it in your filter, that will seed the new media and your good to go.

 

[kewpiefishypewpie]

As stated above, use something from an already cycled tank. Just squeeze out any filter media right into the water.

 

[robcope]

I used filter media from the cichlid tank. Ammonia lasted about two weeks, nitrites one week. Now ammonia, and nitrites are zero and nitrates are still zero. I know my tests are fine, just baffled by the lack of nitrates. Tested again about twenty minutes all zero's.

To confirm nitrate test, I tested the cichlid tank and nitrates are at 20 ppm, 2nd 50% water change this week will be done after work tomorrow.

I know it's crazy, but I swear I do know what I am doing. I have been raising cichlids for 30 years.

 

[pops]

I have no clue, logic says you will show something of the 3, fish exude ammonia, the start of the nitrate cycle. to all 3 to come up zero is just not possible.