[HELP] Tank NOT cycling

[knifegill]

You won't need the gravel. The muck will be plenty if you get enough. Yes, it will survive the trip if you treat it like a fish. Do a huge water change before you add the muck. Then don't change the water again for a few days unless the seeding has failed and your ammonia spikes again. If this happens, there is a good chance that you might be overfeeding or just overstocked.

When all is said and done and this battle is over, you'll just want to change enough water each week to keep the nitrAtes below 20ppm for most fish.

thats because knifegill is the mack daddy haha he has helped me so many times lol but hes way better than me. 3 days? the fastest i have was 12 but it had alot of gunk and rocks from another tank. my 55 took a little longer but i think its prob because i switched from a hob filter to a canister like halfway thru it. oh well its done now and the canister is much better.

anyway, thank you knifegill. for being so freakin awesome.

My success in this area is likely due to my chronic understocking in most tanks.

 

[lujor]

See if your fish store will let you buy some of their used filter media- whether it's bioballs, filter pouches, whatever. Keep it wet, but u dont need to buy their tank water. Stability and streescoat/zyme isnt that great, but bio-spira or nitromax (cycling aids) wont hurt and may speed up process a little. Getting the used media should help the most. Then monitor water quality with nonstrip water test kits (strips can be a little inaccurate & are more expensive per test). If after a few days ammonia gets//stays really high, do a pretty big water change. Also, do a WC earlier if fish health starts to diminish noticeably. Next time maybe wait to add fish. Good luck

 

[biohazardcustomz]

So gunk would be water squeezed from an established filter sponge, also gravel from established tank?

I can get some from LFS but dude, its a 15 min drive from it to my house.. Will the bacteria in there live?

and also how many water changes should I be doing if I put the gunk in?

get the ammonia down as suggested by water changes. the beneficial bacteria will live as long as its in water for at least a couple hours. im sure longer but to be safe lets say 2 hours. water changes are important but if you get the test kit you can tell when you really need them instead of guessing. the bacteria will go to the gravel and into the filter to water changes after wont matter.

quick question are you using city tap water and are you putting water conditioner in it before adding it to the tank? not to offend but its often something that people dont think of and ive seen it happen before. there is chlorine in city water and it will kill all beneficial bacteria and prevent a cycle.

 

[prettykitty]

You will always do water changes.

Yes, the gunk method is best. I can usually cycle a tank in three days this way. The trick is to have more bacteria than ammonia. So, for a new tank, I usually add the new fish with dechlorinated tap water and filtration running. After about a day, when ammonia is just readable, I squeeze in the muck. Within hours the ammonia is gone and I never even see nitrItes. I believe this works well for me because I do it when the ammonia is in a weak enough concentration to be easily overcome.

Just buy a used filter pad from them, that's usually the simplest. They'll bag it up for you. Make sure it's from a healthy tank that hasn't been nuked lately. Then you can squeeze it out, or just drop it into the tank as-is.

I know my LFS well, and last time i went there, they said they couldn't give me a sponge because their whole thing is filtered by those pipe things that don't use uh sponge.

But the have this 210 gallon tank that has barbs in them, and thats the only tank that uses sponges and they said they COuld only squeeze the water out of the spong and also out of the filter and some gravel and fill it in a plastic bag

is this good enough?
will the bacteria last for 15-20 mins on drive home?

 

[biohazardcustomz]

yes the bacteria will live. the filter gunk will work but the gravel can be put in a filter sock if it doesnt match yours. that way you can take it all out at once when the tanks cycled. tell them to give you as much gunk as they can.

 

[prettykitty]

You won't need the gravel. The muck will be plenty if you get enough. Yes, it will survive the trip if you treat it like a fish. Do a huge water change before you add the muck. Then don't change the water again for a few days unless the seeding has failed and your ammonia spikes again. If this happens, there is a good chance that you might be overfeeding or just overstocked.

When all is said and done and this battle is over, you'll just want to change enough water each week to keep the nitrAtes below 20ppm for most fish.



My success in this area is likely due to my chronic understocking in most tanks.

thanks So i'll do a water change in 2 days when i get my water test kit + the gunk .

I'll add the gunk after the water change

sounds good?
I'll update everyone here like everyday until my tank is cycled i'll make a video to thank you guys

 

[knifegill]

Sounds good. I'd keep doing large water changes in the mean time. Probably 30% a day to help curb the ammonia. And feed lightly. Best of Luck!

 

[prettykitty]

Sounds good. I'd keep doing large water changes in the mean time. Probably 30% a day to help curb the ammonia. And feed lightly. Best of Luck!

thanks! The main reason of ammonia is because of the turtle, they are dirty dirty eaters.

But anyhow I'll update you! please keep visiting this thread everyone! its far from over until its cycled

okay so i'll do a 30% water change tomorrow and the day after i'll get gunk

 

[prettykitty]

Update: lowering ammonia by doing 40-50% water change right now!

will go to LFS to get gunk and water test API kit tomorrow,
More updates tomorrow! thanks for the help guys

 

[prettykitty]

Water change was successful, ammonia levels went from 4 to about 1.2