loosing patience with this cycle
- Thread starter bathawk
- Start date
Bacteria in a bottle, Myth or Fact
Call me old school, back in the day we placed a deli shrimp in a tank to kick start the cycle. When tank reached 1.5-2 ppm ammonia we pulled it out and waited sometimes weeks to months for bacteria to colonize and drop ammonia and nitrites down to 0 to make tank safe for livestock. With recent...
www.reef2reef.com
Seems only 2-3 of the bottled bacteria on the market are actual nitrifying bacteria.
Is there some kind of organic mass decomposing in the tank? That ammonia bouncing is kinda crazy.
Sorry if I missed it, but what test kit are you using and are you 100% sure you're doing the nitrate test properly? That's a common issue with the API master test kit.
I don't understand the need to 're-cycle' the tank? You used well established media out of your old filter. You should have been good to go instantly.
I don't understand the need to 're-cycle' the tank? You used well established media out of your old filter. You should have been good to go instantly.
if you are using the API test kit, the nitrate bottle bottle 2 needs the pee shook out of it, beat on a table what ever for at-least 3 minutes, I was guilty of this as are many folks, I mean really shake it up as it crystallizes in the bottle , average cycle is 5 to 6 weeks.
no i use these test kits on my 4 other tanks with no issues I looking toward what zanzag has mentioned when I set up the tank I heavily planted it with crypts now I know crypts melt but these were dying off I had a nicrew planted led light which I suspected and replaced it the plants are now beginning to recover so I am wondering if there are still some roots still in the substrate that are decaying and causing the ammonia spikes.
You still haven’t posted your tap parameters. I suspect your tap water is part of the reason your reading ammonia.
