Hey, so I've been cycling my axolotl tank since the beginning of January, and I have yet to see any nitrite. I'd like to think I understand the cycling process, but for some reason my tanks are not cycling. I have a 40 breeder axolotl tank that had been fishless cycled before I received the axolotls in early december. The tank somehow became uncycled in january, and I only realized it was uncycled because I had a bacteria bloom, and thought I'd test everything to see what was up, and sure enough I had ammonia. I have plants, so low nitrates are not unusual for me. I've tried using seachem stability, and seeded filter media from someone elses tank. Stability had no effect, and the seeded filter media worked for about a week, and then I started getting ammonia again. I usually have a low ph,but I add crushed coral to my filters to raise it. Anyone have any idea why it's taking so long? I've been fishless cycling in a bucket hoping that if I can have an elevated ammonia level in the bucket it would cycle faster, but for some reason I'm not getting any nitrite/nitrate in the bucket with 4 ppm's of ammonia either. I've been doing daily waterchanges in my 40 breeder axolotl tank, so i was expecting the tank to cycle slowly,but it's almost been 3 months and nothings happened
Need Help
- Thread starter carsona246
- Start date
What exactly are you "cycling" in the bucket?
Do you have a filter just running on a bucket with ammonia in the water?
What is the ammonia reading in the tank?
What is the nitrite reading in the tank?
What is the nitrate reading in the tank?
Do you have a filter just running on a bucket with ammonia in the water?
What is the ammonia reading in the tank?
What is the nitrite reading in the tank?
What is the nitrate reading in the tank?
I have 2 axolotls...When I first got them about 3 years ago I put them in straight conditioned water..They are very hardy..They should be fine just use de-chlorinator make sure no substrate that will fit in their mouth, they will die fast. They eat their food by sucking like a quick burst of vacuum, they suck in whatever is around their mouth.
ok, the cycling in a bucket is a bucket with a sponge filter on, I stuck some worms in there to decompose, and added/removed water till I got 4 ppm's of ammonia. It's just sitting there till hopefully I get some nitrite/nitrate. It's been sitting with 4 ppm's of ammonia since the middle of january. Still nothing but ammonia
In the 40 breeder I have a marineland c220 running, the ammonia level fluctuates, but is usually at .25 ppm's of ammonia a day. I do daily waterchanges. I've never had a nitrite reading since I noticed the tank was uncycled. Also never had a nitrate reading in the tank, except for that one week when I put some seeded filter media from another tank inside my tank. It worked for about a week, and then I started getting ammonia all over again.
I realize axolotl's are pretty hardy, but I don't like having an uncycled tank, its just too much work to do the waterchanges necessary to keep the parameters in check, I would much rather get back to weekly waterchanges. Any info on why my tank is refusing to cycle/stay in cycle when seeded filter media is added would be greatly appreciated. I'm stumped. I have a sinking suspicion it has to do with the soft water my tap has, but I'm running crushed coral in the filter. I really don't know too much about cycling and gh/kh, so I'm open to any suggestions.
In the 40 breeder I have a marineland c220 running, the ammonia level fluctuates, but is usually at .25 ppm's of ammonia a day. I do daily waterchanges. I've never had a nitrite reading since I noticed the tank was uncycled. Also never had a nitrate reading in the tank, except for that one week when I put some seeded filter media from another tank inside my tank. It worked for about a week, and then I started getting ammonia all over again.
I realize axolotl's are pretty hardy, but I don't like having an uncycled tank, its just too much work to do the waterchanges necessary to keep the parameters in check, I would much rather get back to weekly waterchanges. Any info on why my tank is refusing to cycle/stay in cycle when seeded filter media is added would be greatly appreciated. I'm stumped. I have a sinking suspicion it has to do with the soft water my tap has, but I'm running crushed coral in the filter. I really don't know too much about cycling and gh/kh, so I'm open to any suggestions.
carsona246;4998661; said:
.25 for ammonia is pretty low. In my test kit .25 is the very first reading you get besides 0. You said you have been doing daily water changes. How much are you changing a day? I would guess the reason you are not seeing any nitrites is because the BB is turning it into nitrates and you are removing the minuet traces of nitrates daily.
I believe what is happing is you are doing a water change every day and every day the de-chlorenator is turning the chlorine/chloramine into ammonia. This is why you are getting a reading of .25 ammonia reading every day. You BB should be able to keep up with this by now. I would stop doing daily water changes. Just make sure to check the ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates maybe a couple of times a day. Give it a few days and see if your BB does not take care of the ammonia and start to get nitrite and nitrate readings as well.
ok, I don't have chloramines in my tap, but I'll start doing waterchanges every other day and see if that helps at all.
carsona246;4999709; said:
Let us know if it does. However I just feel you are over doing the water changes. Thus making it very hard for tank to become stable.
you know what I keep thinking about this, and I'm still stumped as to why my cycling bucket hasn't started yet. It's been at 4 ppm's since january, and it hasn't started either. Anyone have any ideas on why? I put some crushed coral in the bucket to help the low ph, and presumably the low gh/kh, but i honestly know very little about gh/kh