Tank Cycling

[Talmier]

I have a 75 Gallon tank I have been fishless cycling for a while now. My mate has been advising me and we started off by adding a load of fish food.

My small pump clogged it was a 1000 and the water went Black, developed a skin and had a deathly smell.

Amonia always tested at 8.0 I beleive the water my have gone stagnet.

I now have bought a new 2600 pump and completed a 50pct water change and a 20pct while syphoning the gravel and still Amonia is sitting at 8.0 with no Nitrites showing at all the skin however is still forming.

I am wondering if I should change just start again any ideas would be helpful.

I have another tank that seems stuck at the Nitrate stage at 5ppm which I moved the 1000 on to.

These are my first goes at fish tanks and its not going well.

I stress again ideas would be really helpful

 

[FishPower]

Your other tank is finished cycling if it has readings of 0 ammonia, 0 nitrIte, and 5 nitrAte. A reading of nitrAtes will always be present in a cycled aquarium.

As for the 75 gallon, i would just start over if the water has a deathly smell lol.

 

[Wulfonce]

I have a 75 Gallon tank I have been fishless cycling for a while now. My mate has been advising me and we started off by adding a load of fish food.

My small pump clogged it was a 1000 and the water went Black, developed a skin and had a deathly smell.

Amonia always tested at 8.0 I beleive the water my have gone stagnet.

I now have bought a new 2600 pump and completed a 50pct water change and a 20pct while syphoning the gravel and still Amonia is sitting at 8.0 with no Nitrites showing at all the skin however is still forming.

I am wondering if I should change just start again any ideas would be helpful.

I have another tank that seems stuck at the Nitrate stage at 5ppm which I moved the 1000 on to.

These are my first goes at fish tanks and its not going well.

I stress again ideas would be really helpful

Im no expert on tank cycling but I'd say if your water went black and formed a skin you should probably start over. I did a fishless cycle with my 90. I don't know if my method is the right method but it worked out in the end. I filled the tank and waited 24 hours. Then added pure ammonia untill the ammonia levels reached 5ppm. Then I waited. About 5 days later the ammonia read 0ppm so I tested for nitrite and nitrate. nitrite read 0ppm and nitrate read somewhere in the area of 30ppm. I did a 25% water change and repeated the process. Once the bacteria could bring ammonia from 5ppm to 0ppm in 12 hours I concidered it fully cycled.

Like I said I dont know if my way is the right way, but it seems to have worked.

 

[Wulfonce]

Also higher water temperature should help the bacteria colonize. I cycled at 85F

 

[swede]

i would be kinda worried about your filtration if the water kept a film. like said before, just start over with that tank, and if it forms a skin again, you either have serious water problems from the tap or you have too little circulation

 

[Talmier]

Your other tank is finished cycling if it has readings of 0 ammonia, 0 nitrIte, and 5 nitrAte. A reading of nitrAtes will always be present in a cycled aquarium.

As for the 75 gallon, i would just start over if the water has a deathly smell lol.

Sorry I mean 5ppm of Nitrite still getitng them mixed up

 

[swede]

thats still a deadly level of nitrite. give it a few days and check if the nitrites read 0 ppm

 

[vaine111]

leave it till you see the nitrite and amonia going down and the nitrates going up.

next time i cycle a tank i am going to try this method....

1. fill tank with water.

2. set up filtration.

3. pee in tank.

4. test water for amonia.

5. wait till amonia levels go down and nitrate levels go up.

 

[Wulfonce]

leave it till you see the nitrite and amonia going down and the nitrates going up.

next time i cycle a tank i am going to try this method....

1. fill tank with water.

2. set up filtration.

3. pee in tank.

4. test water for amonia.

5. wait till amonia levels go down and nitrate levels go up.

I can just picture some idiot climbing onto the tank stand trying to pee and the whole works falling over, water going everywhere.

 

[RDTigger]

leave it till you see the nitrite and amonia going down and the nitrates going up.

next time i cycle a tank i am going to try this method....

1. fill tank with water.

2. set up filtration.

3. pee in tank.

4. test water for amonia.

5. wait till amonia levels go down and nitrate levels go up.

I at first.. but why NOT!!!!