# Fishless Cycling - 14 days no progress



## Chibearsfan (Jul 24, 2014)

I am attempting to fishless cycle a 40 G tank. More specifically, I have 5 sponge filters in a 40G tank that I am trying to establish bacterial colonies on. I will be moving 1 of the filters (tiny) to my daughter's betta tank, 1 of the filters will go to my son't tank which will eventualy house Rams, and 3 of the filters will remain in the 40 for my Mbuna that I will be picking up at the end of the month.

I thought I had given myself enough time to fishless cycle the tank, but it is not going according to plan.

I am following the instructions in the library on this site.

I picked up the ammonia from Ace hardware referenced in that article, The stuff from Walmart had additives, so I went with the ACE brand that just says ammonia on the label - contains 10% ammonium hydroxide, and "contains no phosphates"

2 Sundays ago I aded 2 drops (with an eyedropper) per gallon - 80 drops - to the tank whch was filled with water which had been dechlorinated with Prime.

I have been running the tank at 86 degrees verified by a digital thermometer.

2 weeks ago I was at 2 ppm ammonia. Today I am still at 2 ppm ammonia.

I do nothave access to any established bio-filter material. I went to the lfs yesterday to see if they would sell me any of their established media from a running filter. They said no but they sold me a bottle of Dr Tims One and Only ($13) rated for a 30 gallon tank - I can drop the water level in the tank 10 G I guess. I was thinking I would add this stuff as a last resort, and continue with the fishless cycle protocol, 2 drops ammonia per G every 2 days until I get my fish in 2 weeks.

My alternative is to buy a established sponge filter when I get my fish for $10, but that will only take care of the 40G tank. I will need to wait to establish the filter for my son's tank - which is currentl empty, and my dughter's betta tank which has the betta (for a week now), and I am doing weeky complete water changes on.

Any comments or suggestions? Will this Dr Tims stuff work? It has a use by date of March 2015 on it, so supposedly it should be good to go.


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## GTZ (Apr 21, 2010)

Add the Dr. Tim's product. The majority of people using this product have had some success.
What is the pH in your tank?


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## Chibearsfan (Jul 24, 2014)

Have not tested, but Lake Michigan Tap Water - 7.8


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## pelphrey (Apr 9, 2014)

What test kit are you using? Get the API master test kit and test all 5 parameters. You need to also test your tap water to see what you parameters it has. Post those results. I've always fishless cycles with Dr Tims Ammonia. Cycled my 55 gallon tank with a Fluval 306 canister in under 3 weeks. If your test results are ever unreadable on the API test kit you need to do a water change on the cycling tank. Add dechlorinator then add ammonia back to the system.


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## triscuit (May 6, 2005)

Have you tested nitrite?

Do you see any growths is the tank? Algae, other fuzzy stuff, scum on the glass? If not, I'm thinking there's something in your setup that is keeping the microorganisms from establishing. When a cycle stalls, it's usually at the NO2 -> NO3 stage... lots of things eat ammonia and so it's pretty weird that you haven't gotten any of them to do it yet.

And, just to verify- you are running those filters, right?


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## Chibearsfan (Jul 24, 2014)

Thanks for the responses, sorry I have not checked back after a day or 2 since making the post...

Yes, I am using the API master testing kit. The reading looked like 2 ppm (not unreadable) for 3 solid weeks.
On day 22 it got a little lighter, Day 23 it looked like 1 ppm, and this morning looks like .25/0 ppm.

I added Dr Tims on day 14, so I guess that's what got it going, but everything I read indicated it should have started working a lot sooner than the 7 days it took.

To answer the other question, there has been a little white fuzzy algae growth in the tank for maybe a couple of weeks (10 days?) so something has been growing just not the good bacteria.

And yes I have been running the filters (5 sponge filters) for all 24 days.

Hopefully the nitrite cycle doesn't take 3x as long as it's supposed to take as well or I will be waiting until Halloween to put fish in this tank...

Unless the Dr Tims works wonders on the Nitrite in the next few days, I will be buying a used sponge for the fry I'm picking up this weekend, and all the fish will have to be mixed in a 15 G tank (Mbuna with Synodontis with Rams with Tetras...) until this cycle finishes.


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

I think you'll be fine with the Dr. Tims. What's the nitrite reading?


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## Chibearsfan (Jul 24, 2014)

Have not tested Nitrite yet. The artice says to add ammonia every couple of days until ammonia goes to 0 in 24 hrs, and then start testing Nitrite. I will probably test Nitrite tomorrow morning anyway just to get a baseline though.


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## Chibearsfan (Jul 24, 2014)

Nitrite - 5ppm

I'm doing a 30% water change and adding 2.0ppm ammonia this morning.


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## Jeff1192 (Aug 19, 2014)

If you're seeing nitrites you're making progress!


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## Chibearsfan (Jul 24, 2014)

Well, today Nitrite is 0 ppm. The nitrite cycle took 1 wek after the ammonia cycle took 22 days - the reverse of what the article suggested.

Mst be the Dr. Tims on Day 14 kick started both the amonia and Nitrite cysles.

Added more ammonia today, if Nitrit is 0 tomorrow, I will be transfering my fish to their final tanks Sat, which is none too soon.

The Saulosi I got were not really fry more like juvies. There is at least 1 that is clearly identifiable as male, black in the drsal fin, bars on the body. Since they were juvies, not the greatest idea to put them in with my son's tetras and corys - but I had to due to only havign 1 established filter. They immediately went the tetras, killing 1 in about 3 minutes, they also harassed the corys a bit, so the tertas and corys have been in a breeder net for a week. Oddly they do not bother the petricola at all, which is great since they will be long term tankmates.

Picking up my son's rams on Sat, so really hoping nitrite is 0 tomorrow or they will have to go in a breeder net too.

Anyway thanks for the advice.


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## boomer92 (Apr 17, 2013)

GO BEARS!


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

boomer92 said:


> GO BEARS!


If the D is as bad as I think it will be, Cutler and crew need to drop 40 points a game to come away with a win. That preseason game against Seattle was hot garbage.Pumped for the season, though.


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