Cycling Taking Forever

jmbr082885

jmbr082885

Member
hey all, i set up my new tank like four weeks ago, and it seem like it is taking a really long time to cycle, i put in three frozen shrimp at first. my ammonia is a .25 and the trates and trites are still pretty high. just wondering, how long should it take to cycle a tank? i have a 55gal, w 30 lb live rock and 25 lb live sand.
 
aztec reef

aztec reef

Active Member
do you still have the shrimp in there? has your ammonia always stayed at .25 since day one.it might just be finishing.
 
ckjess19

ckjess19

Member
I have had my tank up for almost a month and it is still cycling too. I have four damsels in there which I have been told by many help to cycle the tank. I only have 10lbs of LR in my 36 gallon, but i am working on creating a reef so thats about to change. My Nitrates and Nitrites are still high and so is my pH. Everything else is perfect though. What kind of tank are you going for? Good luck.
J
 
elton092982

elton092982

Member
Yea good point Bang Guy made if its from ApI I heard the levels always read .25 . Mines been cycling for a month now and my ammonia reading has been .25 since day 1. Went to the LFS and hahah I laugh cus its funny but aggravating at the same time . Asked the guy to test my water the doppeee kid goes to another employeee here test it I'm busy . The guys like ???????? I don't know how what do I do ??? Then on top of that when he finaly tests it he's using the API kit . Sorry for the venting
 
imfsub12

imfsub12

Member
Originally Posted by larryndana
after ammonia spikes i think you can take the shrimp out.
WHAT ammonia spike are you looking for??? as i still have mine in..
mine has been
.005,
.1,
0.188,
0.3
What is this spike that i 'm looking at???
:help:
 
jmbr082885

jmbr082885

Member
basically, i didn't get the test kit until a week ago, it is aquarium pharmacuticals, and i took the frozen shrimp out after they got all nasty looking. (about a week and a half) i will be going for a reef tank.
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
How's the water flow? If it's too low then bacteria might not grow as fast as they otherwise would.
Try ghost feeding the tank. Just a tiny amount of fish food every day. Just as if you had a small Clownfish in the tank.
A large water change can help a lot as well. Is the skimmer productive?
 
larryndana

larryndana

Active Member
Originally Posted by imfsub12
WHAT ammonia spike are you looking for??? as i still have mine in..
mine has been
.005,
.1,
0.188,
0.3
What is this spike that i 'm looking at???
:help:
i believe you don't want it to go over .5
or it will start killing the stuff in your lr and ls. It might be 1.0....don't remember, maybe someone will chime in and say.
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
Originally Posted by larryndana
i believe you don't want it to go over .5
or it will start killing the stuff in your lr and ls. It might be 1.0....don't remember, maybe someone will chime in and say.
I've heard both numbers. I use 0.5 as the threshold but I'm fairly conservative.
 
imfsub12

imfsub12

Member
OK THANKS (BLOODY CAPS)
There we go... just running some more test right now to see where everthing is..
If it goes over .5 then do a 25% water change?
It ausome to see the shrimp decay, with all the fuzz on it...
 
J

jason490

Guest
do a search in google for a product called RIGHT NOW BACTERIA, that will have you fixed up in 24 hours.
Jason
 
larryndana

larryndana

Active Member
Originally Posted by jason490
do a search in google for a product called RIGHT NOW BACTERIA, that will have you fixed up in 24 hours.
Jason
Nothing wrong with waiting for a tank to cycle. If you don't have patience in this hobby you will fail quickly. I haven't been in the hobby long, but i'm sure most will say patience is a must.
 
jmbr082885

jmbr082885

Member
i checked it again last night, the ammonia was a 0, trites at .25 and the trates were close to zero. i am going to take a sample to my lfs and have them double check it tonight
 
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