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Please help me to cycle my tank.

Pumpkin Pie

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I've had my tank set up and running for almost a week. Four days ago I added a decent sized lump of bloodworm to build up the ammonia, levels on the first day were: (PH- 7.2, Ammonia- 0.25, Nitrate- 1.5, Nitrite- 0ppm)
The bloodworm are almost completely rotted away (there was a large white cloud around the bloodworm, like mould) and I have monitored the levels every day at the same time using a rather expensive test tube kit. On the fourth day of testing the levels read exactly the same as on the first day...I don't know what the problem is. I have a large crop of Java Moss and a small Elodea plant, I don't know if they are doing anything. I also have a sponge filter running.

I also had 2 or 3 very small trumpet snails living in my tank for the first 3 days or so (I bought the plants from someone else's fish tank) but I think they died as no trails or trace of them have been seen for the past 4 days...

Can I have your advice please?
 

Kaysie

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Take a sample of water to ye olde aquarium shop and see if they will test it for you (most will, for free).

Having plants in the tank will slow cycling. Plants prefer to use ammonia as a food source, so this ammonia will not be available for your bacteria to convert to nitrites.

It could be your test kit is expired.
 

Abrahm

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I would imagine that all your plants are preventing the cycle from happening, but on the other hand if you have the plants and can maintain them you won't need to cycle. You're nitrifying action will come from the plants instead of the bacteria.

As for the trumpet snails, if they are Malaysian trumpet snails then they are probably still alive. I'm not sure if they can live in newt temperatures, but if they can I can guarantee they are still alive. These snails dig in the substrate when the lights are on so you can't see them. If you switch the lights on suddenly at night you can see them on the side.

Here is the bad news, Malaysian trumpet snails (MTS) are asexual, so a single MTS can create a tank that is literally crawling with these guys. Biggest snail infestation you will ever see if you can catch them before they hide.
 

Pumpkin Pie

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My tank started showing some results today, I was so frustrated with it last night that I poured half a tub of fish food in (I read that it works) and I came home today to find my water looking all brown and swamp- like. I tested the water and everything has remained the same but ammonia has gone up from 0 to 1.5, at least I am getting somewhere now and hopefully this is the start of the cycle.

Thanks everyone.
 

blueberlin

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An ammonia reading is definitely the start of the cycle. I never thought I'd congratulate someone for an ammonia reading, but you deserve it! haha

I would also like to compliment you on your perseverance. I think many people would have given up trying and added a live animal to kick-start the process. Hats off to you.

-Eva
 

gr33neyes

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Thats how I cycled my tank Eva lol. I cycled it with axie in it.

Pumpkin don't give up it will get there eventually, it probably seems longer because you want to get your axolotl(s) in it.
If I could come up there and cycle your tank for you I would, seriously it will come good for you.
 

Pumpkin Pie

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Ha :p Thanks for the kind words. Someone is keeping two young Axolotl for me so I've been very eager to get the cycling done, I suppose I'll just ave to wait a bit longer.
 

Pumpkin Pie

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Okay, ammonia continues to rise. Today's results:

Ammonia: 4.0
PH: 7.0
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 1.5

My tank looks and smells disgusting, I may have put too much food in. The water is bright green like it's radioactive! I'm dreading cleaning it out after this is over. Oh my plants are dying too :eek:
 

Kaysie

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I suspect you've killed the plants by blocking the light with oversaturating the tank with rotten food.

I'd take the plants out, and do a significant water change to reduce the smell and such. Too much rotten food won't help your cycle.
 

Pumpkin Pie

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Okay, I've changed the water and the plants are looking..well, they aren't dead. Ammonia is still at 4.0, how long can it take for the Nitrate to increase and Ammonia to decrease?
 

Jacquie

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Okay, I've changed the water and the plants are looking..well, they aren't dead. Ammonia is still at 4.0, how long can it take for the Nitrate to increase and Ammonia to decrease?

Hi Pumpkin Pie,

Cycling can take any time from one to three months.

As you have plants in the tank, I think this will 'throw a spanner into the works' for the cycle as the step of Ammonia being converted to Nitrite may be delayed or may not even occur as the plants are eating the ammonia that is needed for the Nitrogen cycle to happen.

Dying plants will also increase the Ammonia levels.

Something to consider:

I would imagine that all your plants are preventing the cycle from happening, but on the other hand if you have the plants and can maintain them you won't need to cycle. You're nitrifying action will come from the plants instead of the bacteria.
 
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Abrahm

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I would do a few water changes to bring that ammonia level down. When ammonia is that high it will inhibit the growth of nitrifying bacteria and make your tank cycle even slower or not at all. You can always have too much of a good thing, in this case you provided far too much food. For a really bad analogy just imagine you've covered the little bacteria with a landslide of food.

The idea is to maintain a balance by having enough food to encourage bacterial growth. This will also be important when your nitrite begins to spike.

I would second Kaysie's recommendation and get your plants out if you want them to flourish and do some water changes. Let the tank cycle without the plants and put the plants back when you add the axolotl.
 

Pumpkin Pie

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Thanks a lot for the help and advice, I shall take the plants out and change the water. Is there any chance of me keeping Axolotls in the tank any time soon? only someone is holding on to 2 for me and I feel bad keeping them waiting.
 

blueberlin

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Hi Pie (I have been dying to write that),

Since you've already gone to such trouble and made the choice to cycle the tank without an animal in it, I would say stick it out a bit longer. Follow the advice given above and things should go more quickly than you think. (Yeah, right..)

Seriously, you should see a difference in your readings by the end of this week. After that, it's just a matter of letting nature take its course.

-Eva
 

Pumpkin Pie

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I've done about 80% water change...I really regret putting all of that fish food in, I felt sick putting my hand in to get the plants out :rolleyes: I cleaned the sand, ornaments etc.. and put the plants in some water of their own.

I'm assuming the frequent water changes will slowly remove what is left of the horrid water from the tank?

All of this trouble for an Axolotl eh?

Thanks again,
Steve.
 

blueberlin

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No, it was a most understandable reaction - a kind of kick-start attempt. I started to add a sentence at the end of my last post with silly suggestions of how you could spend the wait time, one of them including "cleaning up the mess you made" but I thought that might seem harsh, so I left it.

I was also afraid to write that most people just stick their pets into an aquarium and monitor the water afterwards. I was afraid to write that because now that you have started, you should finish it. (Was also a bit worried that you might actually put them in with the fishfood water.. sorry for that thought.) Besides, as most people really do just let their tanks cycle with the pet in them, I was kind of looking forward to your "reports" as to how things are progressing in the fishless cycling process.

So back to the serious stuff.

I haven't gone back and re-read, but do you have a filter running? This will provide a mechanical barrier that collects lots of muck into one place. You can "help" it by stirring up the substrate each day. I would clean the filter then before putting the axolotl in because after this go, it should be pretty full. Because the particles will by now be so fine, the water flow filter will be your best bet for getting things clean again - just keep stirring up the substrate, or the muck will settle there.

If you don't have a filter yet, I would recommend an external canister filter. And don't let someone sell you a bag of charcoal, as this is a mini-science of its own and unnecessary for the normal function of a mechanical filter.

And p.s., it's just like expecting a child - the child wouldn't care if you kept it in a dresser drawer; the fine furnishings are mostly to please the parent. They do, however, return the effort you invest by becoming healthy and happy and long-lived. ;)

-Eva
 

oceanblue

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If the person holding the axolotls for you is really pushing you to take them you could keep them as a temporary measure in buckets with daily total water changes depending on their size.

All should come well in the tank-eventually!
 

Davo

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When i want to cycle a new tank i find somebody with a mature filter, i then ring out and swish filter media in a bucket with water from the aquarium ( not tap water)
Put youre filter media in the bucket and swish about the water , this will seed the filter media with nitrifying bacteria from the filter. Put your media in yore filter as quick as possible and you should be away.
Maybe a bucket of water from their aquarium will also help, doing it this way has worked for me and friends lots of times and is the quickest way i no of getting youre tank cycled.
Doing it this way you can put youre axie in within 48hrs, several small water changes over the next few weeks until amonia/nitrite levels stabilise. :D
 
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