Question: Is my tank cycling?

[Bbqlol]

It's been about 3 weeks now and I still have increased ammonia levels... 0 nitrites, very low nitrates... I've dosed the tank twice (about a week and a half apart) with my ammonia source, a small amount of brine shrimp. The water is very cloudy now and the chemical levels remain unchanged, apart from a raise in ammonia since the dosage of the shrimp... am I doing something wrong, or is this a natural occurrence that will work itself out over time? I'm not sure if the axies will like being in their tupperware container for much longer... and they certainly don't like the daily water changes.

Any advice would be great,
Thanks

 

[petlover516]

What is the ammonia level? The tank won't start its cycle until the ammonia is at least 5ppm.

 

[Bbqlol]

The ammonia level is about 1.5ppm. How can I get it higher? I am using frozen brine shrimp, as previously stated, to cycle the tank, as I don't know any better alternatives... I have heard of dosing a small amount of ammonia in the aquarium but I'm semi-cautious about that. Is it what I'm using that just isn't cutting it, or is it that I'm not using enough? Following the guidelines on the cycling website attached to caudata.org, where it says put some frozen brine shrimp, enough in size to cover a dime, in the tank for cycling.

Thanks for the reply

 

[callina]

the cycling process of a tank will take it´s time.
What are the actual water parameters?

Tina

 

[Jacquie]

The tank won't start its cycle until the ammonia is at least 5ppm.

That's a lot of ammonia. A small trace amount of ammonia is sufficient for cycling (and kickstarting the cycling process for) an aquarium. If you dump too much ammonia into the tank (5ppm is extremely toxic) the cycle is likely to crash, as the bacteria will not be able to cope with that excessive amount of ammonia.

The ammonia level is about 1.5ppm. How can I get it higher? I am using frozen brine shrimp, as previously stated, to cycle the tank, as I don't know any better alternatives... I have heard of dosing a small amount of ammonia in the aquarium but I'm semi-cautious about that. Is it what I'm using that just isn't cutting it, or is it that I'm not using enough? Following the guidelines on the cycling website attached to caudata.org, where it says put some frozen brine shrimp, enough in size to cover a dime, in the tank for cycling.

The cycling process can take one to three months to complete. Hang in there!

Don't worry about the axolotls, they really don't mind living in a tub while they wait for their luxurious quarters to be prepared for them; the tub is cool, dark, the water is still, they love it! . They'd be a whole lot grumpier if they were cycling the aquarium for you, which also requires daily water changes, not to mention the discomfort of living in dilluted ammonia for quite a time. It's great that you have the patience to do the fishless cycle.

Just a thought: are there any plants in the cycling tank? If so, the plants will slow the cycling process as they will be feeding upon the ammonia needed to feed the bacteria.

A well planted aquarium can be used in lieu of cycling. For more information, I highly recommend you read this thread. If you prefer to cycle your tank without using plants, the plants (if present - I'm making an assumption here due to the presence of Nitrate, but no Nitrite) should be removed from the tank until the cycle is complete. With the removal of the plants, you should start getting a reading for Nitrite (this will take some time - so be patient).

 

[petlover516]

Well its what I've always been told. And the bacteria will get killed by that amount? I though the whole point of cycling is to build up enough bacteria to kill off that amount? I'm pretty sure salmanders would be heavy waste producers, so wouldn't the ammonia rise to that amount eventually if the bacteria couldn't destroy it?