new setup

szutj001 · Mar 12, 2013

Ok my 55 setup running I was to believe said product was good live etc. Heat pack was dead when i checked it was a cool day 50ish pack was out in cold and so it was 50 as well. Put in tank to cycle and my ammonia is off the charts so think this was dead not live. So how best to cycle through it. This item not expensive but to buy dead matter wasnt cheap. Anyway some help would be nice to reduce the cycle or am i just not in great shape and should just do water changes?

revhtree · Mar 13, 2013

Are you not getting it to cycle? I don't understand what you're asking exactly.

dwilliams87 · Mar 14, 2013

Definitely need to rephrase what your asking. I would love to help, but don't know how at this moment.

szutj001 · Mar 14, 2013

I just have super high ammonia after putting grunge into tank. Nitrite and Nitrate not doing much no spike on that side of life. Its over a week now since introduced. Used a nitrifying solution from api in hopes of it helping move along. But not much happening. Trying to just be patient but cant believe I havent gotten spike in nitrate,nitrite. So that is why I am assuming it was just dead matter and maybe its better to just start dilluting so it can start to cycle?

SeahorseKeeper · Mar 14, 2013

How high is the ammonia? It will take time for the beneficial bacteria to colonize to start breaking down the ammonia into nitrite and nitrate. Adding the "grunge" which may have been dead might cause the process to take longer.

mike007 · Mar 14, 2013

You are not making any since maybe you need to start over and research some of these post we are posting .People on this site are here to help.

szutj001 · Mar 15, 2013

Not making since? Anyway moving along have cycled lots of tanks my own and others. Thought I would have people to help mike please stay out of it. Since...... Anyway since i dropped garf grunge I had a ammonia spike that didnt even have to wait the 5 min it redlined the test. At this point i can only think the ammonia is so high its slowing down the whole nitrite as well as nitrate and that is why i asked if maybe i should be diluting the tank with water changes? Thanks seahorse you actually read and understand my situation. yes soon as i dropped ammonia in to the test it was way way over any color on the chart so i am guessing this is whats slowing the bacteria from reacting like i have seen it over and over again. So do you think its better to dilute at this point too allow the cycle to advance faster?

mike007 · Mar 15, 2013

You got it.

SeahorseKeeper · Mar 15, 2013

I would do several small water changes over the next few days and keep checking the parameters. Once the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate come in line, I would ghost feed the tank for a week to ensure that the ammonia does not spike.

szutj001 · Mar 16, 2013

Thanks

Thanks I will try that do like 3 gallon changes see and hope it nudges nitrite and nitrate to start the cycle. The ammonia is reading at the 8.0 ppm color in fact its even darker than on the api color chart so dont really know what its at. So sorry I got the Garf Grunge tried contacting them but no answer to any of my email. Oh well chalk it up to a lesson learned. Thanks again

SeahorseKeeper said:
I would do several small water changes over the next few days and keep checking the parameters. Once the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate come in line, I would ghost feed the tank for a week to ensure that the ammonia does not spike.

szutj001 · Mar 17, 2013

Current reading as of this evening ammonia 0.25, nitrite 5.0, Nitrate 20.0 atleast the ammonia is now coming down a week at redline... Never seen a tank cycle like this.