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Thread: Help cycling a new tank with pure ammonia

  1. #1
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    Default Help cycling a new tank with pure ammonia

    Hi guys,

    I'm new to the forum and discus in general and need a bit of help from the more experienced fish keepers amongst you.

    I'm doing a clean fishless cycle with ammonia (25% NH3 solution from a supplier of lab chemicals so I know it is pure NH3). I've dosed to 4ppm (just over 4ml of ammonia) initially and have been dosing to get to 2ppm every 5 days since.
    It has now been 7 weeks and I'm still seeing significant levels of nitrite in my tank - 6ppm, I'm not sure if the cycle has stalled or what to do next, my fish arrive on 10 days and the tank isn't ready. I can't delay their arrival as they're being imported (I'm in Johannesburg South Africa). I did do a 50% WC a week ago to try and get things going again but not much happened.
    Bio-filtration is 750ml of Seachem Matrix and a large air powered sponge filter.

    I could really use some help figuring out what is going on as all the research I've done hasn't helped much. My water parameters are listed below and they are a little strange too - very soft water with a high pH (I'm using Prime treat municipal water) and I'm pretty sure its going to be a problem with the European fish I'm getting, advice here too would be appreciated.

    thanks!

    pH 8.3
    kH 2.5
    GH 4
    NH3 (total ammonia test kit) 1,2ppm (this is 5 days after dosing to 2ppm)
    NH4 0
    NO2 6ppm
    NO3 20-40ppm
    temp 30C/ 86F
    tds 125ppm
    Conductivity 251 us/cm

  2. #2
    Registered Member Shan_Evolved's Avatar
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    Default Re: Help cycling a new tank with pure ammonia

    I myself had trouble with pure ammonia fishless cycle, however my issue was PH crashing. I have a little bit of experience with the panic situation and Tank not ready on time. However,

    How long have you been having nitrites? Nitrites will rapidly drop as I have experienced this myself in two separate tanks. How big is your tank? My 55 took a bout a month to cycle fishless and that was with the aid of Tetra Safe Start+ and seeded material.

    Regardless a solution to your problem is to do a daily 90% WC with prime and eventually the bacteria colonies will develop. But you would have to be on top of your WC's

  3. #3
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    Default Re: Help cycling a new tank with pure ammonia

    nitrites been high for about 4 weeks now, initially at 20ppm. Its a 400 l tank, just over 100 gal.
    I've used seachem stability in the first 4 weeks but not recently. Guess I'll have manage the huge WCs when the fish arrive

  4. #4
    Registered Member Shan_Evolved's Avatar
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    Default Re: Help cycling a new tank with pure ammonia

    It'll be cycled soon enough. You got this!

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