# Tank not Cycling



## mijotter (Jul 26, 2011)

I got my 125g setup finally. I wanted to cycle it with pure ammonia. I have done it before to 2 other tanks in my house successfully. It has now officially been 3 weeks since the first dosing of ammonia and it hasn't dropped at all. I brought the ammonia to 4ppm and have been testing it about every other day and nothing. I used the same pure ammonia that I used in my other tanks with the same procedure.

At this point what are my options? Is it possible that a tank this size just takes a LOT longer or did something go wrong? I hope I don't need to drain the tank and refill.


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## chenowethpm (Jan 8, 2014)

Are you still dosing ammonia? What are the other tests. All tanks are different, my last fish less cycle took well over a month.


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## mijotter (Jul 26, 2011)

No i'm not still dosing it because it's just staying at 4ppm and i don't want to overdose it. i haven't bothered with the nitrite test because the ammonia hasn't moved but i'll do that tonight to get a reading.


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## April R (Nov 13, 2014)

Try seeding the filter with media from one of your already cycled tanks to get things jump started


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## kalyke (Nov 19, 2014)

If you put some rocks or driftwood in your already cycled tanks, they might pick up some nitrifying bacteria, then move them to the big tank after a week or so.


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## chenowethpm (Jan 8, 2014)

Having done this before here is my advice. Dose everyday at about the same time. Don't check your ammonia levels, it will drive you crazy. Start testing for nitrite. Forget about the ammonia levels. When I did this, I checked my ammonia a couple times and it was off the charts. You need to keep the ammonia coming. The level will not drop until you start seeing nitrites. After you get any nitrites at all, reduce the dose to half of your original dosage and only dose every 4 days. It will work, just takes time. All tanks are different. Just be patient.


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## mijotter (Jul 26, 2011)

Ok so still put ammonia in the tank even though it's still at 4ppm already? I heard that too much can be...well, too much.


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## chenowethpm (Jan 8, 2014)

If there's no fish in the tank then you can't overdose the ammonia. With the elevated levels from dosing daily, there will be plenty of "food" for the bacteria to start converting. You want the extra so it's not all consumed fast and has a chance to grow a big colony. Do it this way and you can fully stock once the cycle completes. That being said, don't dump the whole bottle in th tank. That would be too much for sure.


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## mijotter (Jul 26, 2011)

Ok, with it always at 4ppm and not moving in 3 weeks, what should I does it up to and everyday?


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## chenowethpm (Jan 8, 2014)

Just dose whatever it took to get to 4ppm. Then cut the dose in half and dose every 4 days once you see nitrite.


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## mijotter (Jul 26, 2011)

Should I have dosed with Prime? I did not do that. Would it hurt to do it now?


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## dhoch (Jul 14, 2014)

When you say Prime, are you talking about the additive that removes chlorine and chloramines? If so, that is your problem. If the water never had the chlorine removed you will never grow bacteria because it is killing it before you can grow it.


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## April R (Nov 13, 2014)

You need to dechlorinate every time you add or change water or you will kill your bacteria unless you let it age 24 hrs before adding, then you don't need to


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## R.Shakelford (Jul 17, 2015)

What species of nitrifying bacteria are you trying to cultivate to oxidise the ammonia? There is more than one. Some are more efficient than others. 



mijotter said:


> I got my 125g setup finally. I wanted to cycle it with pure ammonia. I have done it before to 2 other tanks in my house successfully. It has now officially been 3 weeks since the first dosing of ammonia and it hasn't dropped at all. I brought the ammonia to 4ppm and have been testing it about every other day and nothing. I used the same pure ammonia that I used in my other tanks with the same procedure.
> 
> At this point what are my options? Is it possible that a tank this size just takes a LOT longer or did something go wrong? I hope I don't need to drain the tank and refill.


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