Endless Cycle : Again I Know!

[WhiskeyHands]

To begin with, i'm open to any possibility you guys can think. I want to be able to list every reason why my cycle isn't moving towards the Nitrite phase and cross them out one by one to figure the problem out.

Today's readings:

pH - 7.5
Ammonia - 0.6 or a bit less (yellowish)
Nitrites - 0 (Water is crystal clear)
Nitrate - 0 (Water is crystal clear)

Test Kit used:
Nutrafin Test: Mini Master Test Kit ( http://www.petland.ca/nutrafin-fresh...-test-kit.html )

The tank is a 21 gallon with an aquaclear 30 as filter. The tank has been set up to cycle fish-in either on the 22 or 23 of November 2012 till now. (About 9 weeks) I've read that a cycle take 6 to 8 weeks to be completed and i haven't even seen any nitrites yet.

Could it be over-cleaning?
I change water every 2 days (about 25%) and always use my gravel vacuum to remove water and fish waste. Could it be the fact that I vacuum too much? I have never done a 100% water change.

Filter Media?
I have never yet cleaned nor exchanged my filter media yet. Should I do something about that or is it okay?

Overfeeding?
I have 3 female bettas and 2 plattys in there. How do I know when i'm over feeding and what will over feeding do exactly?


Those are the reasons I could list. Do you guys have any other reasons how a cycle is stalled? I need help! I want to be able to stock more fish but i want the tank to cycle first and it is endless!

[sunstar93]

I've never been too sure about cycling a tank but have you tried maybe adding in a bacteria supplement? My favorite is Tetra Safestart or Jungle Start Zyme. Or adding in some gravel or filter media from an already established tank (if you have one)? I was looking it up on google and those were a couple of tips from different websites.
For filter media in general, the aquaclear 30 has a carbon filter right? I also learned this the hard way that you never really need to do anything with it except rinse it out every once in a while. I would say to not do anything with it because the bacteria is still building up.
Overfeeding will increase the chance for algae to grow and ammonia to spike. If there's a lot of left over food from feeding time, you could be overfeeding (but with bettas there's hardly anything left over lol).
I'm sure someone who has more experience can give you better advice, but just thought I'd give you some ideas and help kick start your thread!!
Good luck getting your tank to cycle...it can be so very frustrating!

[WhiskeyHands]

I only have nutrafin cycle at my petstore and from online reviews i dont really trust this product. I also have 3 other tanks but none are established yet :/

yeah it has the carbon and thanks :)

[sunstar93]

Well if you don't trust a product then I definitely wouldn't use it!! Most Walmarts carry Jungle Start Zyme if you have one in your area (I trust it and it's a capful per 10 gallons). Well that's a bummer! If you have a friend with an established tank you could get it from them?
I'm sorry I can't be of more help!

[WhiskeyHands]

i have no friend with aquariums, they find me weird having all these tanks! and yeah i can try going by walmart next week. But hey, can i use my vacuum for all WC or is that over cleaning?

[sunstar93]

Lol same here!
I only gravel vac twice a week and when I do it's a spot clean and then a deep clean. A lot of food and waste hides there and can increase the ammonia and bacteria. Usually I just scoop out a gallon or two of the old water twice a week. So maybe use the vac less often? I know some people may disagree but it might help to boost your bacteria by enticing them to settle in your tank.

[WhiskeyHands]

Ahhh okayy because in the beginning i did WC everyday so vacuumed everyday and now it is every 2 days, so i was thinking this might be the problem. And people say when there is green algae the tank is fish friendly or something like that?

[sunstar93]

You could also probably cut back on the water changes like every 3 days? For a 29 gallon with only 5 fish they won't be producing much waste or ammonia. Unless that's what you are supposed to do to promote nitrites then stick wih every 2 days!
And green algae indicates that not only do you have enough light for the tank but they grow with nitrates/nitrites (can't remember which one).

[WhiskeyHands]

and they are small fish, the females arent adults yet! Today was the WC day but i havent done it yet, wanted to wait for answers. Whether it is nitrite or nitrate, my parameters say i have none, weird

[sunstar93]

Then they are very small lol
That is still puzzling...it sounds like you are on top of it and are testing regularly for it. One site said that the cycle may take as long as 3 months but I'm not sure. Maybe take a water sample to your fish store and ask them to test it? Just to see if they give any suggestions as to what you could do to increase them. I always thought you wanted 0s across the board lol