Benibachi cycling help.

[blindfisherman]

Hey guys just seeing if anyone has some info on why my tank hates me.

I had the tank set up without the soil whilst I was waiting for some DW to sink and it had cycled fine, any ammonia was going through the cycle.

When I added the soil I used the old water back into it. Its now been set up for over a month and I'm yet to see ANY nitrite.

The ammonia has been 2-4 ppm for the whole time since I added the soil and I haven't got a detectable reading for nitrite or nitrate.

Over the first week I did a couple of small water changes but let it sit over exams and now have tried stability and still nothing...

I have tried squeezing crap from sponge filters, tried drip acclimating some noodles because I wasn't sure if the pH shock would kill it all.

The pH is <6, the KH is 0-1 and GH 3.

Is the low pH causing some issues with the cycle?

Call me impatient but shouldn't I be seeing SOME nitrite or ate by now?

Also I dont think its the test kits because nitrate readings are coming up on the other tanks.

Any help is always appreciated.

[Sprae]

Low pH is a good. That won't cause other issues like ammonia. Over a month there really shouldn't be any ammonia if it's cycled properly. I've never had ANY nitrate or nitrite readings in my tank even when it was cycling.

GH/KH values is mixed up in your post?

[blindfisherman]

Low pH is a good. That won't cause other issues like ammonia. Over a month there really shouldn't be any ammonia if it's cycled properly. I've never had ANY nitrate or nitrite readings in my tank even when it was cycling.

GH/KH values is mixed up in your post?

Sorry GH was 3.

Yeah I would be expecting to see no ammonia by now but I have no idea what's going on with it. Tried various methods for re-seeding the filter but it seems nothing has worked and I'm now wondering if the pH is causing this.

I was reading somewhere that the nitrogen cycle happens best at 7.6-8.2 and then at values below 6 its at <10% of optimal.

The benefit of the low pH is ammonia gets rapidly converted to ammonium. Is this an issue? I have done so much reading and experimenting now its starting to get on my nerves. :)

[Sprae]

I would give it a couple more weeks, with your ammonia at 2-4ppm. Benibachi only had a spike the first few days then I've never seen it again. I test at least once a week if not more.

Is your tank planted? Moss or any other plants in there?

[blindfisherman]

There is a bunch of different mosses, mini pellia and some NLJF.

I have been testing 2-4 times a week haha. Getting frustrated with it.

[blindfisherman]

There is LIFTOFF!!!!!

I FINALLY have a nitrate reading WOOHOO.

Looks like the stability may have done something - cheers D.

Its now at <0.25ppm ammonia(close to 0 but the faintest bit of green), ~10ppm nitrAte and no detectable nitrIte

Edit:

Just thinking about what all this means for the tank.

I set it up and had it fully cycled before adding the soil but then when I added the soil the pH change seems to have knocked the cycle back a bit. There was no nitrIte reading and none since the soil has been in.

Could it be that the cycle was happening slowly all along and the plants were using up the minimal nitrAte but now that the bacteria has taken off its converting to more nitrAte which the plants are now unable to keep up with?

-Just trying to get my head around what happened.

[Dean]

i have had many people raise this point mate,

in my tanks i had exactly the same thing, ammonia < .25 and 0 everything else even after weeks.

half my tanks i added shrimp to the day after filling with soil and water and had no problems whatso ever. after adding the shrimp the parameters started changing

and nitrite and nitrate readings started to show but no deaths so it was all fine by me.

the other tanks i left for 4-6 weeks and never got a nitrite or nitrate reading at all so added shrimp and again readings started to show but no deaths and everything was fine.

i dont completely understand why the nitrite and nitrate dont register until shrimp or a cycle product is added but all the same i have never lost a single shrimp

from this in a tank setup with benibachi soil. there are 42 tanks in total so far :)

dont know if this answers your question or not?

i also think that the very low ph conditions that the benibachi soil creates slows the cycle down a lot.

[al4n]

i agree with the low ph that benibachi soils creates it does slow down the cycling process. im in the middle of cycling my tank and im in week 6 and ammonia is still showing. nitrite/nitrate showed few weeks ago.