Everlasting Cycling

Question
Hi Ron,

My tank is 120L (30 gallon)Juwel
Started on 28 Dec 08
Well planted
8 Rosy tetras and 10 Neons

Ammonia was rising to 1.0 with nitrite/nitrate 0.0
I started it from a scretch a few times (cleaning gravel,decorations and a filter canistre, rinsed filters in aquarium water), added 'Stability' but nothing worked...amonia is still 1.0
I started to do 10-15% water change every week and iven if I perform 30-50% change in a day or two it witll be the same magic 1.0
I don't know what to do...our water is soft - 3.45
PH from tap is 7.6 but in aquarium it drops below 6.0 in a few days so tank's PH is under 6.0
My question is this. Can low PH hold bacteria from multiplying and a whole cycle process? How can I incourige beneficial bacteria to grow and let the tank go through the cycle? ....I lost few fish...it made me very sad.
Thanks a lot for your time and help!
Regards
Yana

Answer
Hi Yana,
 Are you sure that your test kit is accurate?  (Many, many times I find that test kits are either inaccurate or people are using them improperly, and that explains persistent odd water values).  

 Are you overfeeding?  You should only be putting in food that the fish eat immediately and never put in food for them to "eat later".  

 There is little value in adding any of the cycle products to an established aquarium, in my opinion.  

 Are you saying that your tap water has a pH of 3.45 -- that seems very, very acidic for tap water????

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
  Cichlid Research Home Page <http://cichlidresearch.com>