no nitrites...ever...help!

Question
Okay, I have already asked several other experts here, so I'm asking you, too...I set up a 20 gallon tank in March with 2 gouramis...read everything I could on cycling...tested water frequently, and the ammonia rose as expected. Did regular water changes, but the ammonia never came down, and nitrites never EVER showed up! People at Petco said, "wow...that's really weird." I tried for a month with no water changes on the basis of "you're taking the bacteria out of the aquarium" - all I got was a really dirty aquarium with no nitrites. Added stress-zyme...nothing. Did a full water change and used Bio-Zyme...nothing. Fish died after 6 months. So...I broke everything down, rinsed everything off with cold tap water, and started over intent on fishless cycling and not killing any more fish. Using tap water that has been conditioned with AquaSafe...ph is 7.6+, temp. kept at 83 to promote bacteria growth...raised ammonia chemically to 5ppm...left it alone for THREE WEEKS, testing regularly for nitrites and ammonia, as well as Ph...and, you guessed it...NO NITRITES, and the ammonia is still all present.

So...any suggestions on how I can get the dang nitrites to start multiplying? Why might they be dying before they can get started? I have a Whisper 20 filter - I am using the same foam pad from the original aquarium attempt, with a new bio-bag; there is no evidence of anything "growing" on the pad.

I can't believe I'm the only one in highly populated Aurora, IL who can't get their aquarium to cycle, and I really want to make this work!

Help!!!

Answer
Hi Allison,

Sorry to have not gotten back to you sooner. My A/C needed major repairs yesterday.

I'm sorry to hear about all your complications. I have an idea of what might be wrong, but first let me tell you that there is an instant cycling product called Bio-Spira by Marineland. It's a refrigerated product, so the bacteria really are alive, allowing you to add fish right away. Tetra SafeStart is another such product that came after Bio-Spira. A few pet stores carry these products, but they are available online. Unfortunately, shipping adds considerably to the cost since they have to be overnighted to you. Anyhow, Google these product names to learn more.

First thing, are you using a dechlorinator that removes chlorine as well as chloramine? This is important, because if you are using city tap water, chances are in your urbanized area your water is treated with chloramine, which is more chemically stable than chlorine. Most dechlorinators do remove both, but check to make sure. Start Right, Aqua Safe, and Stress Coat all do this, but my favorite dechlorinator is Prime by Seachem because it so simple to dose, just 2 drops per gallon neutralizes chlorines and chloramines.

Second, what kind of test kits are you using? Some test kits are incompatible with some dechlorinators. For example if you use Kordon Products such as Amquel and you use a certain kind of test kit, these test kits will not register correctly. I don't understand what causes these incompatibilities, there is a scientific explanation...but type in water test kit incompatible into Google and read for yourself, it's a documented anomaly. The point is, try testing your water with a different test kit. Or try using a different dechlorinator. I use the Jungle 5-in-1 test strips for ponds, which works just fine in an aquarium and is cheap! $10 for 50 strips. I buy these at a hardware store (Lowe's) in their pond department.

The next suggestion is, maybe you just need more biological media. I suggest you try fishless cycling (skip the addition of pure ammonia, instead drop a piece of cocktail shrimp and let it degrade in there, or "feed" your tank a tiny bit of flake every day for a week or so) and add more biological media to your filter. That Whisper filter is not providing you much in the way of biological media. The carbon and floss cartridge need to be replaced regularly to work as intended. Carbon only works for about a week, after which it just becomes another host for beneficial bacteria. That's why I don't use carbon in my fish tanks. Instead, I use foam sponges and Biomax ceramic media intended for the AquaClear filters (by Hagen). This media is rinseable and reusable, and the sponges both remove particles from the water (mechanical filtration) and provide biological filtration. I highly recommend the AquaClear media. I use them on my AquaClear filters, and I use it in other hang-on back filters too. Since they come in many different sizes, it shouldn't be hard to find a size that fits your aquarium. Here's more about AquaClear filters:
http://www.aquariumguys.com/hagenaquaclear.html

Like I say, no need to buy a new filter. Just swap your old filter media for this media. Although it never hurts to have an additional filter running - all my tanks have two filters on them. Another filter I recommend is the Penguin filters, these come with a bio-wheel which ensures that your filter has a hospitable area for beneficial bacteria, even if you change out the filter cartridge. I personally find filter cartridges to be wasteful and not as effective as the AquaClear media, but if you like the convenience of them, stick with a Penguin filter - and don't worry about cleaning or replacing the bio-wheel.

I hope these suggestions help. Write back if you are still having trouble. I do hope you are able to get to the bottom of what is wrong. If/when you do register nitrites, and then nitrates, start with hardier fish than gouramis - zebra danios, for example, are not picky about water chemistry and are extremely hardy. Fish like livebearers which are often recommended to add to a new tank will only be hardy if your water is hard and alkaline. If you get your water from a well and you live in an area of hard water, livebearers will thrive - as will African cichlids and rainbowfish. If your water is soft, then look to fish such as barbs and tetras. These fish like soft water. It makes your life a *whole* lot simpler if you can determine your water chemistry and then choose fish that like it. I'm in Florida, where the water is notoriously hard. I used to be on city tap water, and I had to monitor water quality carefully because it was so variable. The water was heavily chlorinated in the summer time (to combat algae blooms) and had almost no alkalinity, ever, so the pH would vary by quite a bit. If I ever slacked on water changes, the fish would certainly let me know! Now that I am on well water, and the water is extremely hard and alkaline with a pH of about 8, the fish are all thriving - even tetras and rams, which prefer softer water. The moral of the story is that stability is more important than getting the "ideal" water chemistry...

So, don't be fooled by your pet shop into getting pH up or down powders. Make sure you are using the right dechlorinator, Prime can't be beat for its simplicity. And most importantly, don't listen to anyone that says that water changes are bad for your fish - this is not true at all! You won't starve the bacteria by doing water changes (the bacteria are in the gravel bed and the filter) and water changes are the best things you can do for your fish, next to providing a varied diet.

Take care, good luck.
Nicole