After 3 months still some ammonia. What gives ?

yes.

 

Go to your LFS and ask for a bottle of Microbe-Lift Nite-Out II and follow directions. I cycled my 24 gallon Nano in 3 weeks using it. Works like a charm!

Steve W

24 Gallon Nano w/ 150 w MH and 2 x 14w Actinic T5s

 

By the way, resist doing a water change until the cycle is complete. You are removing the very microbes you need to have. The Nite-out II contains extra bacteria cultures to speed the process. My ammonia spiked to greater than 40 mg/l. I added the Nite-out II and 2 days later the ammonia was undetectible. Nitrites spiked for a week then they became undetectible. Took about two more weeks to get the nitrates down to a safe level for adding anything else.

Steve W

24 Gallon Nano w/ 150 w MH and 2 x 14w Actinic T5s

 

One more suggestion, if the above doesn't work. Due to the low constant levels you are reading, you may have something dead that you didn't even know you had. You'd be surprised at the things I've found in my live rock. Crabs, shrimp, a 9" annelid worm, Bristle worms, fire worms, two small fish of unknown varieties, numerous brittle stars, etc.

I know it's a hassle, but consider removing all of your LR and giving it a 5 minute fresh water bath (RO or DI). You may be amazed at what may come out. If there are things you want to keep, you can quickly net them and put them in salt water and most of them will live. After the fresh water bath, put the rock in a bucket of salt water let it soak for a half hour and while it is soaking, vacuum your sand before replacing the rock in your tank. Examine the LR thoroughly on all sides before replacing in the tank. Remove anything you can't identify. This will save you a lot of hassle later.

Then replace water as necessary and redose with Nite-out II. This should solve your problem.

Don't under any circumstances, put any fish, corals or other livestock in your tank until you get the chemistry stable. I made that mistake on my first tank and I paid for it with 6 months of problems and instead of a few weeks. I flushed about $150 of livestock that was totally unnecessary.

Steve W

 

i cycled with a pair of clowns, 120 pounds of live sand 80 pounds of base rock and 3 pounds of live rock. No problems whatsover, cycle took about a month. Maybee get a clown or two, it will speed things up. since they are in the damsel family, they should be fine.