pH still won't go up after almost 4 weeks.

I'm buffled here, my tank's been cycling for almost 4 weeks now and the pH won't go pass 7.9...I'm terribly tempted to do a water change, but I'm afraid I'll screw things up. I just got my Remora today, so I don't know if not having a skimmer from the get go had any influence at all.

This is what I have so far:
pH 7.9
Alk 3.0
Nitrate High Range 100 Low Range 20...not sure which is the one I want
Amonia 0.25-0.5
Nitrite 0.5-1.0

When I first set the tank up, I used tap water, additive to get rid of chlorine, chloramines, etc., Instant Ocean salt, 40 lbs of LS,but only about 18-20 lbs of LR, the rest, 30 lbs of dead rock. I really don't know if I should keep waiting or do a water change, or let the skimmer run and see if it helps...I really don't know. Any suggestions/tips?

I even introduced two Damsels that my wife, without asking me first, got me...and I have NO IDEA how those poor guys are even alive..they've been there for 2 weeks!!

 

Hi Clownfish,
How often have you checked your ph during the cycling process.? Your alkalinity is quite low and is directly related to the stability of your ph. At such a low alkalinity I would imagine you may have ph swings dependent on many things such as time of day.

Is this going to be a reef tank or a FO tank?

When you say your Alk is 2.0 what unit of measure are you using, dkh or meq/L? I am assuming dkh

Are you dosing your tank with a calcium/Alk supplement?

 

Hey Baxter, no I'm not using any calcium/Alk supplements, reason why 'cause I was told not to during the cycling process. As for the units of measurement I'm using to describe the Alk level, I'm using Milli equaivalents per liter.

I plan to have FO for a few months, maybe some anemones and inverts., as I gain more experience I'll move into a full reef tank...I'll keep some hardy corals at the most...nothing I'll be sorry about later. I've been checking my pH at least twice a week. I should mention though, and I don't know if this can contribute to the whole issue here, I don't have proper lighting, I have a plain fluorecent light strip that I barely have on, due to the fact, that my LFS guy told me it would be better to have off during the cycling. I have ordered T-5s and they should be here next week. Again, I don't know if that'd even make a diff. Thanks.

PS. I'm pretty new to the whole salt water aquarium area...so bare with me. lol

 

I am surprised that your tank is still cycling after 4 weeks. Did you add the damsels recently? Did you add any new rock or sand after the initial set up?

Believe me, I am new at the salt thing as well. I have kept freshwater tanks for close to 30 years and finally decided to jump in to SW about 3 months ago.

 

I really wouldn't worry about PH or anything really until your are 100% out of the cycling stage. At that time your will need to get your CA and ALK up and PH will follow.

J

 

So, is it normal for this to be taking this long then?

 

Hi,
PH at 7.9 right now is no concern. You just need to get your Nitrite and Amonea near 0 and then wait until your Nitrate is less than 10 (lower the better). Your Damsels will live thru almost anything. You will probably have to get rid of the damsels later as they will be very agressive to any other fish unless the new fish are much larger.
You can cycle your tank much faster but without adding cycling bacteria my tanks have always taken 6 weeks (one took 8).
I think you just need to hang- in there for another 2 weeks.

 

It depends. What did you start the cycle with?
Do you have Live Rock and if so was it cured already?

J

 

Since each enviornment is different there is no way of determinng what is "normal." If you added the damsels after the your initial setup you may be experiencing a second or mini cycle. If enough bacteria did not build up during your initial cycle the damsels are adding extra load to your tank which could be causing the spike in your numbers. 7.9 is not of great concern at this point, I am in total agreement, get the nitrites and ammonia to 0 and get those nitrates down as well. A water change can and will interrupt the cycle.

 

Chlorine is only one problem with tap water. Phosphates and heavy metals are really going to be the biggest problem.

Personally, if I was in your shoes, I would break it down and start over. You aren't EVER going to know what the issue is if you are using tap water.