Help with cycle!

[surfandshine77]

I have added a cocktail jumbo shrimp to my tank for the cycle and I didn't test the water the first two days that the shrimp was in there but now, every time I have tested the water i have only had .25 ppm for ammonia but my nitrites are 5.0 ppm ! And I know your ammonia is supposed to spike before the nitrites but I have yet to see an ammonia spike ! What am I doing wrong ?



Thank you so much for your help!

 

[mr_X]

Nothing. Just wait. How long has it been? A normal cycle should take a few weeks.

 

[surfandshine77]

Well, I went 16 days & my nitrites & ammonia were at 0 so I decided to add a shrimp to speed it up and it's been about a week since the shrimp has been in the tank.

 

[agrasyuk]

Nitrite is the product of amonia breakdown by BB. .25 of amm and 5ppm of trite means the first bacteria set is established, those 5ppm could not come from anywhere else. So you almost there , stat testing for nitrates in few days.

 

[surfandshine77]

Okay thank you! I will