question about cycling my tank

[SlowHand]

Ok I have a 20 gallon tank that I am doing a fishless cycle on and I'm using raw shrimp for my ammonia source. I have had a ammonia spike and now it's at almost zero , my nitrite has
been over 5 ppm for around a week and my nitrate is around 30 ppm . And I have had no change for about a week . Could my cycle of stalled or am I just being impatient ?

 

[jlk]

Hi! Welcome to AA!!! Your cycle sounds right on track, so dont worry too much! Have you checked your tap for nitrates? If not, please check them just so you have a base number to see if your nitrates are increasing. This will give you a better idea of how your cycle is progressing. Do you still have shrimp in your tank?

 

[SlowHand]

i will test the tap. And the shrimp is still in there i didnt want to stop the flow of ammonia to the tank

 

[jlk]

Just keep an eye on those shrimp-you may have to throw an extra (or 2) in there at some point to keep the ammonia going. Check your tap for ammonia & nitrite as well as the nitrate because it will give you a baseline for your tank. Just make sure your tank ph is staying pretty stable- if you notice it start to drop, it will be time for a water change.

Just in case you havent checked out the fishless cycling guide yet, Ill post it for you below. Just keep in mind that it advocates the use of bottled ammonia but the same principles apply (an ammonia source be it bottled or shrimp is still an ammonia source) and it covers lots of the most frequently asked questions and issues. If your unsure about anything, just ask!

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...guide-and-faq-to-fishless-cycling-148283.html