Nitrates, Ammonia high in the sky!! help

[chriznat20@msn.]

I started my 55 gallon, with 2 whisper 30 bio filters about a month and 1 day ago. I have been verryyy gradually adding fish, about 2 at a time. I have 3 small tiger barbs, 1 orange and 1 blue gourami, a striped raphael, 1 med. pleco., and 1 ringed loach. Oh, and of course 1 rams horn snail and a few freshwater clams.
I didnt start testing my water until after the 3rd week that I had the aquarium (bought the brand new test kit off ebay and it took that long to get here) Anyways, The first time i tested the water, and I assumed i had already had my ammonia and nitrate "spikes" because for a few days after I added fish the water was a little cloudy, then it went away almost magically. Anyways, i tested the water and it was ok- ammonia was 1.5, nitrates were .15, ph around 7.5. IMO, that was pretty good for just starting out. Well!!! I tested my water yesterday around noon, just for the heck of it, and my ammonia was 7.0 + and my nitrates were 5.0+, totally off the charts. I immediately did a 30% water change and retested about 4 hours later, which the results were alott better (amm .5, nit .50)
Well I tested again this morning, keep in mind I havent fed the fish in 2 days because I am afraid that the levels will skyrocket again. This morning the ammonia is 1.0 and the nitrates 5.0 My ph is 7.8 Is my tank still cycling?? Like i said, ive had it with fish in it, for about one month and one day. Is there something else I should be doing? I added aquarium salt (about 5 teaspoons, not heaping either) gradually in hopes that this will protect my little fishy's gills. Please respond and let me know whats going on!!

 

[loganj]

What kind of test kit are you using? I would suspect those results. If the ammonia was 7.0, there should be dead fish. Also, a 30% water change would not dilute the ammonia to .5. A 50% water change might bring it to 4.0 which is still dangerous. Are you testing for nitrite or nitrate? After a month, I would expect that the ammonia levels would have dropped and the nitrite would either be peaking or beginning to drop. Also, unless they were introduced from the water supply, there shouldn't be readable nitrates yet. The exception to this would be if excessive organics were being introduced to the tank ie...overfeeding. Most flake food has a nitrate content and an excessive amount could produce readable nitrates in addition to the high ammonia levels. Have you used any type of water conditioner? Especially one that claims to control or bind ammonia? Many of these will cause a false reading for ammonia. What is the pH of your water supply? Since the pH increased to 7.8 after the water change, I suspect it is alkaline. You are, IMO, at the upper limit for some of the fish that you have. I would try to keep the pH stabilized at no more than it's current level. As far as the salt goes, there are varying opinions about its use. I don't use it in any of my FW tanks, but I know people who do. I think your tank is well on it's way to being cycled. Since you already have a substantial fish load in there, I would try to control the ammonia/nitrite with water changes and continue to monitor the levels. When the ammonia/nitrite is at 0 and you have readable nitrates, the tank should be fully cycled. I would test the water every day.
Logan J

 

[chriznat20@msn.]

Ok, I am using "freshwater master lab" set by aquarium pharmaceuticals. And it tests for Nitrite. I swear I havent been overfeeding, i feed them once every two days and when they eat, they eat it all within 1 minute. Also the only water conditioner I have used is "stress coat", I only add a drop or two to the container I am adding water in to neutralize the chlorine and stuff. How do I get Ph down?? I dont like to use many chemicals, I want it to be as natural as can be. Please write back, yesterday I had to change 25% of the water again, my nitrites were 5.0+ and ammonia was back up to 1.0, of course Ph was 7.8 as usual. The temp of the tank is 76 degrees, I have two whisper 30 bio's.

 

[loganj]

I think, since you already have fish in there, you'll have to try to control the ammonia/nitrite levels with water changes. You may have to do one every day for a while. Although this will increase the cycle time somewhat, it's the only way I see to keep your fish alive. You should start to see the nitrite levels dropping in the next couple of weeks. When they drop to 0, start testing for nitrate. Nitrate is harmless except for very extreme concentrations. Don't clean your filters during the cycle either. Your whispers should have sponges as biomedia. You'll want to alternate cleaning these. Use old tank water to rinse them out...this will keep from killing the bacteria on them. As far as the pH is concerned, I'm not sure I'd try to get it down. If it will stabilize at 7.8, you'll probably be OK. The biggest danger with pH is not having it stable. When you start using chemicals to lower it, you can get the "yo-yo" effect which is very hard on the fish. You may have to be extra careful when you acclimate new fish since they are probably kept @ 7.0 at the LFS. Also, I'd stay away from fish that come from soft, acidic environments.
Logan J