Cycle frozen? (Please help)

[Aaron26]

OK so a little background I started this saltwater tank little around nine weeks ago and I added my source of ammonia eight weeks ago however I didn’t buy any sort of testing until about three weeks ago now that I tested I have close to 0 ammonia a lot of nitrates (40ppm) but very low nitrite and it’s been like this for a while, I feel like this cycle is endless and my thing I can do?

 

[Sniperhank]

You weren’t continuing to feed the cycle. Ammonia needs to be added as it is depleted until you can’t detect any 24 hours after dosing up to 2 ppm.
You can start adding more ammonia now to get the process going again. I’d suggest a cocktail shrimp in some panty hose. Easy clean up and you shouldn’t need to add more if you use a couple.

 

[Aaron26]

You weren’t continuing to feed the cycle. Ammonia needs to be added as it is depleted until you can’t detect any 24 hours after dosing up to 2 ppm.
You can start adding more ammonia now to get the process going again. I’d suggest a cocktail shrimp in some panty hose. Easy clean up and you shouldn’t need to add more if you use a couple.

I fed for a while almost daily I went to get my water lab tested at a reef store and they said stop adding ammonia and the cycle will finish however what you’re saying makes sense. Not sure what to do... [emoji20]

 

[Sniperhank]

Go to the store and get a shrimp cocktail ring. Toss a couple in some pantyhose. Tie it off and toss it inside. Sit back and enjoy the delicious shrimp that remain. Get a cheap api liquid test kit. Just the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. Should come with pH too, but don’t worry about it. Just set it and forget it.

 

[Aaron26]

I was reading the wrong chart and those were the wrong numbers, here are the stats of my tank

pH - 8.1

Alk - 310

Salt (ppt) 34 (sg = 1.025)

Ammonia - ~5

Nitrate - 13ppm

Nitrite - 30ppm

 

[Sniperhank]

Don’t worry about ph or all. Just toss that to the curb.
Until you have 0 readings on ammonia and nitrite, your cycle isn’t complete.
Are you sure everything is good with those readings? That is an extremely high ammonia level with how you stated you dosed the system. You shouldn’t go above 2 ppm or it prolongs the cycle time...did it on my 55 when I did it.

 

[Aaron26]

Don’t worry about ph or all. Just toss that to the curb.
Until you have 0 readings on ammonia and nitrite, your cycle isn’t complete.
Are you sure everything is good with those readings? That is an extremely high ammonia level with how you stated you dosed the system. You shouldn’t go above 2 ppm or it prolongs the cycle time...did it on my 55 when I did it.

Well because I am using a test strip there is no ammonia test so I get that tested at my lfs, I asked for a liquid test kit for Christmas but I have to use strips at least to get me through the cycle, I just assumed that now that my nitrites are starting to go down and nitrates are starting to appear that there would be only i tiny amount of ammonia because I just phantom Fed last night, and I thought 5 ppm was low. So all the other numbers are accurate just not that