my 55 gallon cichlid tank

[andre.lisle]

almost a month ago now i started up my 55 gallon freshwater tank. i have had great success with it , water levels stayed very healthy and all my fish have done very well. about 5 days ago i noticed that my ammonia levels were off the charts. so i went to every fish store in my area, asking tons of questions. i ended up using a biological additive and lots of ammo-carb in my filters. now, 5 days later, and with no fish loss, i have successfully lowered my ammonia levels to almost nothing. now, though, my nitrate levels are outside the range of even being tested.... how do i get these levels back in control? my ammonia problem apparently came from river rock that i had found and put in my tank, for as soon as i took them out of the tank, the levels started dropping, slowly. now i just need help with the nitrates. i will try to post pictures soon, i just need to figure out how....

 

[librarygirl]

Hi and welcome!

You don't really need the additives. The tank is cycling so you just need to do more water changes to keep the ammonia down. As for nitrates, you only remove those with water changes. Have you tested your tap water for ammonai, nitrite and nitrate to see where your'e starting from? High nitrates can also come from overfeeding, undercleaning and/or being overstocked. These links might help:
I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?! - Aquarium Advice
Guide to Starting a Freshwater Aquarium - Aquarium Advice