cycling HELP!!

[Dray420]

Ive been cycling a 55 gallon for 4-5 weeks now....used dead shrimp to do this. Well about a week and a half ago my ammonia dropped to 0 after being at 3 for a week or so and I got my nitrites and nitrates both to spike at the same (both was off the charts). I was testing everything every 2 days and then I read somewhere to just test for nitrites until they drop so I did that. Well I tested today and my ammonia is 0.25, Nitrite 2, nitrate is 0, ph is 8, I use the API master kit......so my question is why did my nitrates drop to 0 and nitrites are still high?? What is wrong?? What do I need to do?? Thanks in advance yall....

 

[Marco V]

All you might have to do is a PWC to bring all levels to normal . I was in a similar position a couple of days ago.

 

[Dray420]

what happened when you did a pwc?? also did your trites and trates spike at the same time like my tests showed?? this isnt normal right

 

[christine2012]

what happened when you did a pwc?? also did your trites and trates spike at the same time like my tests showed?? this isnt normal right

Pwc will dilute your levels. I spiked in trites and trates toward the end of the nitrite phase. It sounds like you're on the right track, it just means your trites are converting to trates. Just not as quick as you'd probably like to see. It sounds like your trites will zero soon.
Edit- are you giving a continuous ammonia source? I am curious to see where your trates went. Are you shaking and beating your test bottles 1 &2? They are super finicky tests.

 

[spoonman]

Dose your ammonia back up to 4ppm and track nitrite and ammonia and see what happens. If you slack on your ammonia source, the cycle will stall.

 

[Schism]

Dose your ammonia back up to 4ppm and track nitrite and ammonia and see what happens. If you slack on your ammonia source, the cycle will stall.

The shrimp is a constant ammonia source, and the cycle did not stall.

First off i would be getting new test kit. The is no way nitrates can from high to 0. Meaning you have a bad test kit.

Get a new kit and retest. Once you see nitrates, remove the shrimp and the cycle will complete with a week or 2.

Until you get a new test kit i would assume that your nitrates a 0.