Cycling my tank .. It like reset itself .. I do something wrong?

[Pirahnaman]

I was fish in cycling my tank things seemed to be moving along ammo spiked, then I got readings of nitrites and nitrates shortly after ammo dropped and just had nitrite nitrate readings. Now today I have no nitrite or nitrate readings but Ammo reading about .50 ppms. Is this normal and my tank still progressing or did something happen?

 

[librarygirl]

What size tank and what fish? What test kit are you using? Have you tested PH? When is the last time you did a water change?

 

[Pirahnaman]

55 gallon tank right now I have a pacu a pleco n two ghost shrimp in there since I am going for a pirahna tank the store people told me the ph is fine being high so it's like 8.2 to 8.4 using the master kit the one with drops for my levels and I haven't done a water change in a while cause the store people told me I shouldn't touch it just let it go

 

[librarygirl]

Your PH is fine and no you shouldn't try to adjust it; I just asked as sometimes the PH can fall during cycling and if it falls too low it can stall the cycle. Also when you're doing a fish-in cycle you really need to do water changes to keep the ammonia and nitrite levels down for the fish. I don't know how long it's been since you did a water change but it's possible that the buffers and minerals in the water need to be replaced. Also check the filters, make sure there isn't any uneaten food or anything that's building up in there (you can swish the media in old tank water when changing water) and vacuum the substrate well as food and waste can build-up and cause toxin spikes too. So I'd do a 50% water change (don't forget dechlorinator) with subtrate clean and check your filters. This guide might help too: I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?! - Aquarium Advice