Is my tank cycled?

[FishDaAx]

Hello guys I have a 50 gallon tank and I just finally got a master test kit today. The tank has been up for 3 weeks and I added 4 albino Cory cats 2 days ago. Is it ready for me to add the schooling fish in or should i keep waiting? Here are my tanks numbers:

Water Temp. - 78 degrees
Ammonia - 0.5ppm
pH - 7.4
Nitrites - 0ppm
Nitrates - somewhere between 0 and 5.0ppm (here is a picture of the test I can't tell. Lol)

 

[Mrs.h2012]

Hello guys I have a 50 gallon tank and I just finally got a master test kit today. The tank has been up for 3 weeks and I added 4 albino Cory cats 2 days ago. Is it ready for me to add the schooling fish in or should i keep waiting? Here are my tanks numbers:

Water Temp. - 78 degrees
Ammonia - 0.5ppm
pH - 7.4
Nitrites - 0ppm
Nitrates - somewhere between 0 and 5.0ppm (here is a picture of the test I can't tell. Lol)

Wait. Your tank isn't cycled until your params are 0 ammonia and nitrite and <20ppm nitrates. You are basically doing a fish in cycle now. What you need to do from now on- test water atleast once a day; do water changes as needed- you need to do a water change anytime ammonia or nitrite is above .25ppm (I would do one now to get your ammonia level to .25ppm).
And those colors can be hard to distinguish between at times, we all have a hard time with them, I know I have!

 

[FishDaAx]

Wait. Your tank isn't cycled until your params are 0 ammonia and nitrite and <20ppm nitrates. You are basically doing a fish in cycle now. What you need to do from now on- test water atleast once a day; do water changes as needed- you need to do a water change anytime ammonia or nitrite is above .25ppm (I would do one now to get your ammonia level to .25ppm).
And those colors can be hard to distinguish between at times, we all have a hard time with them, I know I have!

Ok I'll do a 20% water change now. And I'll suck it up and keep watching and waiting

 

[Mrs.h2012]

Ok I'll do a 20% water change now. And I'll suck it up and keep watching and waiting

I know it's very tempting, it took two months for my little 10g I started out with to cycle, but it's really best to wait it out. Since you have a 55g Im willing to bet your toxin levels will take longer to rise... But still just base your water changes off of your water params. If your LFS would give you some seeded media, that help speed up your cycle. Just be sure the media comes out of a clean and healthy tank.

 

[librarygirl]

First I'd test your tap water for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate to see where you're starting from. It's possible the nitrates may be coming from your tap and maybe some of the ammonia too.

A 50 gal is a large tank and with 4 corys cycling may take a while but the more fish you add the faster the toxins will rise, which means more water changes for you and more risk to the fish.

Here are a couple of guides if you haven't seen them already:
I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?! - Aquarium Advice
Guide to Starting a Freshwater Aquarium - Aquarium Advice

 

[FishDaAx]

I have been using Seachem's Stability to treat my water as well. The bottle said to treat the water once a day for 7 days which I did in the second week and I also used it with my water change. So hopefully it won't be too much longer

 

[Mrs.h2012]

I have been using Seachem's Stability to treat my water as well. The bottle said to treat the water once a day for 7 days which I did in the second week and I also used it with my water change. So hopefully it won't be too much longer

I hope it works for you, just don't be surprised/mad if it doesn't. Even though seachem is a good brand, most of the bacterial additives like these rarely work because the bacteria isn't able to survive. Hopefully it does work for you!