Tank cycling this fast?

[Punkymom]

Ok, here's all the information I can give you:

55 gal; 80 degrees F; Filter contains floss, carbon, and ammo-chips; have only done one water change when ammonia reached .50; water tested today ammonia .25, nitrites 1.0, nitrates 20, hardness 120, alkalinity 80, ph 7.6. The last 3 readings have remained the same since I set up the aquarium. Occupants are 2" rubber lipped pleco, 6 zebra danios, 6 rainbow sharks, 3 are 3" long and 3 are 1.5-2" long. I added the latter because I was getting no reading for ammonia after water change for several days. Is my tank cycling this fast? Also, housing about 20 live plants. I hope it's cycling this fast! I haven't fed them very much at all. I waited 3 days of no ammonia to feed the zebras and pleco...fed tiny amount yesterday and the day before that. Today haven't fed at all.

 

[Rho_Cassiopeiae]

The best way to tell if your cycled is the ammonia & nitrites drop to zero and the nitrates are rising slowly.

What was your nitrate reading at initial set up. Then you know your baseline and can tell if it's increasing.

My guess is you are still cycling.

 

[Punkymom]

My nitrate reading has always been 0. So I'm guessing that the ammonia has done it's thing, and the nitrites are going down already???