Weird readings? HELP

My tanks is a 25 flat back ready to run type system, it has a skimmer built into the unit. There is a mini sump area in the rear of the tank, this is where there skimmer is placed. I got tank from Display Collectibles, they make custom acrylic products. The tank itself is absolutely beautiful. I will be posting some pictures soon. Right now the tank is about two weeks old - was set up on 1/28. I am currently using NitroMax Marine to help build up my bacteria. Question I think i am getting some weird readings. I understand how the Nitrogen cycle works but I think I am getting reading for ammonia ( extremely high- off the chart) nitrite and nitrates as well. I understand that I am supposed to have ammonia and nitrites but to have a reading for nitrates this early is starting to scare me a little. Is it possible that I am going to have a really long cycle. I will post the actual numbers to the readings tomorrow ( left that piece of paper home)

 

Forgot : I have gotten the readings from two differnt test kits.

 

forgot again: I am using RO water. I have the Coral Life PurFlow RO Filter.

 

What water source are you using?...if tap it could be in the water..if not it really is not that unusual to have all three readings at once. What are you using as an ammonia source..(cocktail shrimp, pure ammonia, hopefully not a live fish)???

I wouldn't panic at all it took my tank (80gal) about 5 weeks to complete the cycle. I used pure ammonia and started at a reading of five so I would get a large bacterial colony going. My QT tank (20 gal) took about a week and a half but it had absolutely nothing in it and I had a filter that I put on the display tank just to fill it up with bacteria and used it for the QT.

Right now, 'cause there is nothing in the QT, I'm feeding the bacteria with ammonia to keep it alive!!

Usually the longest part of the cycle is the nitrite spike going down to zero. I liked the NitroMax it worked well on the larger tank!!

Drew

 

Thanks dx7fd2: I did not use the shrimp method. I am curing my rock in the tank it self here is the type of rock I have
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=876


I did not use the shrimp because I figured that the die off would feed the ammonia spike. Was I wrong for doing it this way?

 

The die off from the rock will do fine. Sometimes it just takes time for things to settle in and level out. Aeration sometimes helps the Nitromaxs oxygenation additive. Patience is the biggest tool in these cases. 8)

My nitrite level got stuck for about a week and a half then all of a sudden it was gone and the nitrates spiked at about 100 and I had to change out about 3/4 of the water to get the nitrate level back down to 10 or so. Then it took another couple of months for the nitrate eating bacteria to settle in and start working in the sandbed.

Then the lovely algae cycle which is oh so much fun!!!

Drew