cycle over so soon???

[movadoman21]

hello i jsut tested my water today (4/27) and these are the results i have
ph - 7.8
ammonia - 0
nitrite - 0
nitrate - 5
is the cycle over that soon? or do i have to wait till my nitrates come down to 0? on 4/22 my results are as follows
ph - 8.2
ammonia - 2.0
nitrite - 5
nitrate - 10

 

[cboyfan2020]

how big is your tank again? and how did you cycle it (method and amount)

 

[movadoman21]

i have a 55gal tank with 3 bags of live sand in it and 50lbs of live uncured L/R. two clow fish.

 

[slick]

I would do a large water change. At least 30%. Your ph is low at 7.8 it should be around 8.3. How long has everything been in there? Normally it takes about 4-6 weeks to cycle a tank.

 

[movadoman21]

the fish and live sand has been in there for about a month and a half an dthe L/R has been in there like for 2 weeks. so a water change would be good but is the cycle over? and can't i get a ph buffer to get the ph higher?

 

[slick]

Sounds to me like it is over. No need to add ph buffer until after you do your water change. That should bring it back to the right spot.

 

[movadoman21]

ok so i do a water change but what about the salt isn't it gonig to go way down and when i take out 30% of the water it might bring the ph up but wont it bring my salt donw?

 

[nas19320]

Replace the water with premixed saltwater that is the same SG as whats in the tank.

 

[slick]

If your salinity is 1.024 in your tank.
Mix up new water in a tub and make the salinity 1.024 also.
You will also want to match the temp of the tank water to your new water that way when you do your water change it won't shock anything.

 

[movadoman21]

would it hurt if i try and use ph buffer first and see if it brings it down? or should i do a water change asap?