cycling w/undergravel filter

[adam & jeanne]

i have a 55 gal FO tank that i am cycling with damsels. we started out with five damsels one died, we now have four. the one death occured after my ammonia spike. the problem is now my nitrite levels have been high for about one and a half to two weeks and im not showing any signs of trates yet. is this because we only have four fish now. i know it is supposed to take longer because of having an undergravel filter and not live rock but we are pushing eight weeks now.
anyone with the same setup that has had the same thing happen? anyway i can speed up the cycling now or is it best just to let it finish itself?
thanks!!

 

[adam & jeanne]

If i do consider taking out the UGF how much of a job is it? do i need to wait till it cycles currently or will i have to wait out the whole cycling process again? and secondly will I still be able to use the CC substrate that I currently have

 

[thewolfman777]

i disconnected my UGF during the cycle. I really just took out the tubes and left the plates in there. this may cause a trate problem down the road but it just seemed too much work to remove the plates. i am hoping frequent water changes will help the possible trate problem if one does happen

 

[dathem]

Hello,
I use UGF in all of my tanks, but I use a mixture of crushed coral, crushed red sea scallop shells,etc., for the first 3-4 inches then add several inches of Nature's Ocean live sand on top. This does several things, it prevents the CC and other items from becoming a nitrate breeding area, since the sand is on top and the sand is almost carefree. (This method may not work if you have deep sand diggers like jawfish) If you have a cleanup crew the sand doesn't need cleaning, or very little. I put a powerhead at the end of each UGF plate, so in my 55 that is 4 of them. I have used this method for over a year and have great luck keeping healthy fish. I also have a outside power filter in each tank as well.
The Nature's Ocean live sand I mentoned above also makes for an instant cycle, no need to worry about the cycle and losing fish through that long process. I used it on all 4 of my tanks and never a problem. I just set up a 75 two weeks ago and the tank conditions are perfect. You must still go slow in adding new fish one or two at a time and a few weeks apart. As long as you use 1 lb/gal of the sand you will be fine. I have 6 inch layer so have a deep sand bed in the process as well.
Eventually you may need to use a skimmer, but not for months. My 55 didn't need one for almost 7 months.