Ammonia Spike

[Karinza]

Okay, so after my pl*co and shovelnose catfish died last week (refer to previous posts of mine to get full story) I did a 50% water change and left for the holidays.

I returned yesterday, removed the dead plants from the water (I left the light off all week :() and did another 50% water change. I waited a few hours and tested the water. The nitrate was at 20 ppm, nitrite was at 0 ppm, and the ammonia level was off the charts. I waited a few more hours, did a 25% water change, and tested for ammonia, which was still off the charts.

This morning, I tested the water again, and the nitrate was at 40 ppm, the nitrite at 0.5 ppm and the ammonia was, once again, off the charts.

Now, does anyone have an idea as to why the ammonia continues to be incredibly high after several water changes? I took all of the dead plant matter out of the water, eliminated any chance of a dead fish among the rocks, and tested the original water source for ammonia, which had none.

BTW, I have a 10 gallon tank. I removed the cartridge from my Penn-Plax Cascade 80 Power Filter yesterday and it seemed to have some sort of green growth on the polyfiber, which I removed with a bowl of aquarium water and a sponge. Was this the correct way to clean it?

Finally, since the buildup of nitrate indicates good bacteria, does this mean my tank is cycled? (I wouldn't even think about putting a fish in until the ammonia is back to 0.)

Thanks,
Karinza

[Dangerdoll]

no, basically, your tank will be cycled after you have an ammonia level of 5ppm go down to zero in 24 hours. You're going to have to make a larger than 50% water change if the change is not bringing the ammonia down. As a general rule, 5ppm is the target to get started from when beginning the fishless cycle.... Did you change the filter media after the fish died in your tank or did you just keep it running (aside from cleaning the fiber...)

[Karinza]

I just kept the filter running. Am I supposed to change it? Should I buy a whole new filter or a new cartridge? Is there a way I can just clean it?
Thanks,
Karinza

[Lazersniper]

Nitrate can also be found in the water straight from the tap. Keep an eye on the ammonia and the nitrite. Once both have spiked and droped, you should be done with the cycle. I've heard of some instances where there isn't a spike in the nitrites but to be sure I'd definatly wait until everything is proper. Definatly keep the filter running, that is where the bacteria will grow. Don't change out the filter media, especially during the cycle. Do clean it but DON'T throw it out and use a different one.

[Karinza]

How could I give it a thorough cleaning without messing up the cycle?
Thanks,
Karinza

[Dangerdoll]

when your tank is cycled, the last step will be to do a large water change. What you'll need to do is first fill a large bucket with the old water being changed from the tank and take the filter cartridge out and rinse it off in the bucket of old tank water. You don't want to clean it by running it under the faucet as the chlorine and possibly chloramines will kill any of the bacteria that have accumulated there.