If u keep doing such a big % WC, yr tank will not cycled. Just leave the cycling process goes on until ammonia and nitrite is 0. Nitrate should hv some low value, cannot be 0. Last time I threw in pieces of prawn into tank and patiently wait for the cycling without WC.

Even with high level of ammonia (it was darker than the highest level of Sera ammonia test kit; more than 10ppm), I should leave the tank to cycle?

Cause I was reading, the bacteria cannot high level of ammonia, hence all the wc to bring it down and also to clean the tank.

Right now the tank is constant at 5ppm ammonia, 0.5 nitrite and 10ppm of nitrate (suspect this is from tap, as I tested my tap and showed 10ppm of nitrate)

Currently dosing seachem stability and not doing any more wc. Only cleaning the inlet sponge and topping up water.

Don't wash the sponge as it houses beneficial bacteria. If keep on washing, cannot established bacterial colony. Only wash sponge if very dirty and wash using tank water only.

Noted about that. Thanks for all the tips. :o

Measured my parameter today and I saw some progress.

Ammonia: 5ppm
Nitrite: 2ppm
Nitrate: 25ppm

Hopefully by next weekend the tank is cycled.

National Day Update!

Parameters today are:

Ammonia: 1 to 5
Nitrite: 5
Nitrate: 50 to 100

My cycle is gonna be done soon.

Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 2
Nitrate: 50 to 100

Strange thing is the nitrite decrease but the nitrate liquid color still remains the same like yesterday.

Have to be patient ..

Tank was cycled on Friday.

Went to C328 on 13th Aug to get some shrimps to test water.

Got 10 of these guys from the packets near the cashier. Not sure if they are CRS thou...bag wrote SFTB, or something like that.

But nevertheless, the 10 commandos have been alive for 24hours now.

http://i.imgur.com/U1fw2qs.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/B3raEOO.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/rmIL6K7.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/er8PcbH.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/VX5Ps2B.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/K0h39rZ.jpg