fishless cycling and cloudy water! Does this chemistry look okay?

never quit

Okay, so I setup my 55 gallon last Sunday. I used swimming pool filter sand for the substrate. Washed it, what I thought was until the rinse water was pretty clean. added the sand, then using ammonia added to 5 ppm. Well, the water is pretty cloudy. So I hooked up a magnum 350 canister which is rated for up to 100 gallon tanks and used the micron filter to clean up the water. After three days, still cloudy. I would have thought that if the suspended particles in the water were from the sand, the micron filter would capture it?
So here it is almost a week into the fishless cycle. The ammonia is stil 5 ppm, the ph is 7.6, Kh and Gh hardness both report 100 mg/L.
This is my first time at doing this so any advice would be welcomed. What I'm concerned about is the cloudy water. Also, does the water analysis seem okay?
I know it's going to take at least 4 weeks, but I want to make sure I'm doing it right.
I have a 10 gallon and took about 3 gallons of that water and added it to the 55. That was after I siphoned the gravel and got a lot of "stuff" off the bottom. I also took the foam filter pad from the 10 gallon filter and rinsed it in the 55. Wouldn't that help the bacteria along?

Thanks
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Reefing Madness

The reason you cn't get the water clear is because you created an ammonia bloom. And it will subside.

never quit

Thanks! That's good to hear, because I spent a lot of time cleaning the sand, and if it was dirt/silt from the sand, what do I do? Drain the tank and start over?

Would adding live plants at this time help with the cycling?

Thanks again
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Reefing Madness

No, your ok. Just let the tank do its thing. Should start to see improvements in a few days. You'll see Ammonia, then Nitrites go up then finally Nitrates will go up then down. Once they all at 0, your good to go. But you tank will clear up way before then.

ladayen

I'm no plant expert.. been doing a little research though. It seems that adding a plant into a new tank can often be a good idea, as the plant can use the excess ammonia to get a growth spurt(if other nutrients are available as well. A liquid fertilizer can help witht hat) Also it greatly speeds up your cycling process.

Perhaps someone with more experience can add additional info or maybe post that specific question into the plants section.

No need to drain your tank.

never quit

Thanks! Nice to know the cloudiness isn't from dirty sand! Man! Draining that water and cleaning the sand again, isn't the issue, it's that I should have known better.....
Yep, I'll run over to the plant section and put a note in there.....
Thanks for your help...Nice to know you have people you can rely on that aren't trying to sell you something, like a pet shop.

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Reefing Madness

Its a new tank. He put Ammonia into the sytem. Its not a normal cycle. Plants are not going to help at this point,yet.