What on Earth is going on with my cycle?

[whiddett]

Hi. I started a new 260 litre tank on 15th May. It is freshwater and has about 8 fish in it. 5 Fish I added after the first couple of days. It has 4 plants and gravel substrate.
I bought an API master test kit about 4 weeks into my cycle and found I had Ammonia 1ppm, Nitrite 0ppm, Nitrate 10ppm, PH 8.0.
I have been using API stress coat and stress zyme as my only additives. I have been testing my water about every other day and nothing seems to be changing. I have this constant 1ppm Ammonia, no nitrite and no increase in nitrate. I tried seeding the tank with a sponge and some gravel from my smaller established setup but still nothing has changed. I've also kept the feeding low. But Im now 2 months into my cycle and still I have this constant 1ppm ammonia level. The fish however all seem well coloured and happy. Has anyone got any idea what is going on here? Surely I should have developed enough bacteria to get rid of this Ammonia by now???

One idea I have had is that maybe the Stress Coat has converted the ammonia to ammonium but I would have thought this would still be consumed by the bacteria? I'm not sure what stress coat does regarding ammonia because the bottle says it removes ammonia from tap water but does not give any further details. Your advice is appreciated as always.

 

[Ziggy953]

I think the first thing I would do is get a different test kit for ammonia and see what readings you get.

 

[Purrbox]

Sounds to me like you aren't following the testing directions 100% or that there's an issue with your test kit. I'd rule these out first. Double check the instructions to ensure that your using the correct number of drops, shaking the vial the correct amount of time if necessary, adding drops in the correct order if more than one reagent, etc. If you still get the same results, then check the date on your test kit to ensure it isn't expired. Sometimes those kits sit on the shelf a long time before they are ever bought. Last compare against the result of another test kit (like your LFS) to see whether they get the same results or not.

 

[Tifta]

i was having a problem with my Nitrate test until I actually sat down and read the directions, and then I looked and was not shaking it right. So it might good to check up on that.

 

[SpeedEuphoria]

Test some bottled water with the test kit to see if it reads 0

 

[whiddett]

I am following the test instructions correctly. I have tested my other tanks water and the result comes out fine. I also had my LFS test today and they get the same result as me. So any other ideas?