Problem with ammonia please help!

[Hasil]

So I have a new but completely cycled fish tank, and right now I'm growing out a baby Oscar in a 30 gal before moving him to my 75. He is the only fish and I've been battling the ammonia in the tank and have no idea what the cause of the ammonia is; this is what I've been doing.


First off, I assumed the ammonia couldn't get broken down because my PH was too high from the hard water, so I softened the water and even have been doing frequent water changes with filtered purified drinking water about 3 times a week and I have been adding quick start and i have even tried stability but the ammonia keeps coming out at about 0.50. I clean up all the poop and gravel vacuum every time I do the water change and there's no uneaten food. On top of all that I tested for ammonia in the water I use for changes and there's none! I don't understand what is causing this ammonia, the filter is clean and the glass is clean, all the other water parameters are good please help.

 

[Aiken Drum]

How are you sure the tank is cycled? What did you do to cycle the tank? If you are seeing ammonia it isnt cycled.

 

[Hasil]

How are you sure the tank is cycled? What did you do to cycle the tank? If you are seeing ammonia it isnt cycled.

I assumed it to be cycled since it's been well over a month and I had used quick start in the beginning too. Otherwise I had let the water sit for about 2 weeks with the bacteria boosters before adding my fish.

 

[Aiken Drum]

That wont cycle a tank.

Just adding bacteria with no ammonia source to feed it will do nothing. Any bacteria you add will just starve and die off over time. At best these products speed up the time it takes to cycle a tank from months to weeks, and if you plan on cycling the tank before you get fish you need to be regularly dosing ammonia into the tank over a number of weeks to feed the bacteria so it can grow in sufficient numbers to cycle out fish waste.

Now you have fish, unless you plan on returning it, you need to do a fish in cycle. Do you know how to do this?

 

[Hasil]

That wont cycle a tank.

Just adding bacteria with no ammonia source to feed it will do nothing. Any bacteria you add will just starve and die off over time. At best these products speed up the time it takes to cycle a tank from months to weeks, and if you plan on cycling the tank before you get fish you need to be regularly dosing ammonia into the tank over a number of weeks to feed the bacteria so it can grow in sufficient numbers to cycle out fish waste.

Now you have fish, unless you plan on returning it, you need to do a fish in cycle. Do you know how to do this?

Makes sense, and yes I know how to do this and will give it a try, thank you!