Problem at the very end of a fishless cycle

[Fel]

Hey guys!
I've been setting up a small 20g tank for the last month, getting it ready for fish using a fishless cycle.

Saturday morning (7/4) I checked my ammonia and nitrite both were zero and added some ammonia to get to the 3-4ppm range (which I verified with an API test kit). This morning I checked the levels and both were zero. At this point I did an 80% water change with water that I had treated and set out over night.

About three hours after the water change I checked the water again to make sure it was safe. My ammonia is at about 1 ppm, and my nitrite is at 0.5 ppm.

I know for a fact that my tap water (which i treated before adding it) has chloramine in it. I also realize that when treated the chloramine will break down into Cl+ and ammonia.

So is what I'm seeing simply the biofilter reducing the ammonia that was made when I treated the water before adding it to the tank?

Also if this is what is happening, is it safe to add my fish? As I just tested the biofilter and it was able to deal with 4ppm of ammonia in a 24 hour period. (I'm going to get 2 comet goldfish)

 

[coralbandit]

The ammonia could be from the chloramine?
I don't have chloramine but understand the ammonia atom and the fact that conditoners like "prime" will detoxify ammonia although you will still register on test.
Do you have substrate that may have got stirred up during the 80% wc and released whatever?

Congrats on completing the fishless cycle!
Gold fish huh?????

 

[Fel]

I actually just treated and tested 4 gallons of water from my tap and here's what I got with the API test kit.

Ammonia- 2ppm (maybe like 1.5ppm it looks like its inbetween 1 and 2)
Nitrite- Very light blue, very close to if not exactly 0 ppm
Nitrate- About 5ppm
pH - 8.2

I'm pretty sure that's where its coming from now.

In regards to the goldfish, I have every intent of having them live for a very long time, however its my first system and its an aquaponics system, so I'm going to get some cheap little fish while I learn how do aquaponics. But I still would like to have my new friends live long and happy lives.

Edit: Treating the water with API tap water conditioner, are there better products out there?