Cycle Help! Ammonia Won't Go Down

So my 20 gallon is being really stubborn with cycling. I don't know if I'm just being extremely impatient or if I did something wrong.

The first day I added one of the decorations from my 2.5 gallon to help add some bacteria. (This tank didn't have a filter that I could use for seeding because I wasn't as informed when I set it up. I do have a filter in this tank though)

Nitrites appeared on the 2nd day, and Nitrates appeared on the 3rd.

My problem is occurring with my ammonia. It reached 8 ppm on the 10th day and I assumed it would start to go down soon. It hasn't, and I'm on day 22 now.

On day 19 I was really concerned about the ammonia so I did a 40% water change, using dechlorinator that wouldn't mess with bacteria.
This only lowered my nitrites and nitrates.

My tank was at 80 degrees f, but I increased it slightly to around 84 on day 19, after reading that bacteria like warmer water. My pH has been a steady 7.6. I do have live plants.

Please help!

Here are the levels that I recorded with my API master test kit:

Day 1 (6.Aug):
Ammonia= 1.0 ppm
Nitrite= 0 ppm

Day 2 (7.Aug):
Ammonia=1.5 ppm
Nitrite= 0.25

Day 3 (8.Aug):
Ammonia=2.0 ppm
Nitrite= ~0.25
Nitrate= 20 ppm

Day 4 (9.Aug):
Ammonia= 2.0 ppm
Nitrite= between 0.25 and 0.50
Nitrate= 20 ppm

Day 5 (10.Aug)
No levels recorded

Day 6 (11.Aug)
Ammonia= 3.0 ppm
Nitrite= 0.50 ppm
Nitrate= 20 ppm
PH= 7.6

Day 7 (12.Aug):
Ammonia= 4.0 ppm
Nitrite= 0.50 ppm
Nitrate= 15 ppm

Day 8 (13.Aug), Day 9 (14.Aug)
No levels recorded

Day 10 (15. Aug)
Ammonia= 8.0 ppm
Nitrite= 0.50 ppm
Nitrate= 20 ppm

Day 11 (16. Aug)
No levels recorded

Day 12 (17. Aug)
Ammonia= 8.0 ppm
Nitrite= 1.0 ppm
Nitrate= 20 ppm

Day 13
No levels recorded

Day 14 (19. Aug)
Ammonia= 8.0 ppm
Nitrite= 1.5 ppm
Nitrate= 20 ppm
PH= 7.6

Day 15 (20. Aug), Day 16 (21.Aug)
No levels recorded

Day 17 (22. Aug)
Ammonia= 8.0
Nitrite= 1.5

Day 18 (23. Aug)
No levels recorded

Day 19 (24. Aug)
Ammonia= 8.0
Nitrite=1.5
PH= 7.6

40% water change

Day 20 (25. Aug)
Ammonia= 8.0 ppm
Nitrite= 0.25 ppm
Nitrate= 5.0 ppm
PH= 7.6

Day 21 (26. Aug)
No levels recorded

Day 22 (27.Aug)
Ammonia= 8.0
Nitrite= 0.25 ppm
Nitrate= 5.0
PH= 7.6

Oh and I'm doing a fishless cycle and using fish food as my ammonia source.

 

If you are doing a fishless cycle. Then just wait it out. Don't add anymore fish food (obviously). I would vacuum up as much as you can see. To get any old food out of the tank. It will drop eventually.

Are you using any bottled bacteria to help boost your cycle? If you aren't using bottled bacteria, it can take 8-12 weeks to cycle. So I would pick some up.

 

Welcome to the forum

At 8ppm ammonia, your levels are at an extremely toxic state to the bacteria colony that's trying to develop and will stall your cycle. I would do a 100% water change, remove the fish food and vacuum any that has gotten into the substrate.

Fish food is really not ideal to use as an ammonia source as it is harder to control the amount of ammonia being broken down. I would pick up a bottle of pure ammonia and a bacteria supplement like TSS+ or Stability to cycle with.

 

Welcome to the forum

At 8ppm ammonia, your levels are at an extremely toxic state to the bacteria colony that's trying to develop and will stall your cycle. I would do a 100% water change, remove the fish food and vacuum any that has gotten into the substrate.

Fish food is really not ideal to use as an ammonia source as it is harder to control the amount of ammonia being broken down. I would pick up a bottle of pure ammonia and a bacteria supplement like TSS+ or Stability to cycle with.

Thanks for the reply. I've ordered some of the Dr. Tim's one and only off amazon. Should I still do the water change?
And I didn't add enough food to make a huge mess, only a few small pellets. At this point it's all dissolved into the water.

 

That's a good bacteria starter to get as well. Yes, definitely do the water change to get that ammonia down to 1ppm. I'd still consider using pure ammonia which you can buy at an Ace Hardware if you're in the U.S.

This thread should help as well:

Ammonia Instructions when Cycling with TSS+ or other Bacterial Starter

 

8.0 ammonia is too high to allow your cycle to proceed. Although you can't see the bits of food they clearly are still in tiny bits decomposing & releasing ammonia.
Another vote for an intense substrate vacuum, refill with dechlorinated water & retest. You may need to repeat daily for a few days to get the ammonia down to 2.0 or so.