Tank smells like chlorine???

HI all I've been cycling my 20 gallon for awhile now. This morning my water had no smell coming from it. But just now when I went near the tank I could smell chlorine. I don't know where the chlorine could have come from. As far as I know nobody used any chemicals or bleach near the tank. I added a lot of API Stress Coat to get rid of any chlorine that may be in the tank. It smells like a swimming pool! Looks
like I'll be having to start my cycle over. ??? What should I do?

Edit: There are no fish in the tank. I just tested my water and ammonia and nitrIte are both at 0... Could the chlorine smell be causing false readings?

If these are the actual readings then I'm pretty sure it means my tank finished cycling. I'll be mad if all the beneficial bacteria died from whatever is causing this smell. ):<

 

I would leave the tank as it is and see if it wears off. How was the tank cycled?

 

I cycled it using pure ammonia for 5 1/2 weeks. Yesterday I had an ammonia and nitrite reading and they were both at 0 ppm today and nitrAtes at about 30 ppm so it seems cycled to me. I added more de-chlorinator and I can barely smell it anymore.

I also added 1 ppm of ammonia, so if that's 0 by tomorrow I guess I'll know if the bacteria died or not.

 

Well good luck

 

This will sound strange but maybe will make you feel better but sometimes I think my tank smells like a swimming pool too! And I think, I can't and don't have any chlorine in it (of course). Maybe its a by-product of the ammonia and or fish ammonia in my case.

 

So I tested the water this morning and the ammonia was about unchanged, and 0 nitrites. It hasn't been a full 24 hours since I added the ammonia, but it's looking like my bacteria got killed off. ):

Would a large water change and an extra dose of dechlorinator make the tank safe? I'm probably gonna use TSS this time so I don't have to wait another month for it to cycle.

 

It would take something to actually kill off the bacteria, its pretty hardy stuff. Were you still keeping ammonia in the tank at all times? How long had it been since you last added ammonia?

The chlorine smell doesn't necessarily indicate a dead cycle.

I'd give it another day and see what your readings are. Were you at a point before where your ammonia was disappearing within 24 hours?
There is nothing wrong with using TSS in either case.

 

The water is pretty cloudy right now. Could it be a bacterial bloom?

I'm gonna get a bottle of TSS just to see if it helps the cycle, after all it won't hurt anything.

 

Yes sounds like a bacterial bloom. Adding TSS should help restore the bacteria.