20 Gal Tanks

[BaylorPerez]

For a 20 gallon tank, would it be best to start over as my ammonia and nitrite keep skyrocketing back up? i mean keep the fish and the plants, but change to a different substrate(new and cleaner)?
 
or should i just keep my tank the way it is, but keep an eye on the ammonia levels each day

 

[PepperjacksMama]

Daily waterchanges. 30-50%. Test water daily, until the cycle catches up.
And more plants wouldn't hurt.

 

[jag51186]

For a 20 gallon tank, would it be best to start over as my ammonia and nitrite keep skyrocketing back up? i mean keep the fish and the plants, but change to a different substrate(new and cleaner)?
 
or should i just keep my tank the way it is, but keep an eye on the ammonia levels each day

 
You really need to do some reading on cycling. New and clean substrate would remove a substantial number of bacteria from your system, and you need to be doing daily water changes to keep your ammonia and nitrites in check. They are spiking because your cycle isn't complete. The bacteria are trying to colonize within your filter and substrate to process the ammonia and nitrite, removing some of that would only set you back even further.