High ammonia... can't get rid of it .. someone please help

[Cichlid4life]

is your tank even cycled (if this was discussed in this thread i am sorry,but i did not read the whole thread)?!!

 

[Ryan231211]

I honestly don't know.. I set my tank up 6 months ago... I was told I could add fish a few days later.. so that's what I did.. and now I understand what a stupid mistake I made.. but I was new to keeping fish I just didn't fully understand what cycling a tank was.. I admit I should of looked into it hell of a lot more I was so stupid I realise that now.. so I've as far as I'm aware now.. I've never actually cycled my tank.. some people are saying it's cycled as it's been 6 months.. but surely I'm thinking if it was cycled I wouldn't be having ammonia problems still.... I've had ammonia problems from day 1.... I've done everything everyone has told me.. it just doesn't want to leave my tank... can I ask please.. what are your views on my tank.. do you think it's cycled?

 

[Colin_T]

Theoretically, an aquarium that has had fish in for 6 months should be cycled. However, because the filter was changed about 3 weeks ago, this could be contributing to the problem. I know some filter material was transferred from an established filter into the new filter and that should help, however it might not have settled in.

The new filter does a pretty good turnover (1000 litres per hour). You could try reducing the flow a bit and see if that helps.

I think your tank is one of those funny ones that takes 6 months to establish and there is something that is slowing it down. It happens occasionally with people having ammonia and nitrite readings for 6 months after a tank was set up. The tank normally settles down.

Do you have anything in the substrate, eg a plant soil or something similar?
That might be leaching stuff into the water.