trouble cycling my fish tank?

Are you able to get some filter media or gravel from an established tank? If you have ammonia, but the nitrite and nitrate haven't gone up it means the cycle hasn't started. Dropping in something that alrady covered with cycle bacteria should jumpstart things.

You can also increase the temp to 85F, the bacteria will grow faster in warmer water, just turn it back to the correct temp for your fish before you add them.

And ditch the bulbs, they wont be causing a problem now as their rotting will actually be adding a bit of ammonia to the system and helping the cycle start. But they are dead and will just make a mess in the future.

Ian

When you changed the water, did you use dechloronator? If so, did you use one that specifically says it deals with chloramine as well as chlorine? The reason why I ask is because that's EXACTLY what happened to me the first time I cycled a tank. I carried out 2 water changes without using dechloronator, and then, once I realised my error and started again, it stalled after ammonia started falling. Problem? My dechloronator didn't deal with chloramines as well as chlorine - which was slowing the cycle right down. If you didn't add dechloronator to the replacement water, you'll have killed off the bacteria and the cycle has started again. In response to the answer directly above mine, you don't actually HAVE to use RO water unless you live in an area with high nitrate readings. RO is expensive in the long run because either you repeatedly have to buy it from the pet shop, or you have to invest in an RO unit. THEN you have to remineralise it because as well as other properties, tapwater has minerals that the fish need in the water. RO, which is more or less pure water, doesn't have chlorine, but it doesn't have the minerals the fish need, either. All you need to do to make tapwater safe for fish is use a dechloronator such as Tapsafe that deals with chloramine as well as chlorine. As for cycling products, they don't actually do much. The best way to speed up a cycle is to use some mature media as seed bacteria. If your friend would be willing to lend you some, it might take a week or 2 (perhaps more) off the cycling time. As for the ammonia source, you're doing the right thing in using fish food. For someone who claims to have been breeding fish for 6 years, the Answerer above me is a bit behind on cycling methods. Instead of using a pinch of flakes - use a handful, place it in a stocking/sock/tights, position the ammonia ball (as I call it) so that an ornament etc weights it down, and leave it for a couple of days. Replace when it gets too smelly.

Keep waiting. when the ammonia goes to 0 and the nitrite goes up then down and the nitrate starts going up a little then you are ready to add fish. Cycling can sometimes take over a month.

EDIT: I would remove the bulbs ASAP. It is probably a fungus or somthing!

Assume these bulbs are dead and rotting, then your ammonia wouldn't go down. Worrying that you aren't reading nitrite; that suggests no bacteria and not knowing what these bulbs actually are gives rise to the thought they could be releasing toxins. That would be outside the testing parameters of your average hobbyist.

I don't see how you have zero nitrate either, it came out the tap with nitrates in it.

It might be worth emptying the tank and starting again from a safest way to go point of view?

I installed a new filter system and got a white cotton candy like fungus on the rubber cylinders that held the tubes together underwater.

I googled info on it. After that, I changed the charcoal that I was using, from just charcoal to charcoal with ammonia dissolver.

All is gone and fine.