Ammonia up, why?

[raseii]

Hi,
I did the whole cycling thing which was doing really good. Then I did a 25% water change and washed the filter media in tank water on friday for both of my tanks which are a 50g and 55g and when I tested today the water was:
ammonia 0.25
nitrite 0
nitrite 20-30
And this was on both of my tanks.

I dont understand why my ammonia is up. What factors could raise ammonia?

 

[raseii]

Me again. I wanted to ask another question. Is it possible to have such a light bio-load in your tank which would cause the ammonia to not convert to nitrite? In my 55, I have 3 mickey mouse platy's, 4 yo yo loaches, 3 tetras and 2 cory's. I want to ad more but am afraid if the ammonia is 0.25. even after the water changes. Any suggestions about what might be going on would be great!

Thanks again

 

[OCCFan023]

quick question, when you washed your media after the cycle was complete, did you wash it in dechlorinated water or regular tap water?

 

[ram man]

if u wash in tap water that is a big no-no what fish do you have in your tank and what size is yhe tank

 

[Lotus]

I wouldn't add any more fish until the ammonia and nitrite are at zero. Washing filter media in tapwater on a new tank can cause an ammonia spike. It's best to use either old tank water or dechlorinated water to rinse your filters.

Keep an eye on the ammonia, it could just be a small spike that goes away after a day or two.

Ram man, he already said what size tank and what fish

 

[ram man]

opps didnt see that sorry for not paying closer attention im still tired

 

[raseii]

Thanks guys. I washed the filter media in old tank water. It was kind of gunked up so it may have been possible that I scrubbed it a little too hard. But someone told me as long as you have that bio-wheel on there, that is where most of the bacteria live and you would be able to wash your media (even spray it with tap water, but I wouldnt do that). Isnt that the purpose of the bio-wheel or not? I will check again in a few days. I am new to fish keeping, so I guess I will learn as I go.
Thanks again

 

[ozziegt]

Yeah most of the bacteria should be on your bio-wheel. Things will be down in a day or two I'm guessing...

 

[Seleya]

Have you tested your tap water? My friend is having a heck of a time with her tank and she just found out her tap water has ammonia in it. Oy...