Nitrogen Cycle Not Starting?

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slickery

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55g tank
5x Zebra Danio
5x small - medium Live plants
2x Air stone at full pressure
1x treatment of bio spira
1x treatment of cycle
Temp 76 degrees steady
60 gallon tetra filter (I forgot the type but it sits on the back of the tank with a tube hanging inside the water flows up the tube then through 2 filter types and then waterfalls back into the tank)
PH ~7.2
Test strips look like there is a minute level of Nitrate but its hard to tell
Nitrite = 0 ppm
In tank amonia indicator indicates safe
Hardness = ~25 GH ppm
Chlorine = 0
Alkalinity = ~40 KH ppm


The tank has been running for 7 days. I added the cycle treatment (which I have since read was useless) right after setting up the tank and adding chlorine treatment and 1 air stone. I also then added 2 "bunches" of live plantsof about 5 to 6sprigs each. The tank then ran for about 20 hours at 77 degrees. I then added bio spira 3 live potted plants and 5 zebra danios, including the water from the fish bag. The tank ran for 5 days (test strips showing 0 nitrites during daily testing, and in tank amonia indicator was on safe), the fish were fed twice daily, I over fed them once, but during the rest of the feedings all food was eaten in about 5 minutes. On this day I took a water sample into the pet store where they indicated all levels were at 0. The tank has been running for 1 more day, test strip again looked the same except for possibly a higher reading of Nitrates, although it looks much closer to 0 than the next level (20 ppm). All fish look healthy, are good eaters and active.

Did I totally miss the cycle?
Did it not start?
Should I proceed adding fish to the tank slowly?

Thanks in advance for any help!
 
What kind of test did the LPS do, strips or liquid? It would be best if you got a liquid test kit, cuz the strips are inaccurate. Also I would up the temp to between 78-80oF, 76 is a little low.
 
What kind of test did the LPS do, strips or liquid? It would be best if you got a liquid test kit, cuz the strips are inaccurate. Also I would up the temp to between 78-80oF, 76 is a little low.

Liquid...
 
A 55 with 5 zebra danios is a very low stocking rate, but just fine for a traditional cycle with fish. Bio spira is one of the few reliable cycle starting products out there. Given the low stocking rate, plus a good dose of properly kept bio spira, and you may have been able to avoid any ammo or nitite spikes. The low stocking rate would result in a low nitrate reading in any cycled tank.

Seeing as it is a newly cycled tank, or seems to be, I would play it safe. Wait a week, keeping an eye on the ammo & nitrite levels, and if all seems good, start stocking slowly.
 
You are so damn lucky my tapwater regularly has nitrate at 20ppm, the highest was 40ppm! Which is why I use RO!
 
Well my water is also really hard and alkali and the phosphate is off the chart. So my for my blackwater its a must and for my other tanks it just makes things a hell of a lot easier to keep algae at bay.
 

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