is my tank cycled yet??

[scriptwiz05]

ok, heres the story, about 2 months ago, i got a 55 gallon tank and put 5 fish in it a week for the next 4 weeks, i would lose some here and there as I was unfamiliar with the whole cycle process, well then sure enough, they all died about 2 weeks ago. I have not touched the water, filter or anything. ive just let it alone with the filter running for the past 2 and a half weeks or so. I didnt add bacteria from the store or anything. I took readings a few moments ago, they are as follows:
ph 7.6
nitrite 0.0
ammonia .25

is this a cycled tank? i realize i still have a wee bit of ammonia in there but there have been no fish in it for the past 2 weeks or so. am i safe to put 5-10 in there yet and gradually add more on the way? or what should i do? is it cycled? thanks all

[mitcore]

what were the previous results before the fish died?

it is not uncommon to have ammonia in the water, you have said you havent cleaned it since you set it up
i would recommend a 1/4 tank change this should help reduce the ammonia in
the tank
your fish are dying because of the ammonia,

[gm72]

Absolutely no way to tell if it is cycled without having a nitrAte reading in addition to your existing parameters.

[scriptwiz05]

what were the previous results before the fish died?

it is not uncommon to have ammonia in the water, you have said you havent cleaned it since you set it up
i would recommend a 1/4 tank change this should help reduce the ammonia in
the tank
your fish are dying because of the ammonia,

previous was amm 2.0
nit 1.0

[scriptwiz05]

what were the previous results before the fish died?

it is not uncommon to have ammonia in the water, you have said you havent cleaned it since you set it up
i would recommend a 1/4 tank change this should help reduce the ammonia in
the tank
your fish are dying because of the ammonia,

do a water change when theres no fish in there? i thought i was supposed to leave water alone?

[mitcore]

you can do a 1/4 water tank change and not affect your cycling process
it will not harm the tank
the tank has been empty for how long?

dont clean the filter system

with the results you have posted before the fish died to the results you have posted after the fish died it looks like your tank has cycled
the way you know if it has is by what your current results are
if there is no ammonia and no nitrites in the tank when there was before
then the tank has finished its cycle
i know this is very confusing but you really need to do a 1/4 tank change to remove what ammonia is left

what do you have in the tank?
is there plants?
and gravel?

[scriptwiz05]

in the tank are fake plants and gravel. ok, so after i do the 1/4 water change can i put fish in there ?

[mitcore]

after the 1/4 water change re test your ph and hardness if those results are good then i would do it
i have only just cycled a 3ft (150litre) divided angel breeding tank and i tested ammonia,nitrite and got 0.0 i tested my ph and hardness and good perfect results within half an hr i had transfered my breeding pairs in the tank and they have been fine ever since

the fake plants wont affect your ammonia levels

have you tested you nitrate levels?

if so what were the results

[scriptwiz05]

nitrates i havent as the person at fish store said its almost always gonna be in range. so if i do water change and lets say the ammonia is STILL .25, can i put fish in? maybe my tap water is the .25?

[mitcore]

i am unsure what tap water is but from my own experiences when cycling a tank i wait from 4 to 7 days and then test my ammonia and nitrites if my levels are fine i put my fish in

doing a 1/4 water change usually helps decrease the ammonia in the water
i havent had a great issue with ammonia in my tap water and have had ammonia spiking in my already cycled tanks and have done exactly what i have told you to do with no problems
i hope this helps you make a decision