What is going on with my tank?

[Beavis_Supreme]

I started a new tank on the 29th of April. I used Seachems Seed to get me started. about 2 weeks in I didn't feel like the nitrogen cycle wasnt picking up so I had 2 1" clowns fish. After a few days things began to pick. When my nitrates hit 40 ppm i did a 10% water change. I am using tap water with Prime. I do not have an RO system yet. When my nitrates hit 40ppm again I did another water change. During this time I did go through a diatom bloom. I bought 2 Mexican snails and 3 hermit crabs to clean things up. One of the things I have noticed this whole time s how my Ammonia levels have been testing. Attach is a picture of the constant readings. Its hard for me to tell exactly what the reading is. It's not exactly yellow or exactly green. I noticed my water start to get cloudy so I did a 50% water change. A few days after the water change I noticed some of the diatom began to flake off in small chunks. The water began getting cloudier. I do test everyday and I have not had any readings of Nitrite or nitrates since the water change. However I have had this same Ammonia reading this whole time.

I thought maybe one of the cleaner crew dies but everything is alive. I don't feel like I over feed. I feed once a day, enough for the 2 clowns to get about 3-4 bits of food of LRS Reef Frenzy. I tested my tap water an no ammonia in it. I feel like I have good flow. I have both powerheads pushing water across the top to agitate the water. The push across the top and down the opposite side, creating cirulation across the bottom and back up to the power heads. Honestly at a loss on why I continue to get the ammonia reading but no other readings after my water change. Any help would be most appreciated.


60 Gal
Fluval 306 filter Seachem matrix
2 Aquaclear 50 powerheads

 

[Flippers4pups]

API ammonia test kits are well known to be very difficult to read at low values. It's very likely that you have little to no ammonia, especially with N03 at 40ppm. No worries.

Cloudiness is likely from a bacterial bloom if it's white in color. It should pass. If it doesn't, adding a UV sterilizer will clear the water up overnight.

 

[Beavis_Supreme]

API ammonia test kits are well known to be very difficult to read at low values. It's very likely that you have little to no ammonia, especially with N03 at 40ppm. No worries.

Cloudiness is likely from a bacterial bloom if it's white in color. It should pass. If it doesn't, adding a UV sterilizer will clear the water up overnight.

I appreciate you replying! I have had 0ppm readings on my nitriate and nitrite since the last water change. That has been over a week ago.