Advice with cycle

[WagsOwner]

Hi we just got Wags a couple of weeks ago and everything was fine until I think I crashed my cycle. He is in a 20 gallon tank with a Hygger double sponge filter with a 40 gallon air pump attached. I was at 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 10 nitrate before I did my first water change and top off.

Since then my ammonia has jumped up from .25 pm, nitrite. 25ppm, and nitrate 10ppm. Nitrite and nitrite have been steady but Ammonia has been creeping up and is at 2ppm.
Free ammonia is at 0 because of Prime from water changes. PH is currently about 7.6. Been doing 25% every other day because I was unsure about dosing prime everyday. Temp is about 62F/16.7C currently.

He seems fine, gills are fluffy and not curled forward and no tail tip bending. He is about 6 or 7 inches long. He did spit up the two worm halves I feed him last night overnight.

Should I continue water changes as is, increase water changes (everyday, higher volume), or just tub him and get the cycle reset. I'm worried about temperature control outside of the tank.

Thanks for your help/advice.

 

[WaterLily05]

If it were me, I would tub him and get the cycle figured out. Any amount of Nitrite calls for a 50% water change.

 

[WagsOwner]

Getting the water in the tub down to his tank temp and moving him over.

Should I try to heat up the water to help with the cycle while he's tubbed?

 

[WaterLily05]

Getting the water in the tub down to his tank temp and moving him over.

Should I try to heat up the water to help with the cycle while he's tubbed?

I believe the beneficial bacteria does grow better and faster in warmer water, so it could help!

We should try to figure out what crashed the cycle.
How long did you cycle the tank before getting Wag?
How did you do your first water change? What percent of the water did you replace, did you dechlorinate the water before adding it back to the tank, and did you rinse the filter in the sink?

 

[WagsOwner]

Tank was up and running for about a month. Did a 25% change and added API Essential directly to the tank the night before the water change. Did not rinse the sponges on that change. On subsequent changes, I've been squuezing them out in the bucket of water coming out of the tank.