Ammonia Issues, Help please!

[scoobcake]

Here are my tank specs before I launch into my story:

30G freshwater aquarium
Heater I keep at 77 degrees
bubble wand
tetra whisper 40 filter with a penguin 350 running alongside
I do a 40-50% water change once a week

Inhabitants:

1 swordtail
1 bushy nose pleco
3 danio
2 kuhli loach
4 glass catfish

Ok so I had this tank up and running for about 8 months. Had some issues getting it going as it was my first stab at aquariums. Everything was fine and dandy but I recently moved. Upon moving I bagged all my fish, kept filters and decorations in a tupperware full of tank water, left the gravel in the tank with a tiny bit of tank water, and moved and set up everything in my new place. When i arrived I put in fresh water to about 50% level which I treated with Seachem Prime (same stuff I always use). I made sure the water was the same temp they were used to before as well. I then added the decorations and began floating the fish in their bags. I waited about 20 minutes and began adding the fish along with their old tank water. I used as much of the old tank water as I could. once i had all the fish in I topped of the rest of the tank with more treated fresh water of the same temperature. Everything seemed fine for about 3 weeks and then all hell broke lose. The snail I had started being less active and eventually died but I had lost a snail before for unknown reason so i didnt think anything of it. Next i lost one of my glass catfish and that is when I realized my ammonia levels in the tank were at 4.0. I realize I probably should have checked water chemistry everyday upon setting it back up but everything seemed fine. As soon as I realized ammonia was off I vaccuumed the gravel and did a 50% water change. I dropped the ammonia to 1.5 and didnt feed them that night. Today I checked and its back up to 3.0. Im wondering what might be causing this? Here is my list of suspects:

Overfeeding- I didnt really think about it but I have less fish now than I did before but Ive been feeding the same amount which is a little pinch of flakes and 4-5 of those tiny algae pellets every day and about every 5th day I would skip a feeding. As I said though I did not feed last night and ammonia went up.

Subpar cleaning- The water pressure at the new place is AWFUL. I use a python for water changes and it takes forever. When I vaccuum the gravel now I see it pull up the dirty water but I notice it will leave behind some flakes of food or other garbage. The extra flakes may also be a sign of overfeeding. I tried using a manual siphon but it was too strong and would completely suck up my gravel. Not really sure what to do about that.

Good Bacteria disturbed in the move- I took every measure I could to ensure it wouldnt happen but is it possible I still did using my above described moving technique?

Personally Im thinking its a combination of 1&2. Im not sure though

Oh also my nitrite levels have been 0 and nitrate at about 20-40 gradually climbing until a water change.

 

[OrangeCones]

All three could contribute to the tank going through a mini-cycle. How long was it from when you started breaking down the tank at the old location until it was up and running at the new?

For gravel vacs, if the manual one you have is too strong and pulls up your gravel, I would look around for a smaller one or one with a screen/mesh built inside it. The one I have has a plastic cap you can put over the end and it prevents gravel from being syphoned out. Debris gets through, but the holes are too small to let gravel through (the holes almost look like a pasta strainer in size).

Since you already used Prime, I would suggest investing in one of Seachem's Ammonia Alert disks. You don't say where you are, but my local fish store (in Texas, USA) sells them for about $6, and they last a year or more. If you see an elevated free-ammonia reading on the disk, you can use Prime to bind it and keep it from harming your fish. The test kit will still show this bound ammonia, which is why I recommend the disk. I've helped several preschool and elementary schools set up 'class aquariums' and they all have the disks. The kids can tell at a glance by the color change if a water change is needed (outside of the normal schedule) and if they are overfeeding.

By the way, your techniques for moving do not seem off at all. I have done the same steps (other than not using the original water) when moving with great results.

 

[djm761]

Do you know if the ph is the same, Filter bacteria work best in hard, alkaline water conditions. In very soft and acidic water, filter bacteria may not work at all, forcing the aquarist to use less efficient methods of filtration.

 

[scoobcake]

Tested the PH and it is about 8.2 same as it was before. I didnt know the test kits also picked up on the bound ammonia thats a very good point and I will have to get one of those disks. Today the Ammonia is down to about .75. getting a bit better it seems. Will also try your advice on the gravel vac and/or invest in one with a filtering mechnism.

 

[MdngtRain]

Hmm, I think you seemed to do everything right in the move. Did you test the pH of the water you use for changes, or of the tank? If you are changing the water with something that has a drastically different pH then the tank, it could knock your fish for a loop, and cause some deaths. The ammonia spike has me wondering though. It may well be an over-feeding issue coupled with less-then-optimum cleaning. OC had some good recommendations on the siphon dilemma. Good luck and keep us updated!