Ammonia Problem - I Give Up!
- Thread starter aspguru
- Start date
Just to confirm what others have said, you are going to the cycling period and with an oscar, they do let off a lot of crap. Some people might take 2 months to cycle depending on the bioload.
They quickest way to get your ammonia down is to do a 100% water change which it will. However, the process might go into a complete circle again until your biological filtration has enough time to build beneficial bacterial.
So patience is the key. Your oscar and pleco might die through this cycling but you can either remove them to an established tank and let your new tank setup completely cycle. Or you can slowly keep doing water changes daily (partial) where it's small enough that it won't kill your fish.
They quickest way to get your ammonia down is to do a 100% water change which it will. However, the process might go into a complete circle again until your biological filtration has enough time to build beneficial bacterial.
So patience is the key. Your oscar and pleco might die through this cycling but you can either remove them to an established tank and let your new tank setup completely cycle. Or you can slowly keep doing water changes daily (partial) where it's small enough that it won't kill your fish.
i posted on ur other post but i forgot to mention do a daily water change like 10-15% until they go away and get gravel or some filter media from an established tank and put it in the tank or in the carbon canister i'm doing that to an old 20 gal i just set up with a HOT magnum with couple of feeders still thinking on what to put in there...
Are you testing for nitrites, has it spiked yet or even shown up? That will let you know where you are in your cycle. Also what is the ph of the water. Is this the tank you were saying that the ph was low on? If that is the case, a ph of 6 is a good thing, ammonia is less toxic at an acidic ph. Watch the fish closely, as long as they are not gasping at the surface or "gilling" rapidly you are probably ok. Also look at their gills for redness etc. Cut back your feedings to almost nothing, everyother day at the most, until your cycle finishes. The nitrite end of the cycle is faster than the ammonia part. Once nitrites appear the bacteria is starting to convert the ammonia and the cycle will speed up. It still takes about 4-6 weeks to cycle a tank. So you really don't have an ammonia problem you have a cycle starting and this is normal, so be patient. Don't get carried away with changing filter media at this stage or you will slow the cycle down. When doing water changes, vacuum up the poop, but don't try and clean all the gravel or you will slow the cycle down.
Fishkeeping teaches patience. *twirlysmiley*
Fishkeeping teaches patience. *twirlysmiley*
Grab all fishfood.
go to car
open trunk
deposit food and close trunk
hang key up and forget about it.
That was paraphrased from a wonderful fishkeeper who no longer has the time of money to keep fish. But i'ts SOLID advice. Less food=less waste=less strain on the new biofilter.
Basically what BJ was saying was ignore the "feed me dance" that fish are sooooooo good at. Don't feed them for a couple days/one week. They will be fine, and the ammonia will come down.
Also,,, do a waterchange to get that ammonia down.
go to car
open trunk
deposit food and close trunk
hang key up and forget about it.
That was paraphrased from a wonderful fishkeeper who no longer has the time of money to keep fish. But i'ts SOLID advice. Less food=less waste=less strain on the new biofilter.
Basically what BJ was saying was ignore the "feed me dance" that fish are sooooooo good at. Don't feed them for a couple days/one week. They will be fine, and the ammonia will come down.
Also,,, do a waterchange to get that ammonia down.