I have a 10G tank that I'm using as a quarentine. It's not cycled (not is my 55G). I have had a few swordtail die in the 10G - one from a big lesion I can only assume the other was from ammonia poisoning.
Anyhow, the male swordtail has ich and is not eating and just slowly moves about the tank. My ammonia level has been between .5ppm and 1ppm in that tank. For the past 4 days, I have been doing a 50% PWC in the morning and another 50% in the evening.
Up till yesterday, I had a brood of 19 baby swordtails (about 3/16" to 1/4" long) in the 10G tank with an adult male swordtail and a pleco. I moved the babies to my 55G tank, hoping that the additional water volume will help them out, and the reduced bio load would help the 10G tank.
I tested the ammonia yesterday morning and found it at about 1ppm. After yesterday morning's 50% PWC and removing the babies, I tested the tank after about 15 minutes. The reading was about .5ppm. I tested again after about 2 hours and the ammonia was back up to near 1 ppm. I was quite concerned that my swordtail is having trouble breathing still, so I did roughly an 80% PWC. I tested after about 15 minues and ammonia was at near 0ppm. I was happy. I waited about another hour and retested, and ammonia was back between .5ppm and 1ppm.
I'm somewhat at a loss as to why I can't keep the ammonia down for more than an hour or so. The only thing I can think that might be causing a problem is that I'm treating the water with copper safe and maracyn 2 to try to heal my remaining swordtail.
Any advice? I dumped in some bio-spira over the weekend, but I've done so many PWC's that I can't imagine that much is left (that's expensive waste water, I must say) I'm going to stop on my way home and pick up some more bio spira for both tanks tonight, and put it in after I do some PWC's.
Thanks,
Jerry
Anyhow, the male swordtail has ich and is not eating and just slowly moves about the tank. My ammonia level has been between .5ppm and 1ppm in that tank. For the past 4 days, I have been doing a 50% PWC in the morning and another 50% in the evening.
Up till yesterday, I had a brood of 19 baby swordtails (about 3/16" to 1/4" long) in the 10G tank with an adult male swordtail and a pleco. I moved the babies to my 55G tank, hoping that the additional water volume will help them out, and the reduced bio load would help the 10G tank.
I tested the ammonia yesterday morning and found it at about 1ppm. After yesterday morning's 50% PWC and removing the babies, I tested the tank after about 15 minutes. The reading was about .5ppm. I tested again after about 2 hours and the ammonia was back up to near 1 ppm. I was quite concerned that my swordtail is having trouble breathing still, so I did roughly an 80% PWC. I tested after about 15 minues and ammonia was at near 0ppm. I was happy. I waited about another hour and retested, and ammonia was back between .5ppm and 1ppm.
I'm somewhat at a loss as to why I can't keep the ammonia down for more than an hour or so. The only thing I can think that might be causing a problem is that I'm treating the water with copper safe and maracyn 2 to try to heal my remaining swordtail.
Any advice? I dumped in some bio-spira over the weekend, but I've done so many PWC's that I can't imagine that much is left (that's expensive waste water, I must say) I'm going to stop on my way home and pick up some more bio spira for both tanks tonight, and put it in after I do some PWC's.
Thanks,
Jerry
