for around 3 weeks now I have had an ammonia reading of 8.0, the max on my api drop test, when I first noticed this my ph was also very acidic around 6.0 maybe lower since that is the lowest my test goes, my fish didn't seem bothered by these high readings nor the plants, my nitrites and nitrates both were and are 0, the day I noticed such ammonia and ph readings I did a 30% w/c 2 days in a row then started a 50% change every 2 days, now after about 3 weeks my ph is around 6.8 the nitrites and nitrates are still 0 yet my ammonia is off the chart, all I add to the tank is de-clorinator in the bucket with fresh water and let it sit 15 minutes before putting in tank, flourish 1-2 times a week depending on how my plants look, and have been useing ammo-lock to try and control this but decided that it wasn't gettign rid of it and that I shouldn't be adding extra stuff to the tank, please any ideas on why only my ammonia is high and how I can fix it?
Very high ammonia
- Thread starter stoddern
- Start date
im not sure but it sounds like your starting to cycle the tank, which means first your ammonia will spike then your nitrites will spike and then finally you will get nitrate readings.once you get nitrate readings you know your filter media has developed the beneficial bacteria that you need. if thats the case keep doing water changes and testing. its nice to hear you have the API Drop kit. not sure how long it will take, it depends on all of your tank parameters.
if your not sure about cycling a tank you can check out MissFishy, Great site !
MissFishy's Guide to Fish
if your not sure about cycling a tank you can check out MissFishy, Great site !
MissFishy's Guide to Fish
well the tank has been fully set up for around 5 months now and I cycled it when I set it up, I filled it with water and let it sit for a week then planted it and let it sit for another 2 weeks then I added the fish I have now plus a few that my large gourami killed, when I got them I also had the pet store squeeze a sponge filter into a bag for me to help with the bacteria and in adition I add about 5ml of bacteria from topfin once a month when I do a big 50% water change
You never cycled your tank. You just let water set for awhile. If you';ve recently added fish, they have begun cycling your tank, but this can kill the fish, so check teh site for info about cycling a tank with fish already in it. Sera is no longer being sold in the states, but if you can get ahold of Sera Toxivec, then it'll add the bacteria you need to fully cycle your tank. Walmart sells a similar product that is not as potent called StressZyme, so if you get that, triple the dose and up the frequency of when you add the bacteria. Remember to refrigerate the bottle so the bacteria don't die.
so I just read that I need around 5 inches of fish for every 10gal of water I have about 6inches of fish in a 20gal. , so does that mean is has just taken much longer for the tank to cycle since it has had fish in it for atleast 4 months? if I should get more fish which I was planning on what would be good with the gourami and danios I have? I do want more danios so they have a real school and I really like the bristle nose plecos but not sure if they are good bottom feeders?
No, I wouldn't get any more fish until your tank is stable. Keep track of your amonia, nitrate and nitrite levels via a kit or a LFS. Begin doing daily water changes to help drop the amonia and keep the fish as omfortable as possible during the cycle. This will draw the process out even longer, but it'll give more of a chance of you keeping all of your fish alive.
PS- My husband and I just purchased our first home, so I've had to tear down 2 of my 3 tanks and put ALL my fish in my 55g, which had to be torn down completely and moved to my parents until our house we just purchased is livable. Even though my tank was established and cycled, tearing it down and resetting it up with 21 fish has spiked a cycle. I have to do daily 10%- 25% WC (depending on amonia reading) and have been adding Toxivec every other day to keep the amonia lvls down until the nitrate/nitrite deal happens. Always forget which is the good one and which is the bad one, but if you'll keep an eye out on your tank and check parims daily, you should be okay through your fish-in cycle.
You really need to read through the cycling link below in my signature. I would suspect that with all the junk you're adding to your tank, it is throwing off your cycling AND your test readings. I would immediately STOP adding anything but water conditioner. Do a massive water change of 80%, treat the water BEFORE you add it to your tank with the water conditioner. And please read up on the cycling, there is a link below in my signature and lots of information on the internet.
Your stocking seems stable as the easier rule of thumb is 1 inch of adult fish per gallon of water. Now, I use Stress Zyme but not as a be all end all type of addition. I do know that the Stress Zyme really does contain live bacteria as I put some on a glass slide and looked at through a microscope. The solution does not need to be refrigerated...just keep in a climate controlled area....air temp is fine.
MissFishy and LadyLail have it right though. Do a major water change, only adding enough dechlorinator to the water before adding it to the tank, to cover what you are adding. Feed your fish sparingly, maybe every other day while the tank cycles. The fish may pout but they'll get over it
Also, having the LFS squeeze water from a sponge isn't going to give you the bacteria you need. The bacteria live on solid surfaces...they aren't in the water itself or it is VERY limited.
At this point, time is what you need along with weekly water changes at about 20% and a close watch on your water parameters. If the fish start ot look alittle sick form the ammonia, use the AmmoLock but only in enough dose to match the size of the tank...don't overdo it. This will lock up the bad ammonia but will allow the new bacteria to still feed.
A catchy little phrase that someone uses is "the solution to pollution is dilution." Take it to heart..it works I am a water change addict.
MissFishy and LadyLail have it right though. Do a major water change, only adding enough dechlorinator to the water before adding it to the tank, to cover what you are adding. Feed your fish sparingly, maybe every other day while the tank cycles. The fish may pout but they'll get over it
Also, having the LFS squeeze water from a sponge isn't going to give you the bacteria you need. The bacteria live on solid surfaces...they aren't in the water itself or it is VERY limited.
At this point, time is what you need along with weekly water changes at about 20% and a close watch on your water parameters. If the fish start ot look alittle sick form the ammonia, use the AmmoLock but only in enough dose to match the size of the tank...don't overdo it. This will lock up the bad ammonia but will allow the new bacteria to still feed.
A catchy little phrase that someone uses is "the solution to pollution is dilution." Take it to heart..it works
I am a water change addict.
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I did an 80% change yesterday and today and tested ammonia both times about 20 min after the change after the first one yesterday the ammonia was still off the chart after todays change the level went from off the chart or 8 since thats as high as my kit goes down to around 7.0ppm still no sign of nitrites, both fish and plants still show no adverse effects of the high ammonia, after the second change performed today I added a second filter to my HOB and now after about 4 hours of that my ammonia levels are around 1ppm, is that because of the extra carbon catching the ammonia? or should I now also test my nitrites and see if they are registering?
okay so I had to leave the house today before the tank lights came on (gotta love digital timer power strips) and when I got home the tank was full of milky white water it wasn't that way when I went to bed last night, I've been reading another post and i take it that my tank is finally cycling and this is a large bacteria bloom and nothing to worry about right? do I need to start testing for nitrates now in addition to the ammonia and nitrites?
sounds like bacteria bloom to me.
and you want to test water daily for Ammonia and Nitrites.
you want to keep your Ammonia and Nitrites below 1.0 ppm, so be ready for daily water changes. you will get spikes of Ammonia and then Nitrites eventually they will be 0 ppm and youll get Nitrate readings. keep Nitrates below 40 ppm, with water changes obviously lol
and you want to test water daily for Ammonia and Nitrites.
you want to keep your Ammonia and Nitrites below 1.0 ppm, so be ready for daily water changes. you will get spikes of Ammonia and then Nitrites eventually they will be 0 ppm and youll get Nitrate readings. keep Nitrates below 40 ppm, with water changes obviously lol
do I want to do a water change in the middle of the bloom or wait out the 2-3 days so that the bacteria has a chance to establish then do the w/c? I just tested and the ammonia is at .25ppm nitrites are 0 and nitrates are around 4-5ppm, now if my nitrates go over 40ppm is that gonna be to much for the plants to deal with?
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The carbon in the extra filters probably removed some of the junk you've been adding to the tank water. The milky color is a bacteria bloom, it doesn't harm the fish, so nothing to worry about. The frothy stuff either means you still have too much "junk" you've added to the water, or you've put too much water conditioner in. Only add as much as you need for the amount of water you are adding to your tank.