Ammonia Levels

[Bonnied2005]

Is there anyway to make the High Ammonia levels non-toxic and still cycle the tank. Sadly I just lost a Neon who was one of the very first fish I put in that tank.... I just did a 30% water change and checked the Ammonia level when I was done and it is still 8.0+.... This is getting very frustrating... Nitrates although not zero are not readable on the test. Nitrates are non-existant and the PH is a happy 7.0.

I had done a 20% water change yesterday and moved my 4 guppies out of the tank, which I am happy to report are doing better now that they are being treated... my males eye is almost back to normal... I fear the female may have lost her eye but she is swimming around normally again and the other two look as if they have not been affected.

Anyway I know I can expect to lose some fish along the way while the tank cycles but there has to be some way of making the Ammonia less toxic until the cycle fixes itself...

My 5 gallon although I haven't checked my levels today is amazingly clear for the first time in 2 months. So at least my fry are happy

Bonnie

 

[StarOrbs]

If you figured out how to make High ammonia levels non-toxic you'd be a rich person. You could have too many fish in the tank and the growth of bacteria is playing catch up. This is why I did fishless cycling, if there is too much ammonia no big deal.

 

[Bonnied2005]

I many have to many fish for an uncycled tank, where as I have a right amount if the tank had been cycled.... Unfortunatly, I was not aware of fishless cycling when I got the tank. and hense the fish.

 

[StarOrbs]

Most people when cycling a tank have a few fish for I belive the average is 4-6 weeks then they add more fish.

 

[Bonnied2005]

Wish I knew that when I was buying the fish ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

 

[NickT]

if you get some gravel from a cycled tank it will help speed things up a lot. ask your LFS for some cycled media and they might just give you some. hang it in a nylon stocking in the tank and there you go ... it shold help bring down the amonia levels quickly.....

 

[Bonnied2005]

Thank you, I did two 20% water changes last night and the reading after was still8.0ppm... my black neons looked horrible and had lost alot of their coloring.... I re-read the bottle for the ammo lock and it stated it only detoxifys 3.0ppm ammonia so I did add some figuring there would still be 5.0ppm to cycle with. I realize my readings are going to be way off now but I had to do something.... My neons although not very active today are looking better and have their color back.... Time will tell if there is any lasting damage..

I have a friend with a 20 gallon tank she is going to give me some of her gravel.

 

[StarOrbs]

I haven't said this in a while and I just love saying it "Must do research" Oh yah and good luck with your cycling, hope your fish will be alright.

 

[Bonnied2005]

Sadly I did research but all my info till I found this forum sent me running around like a chicken with my head cut off..... The pet store don't help either, they just love to throw things at you to buy. None of which you really need. And not once have any of them mentioned cycling to me.... sighhhhhhhh

 

[StarOrbs]

I've been there, and I've seen too many ignorant people buying things they don't want nor need. That or the salespeople saying "sure keeping a couple oscars and 15 neons are perfectly fine in a 20gal tank." lol

 

[marcusbacus]

8 ppm of ammonia is way too much, I dunno how your fishes are still alive. When I started my cycling (fishless!), I added some ammonia (some diluted solution, 10%) to speed the process, and I added a cap of ammonia (it was maybe no more than 5ml) to a 19G tank and the levels were up to 5ppm immediately. I was told that to get this level of ammonia without adding some ammonia as I did (i.e. just adding food or even using fishes to cycle) would be almost impossible, I would be "lucky" to have 3ppm the most.

It took about a week or so for the levels to reduce to the half (I also added a bit of Cycle 2 or 3 days after adding the ammonia), then every day it reduced to the half again until the ammonia was zero and then I had the nitrite peak, which was much faster to reach 0. My tank cycled in 12 days.

 

[Bonnied2005]

Well I decided the issue was with my filter so I bought a new one and set up in the 10 gallon. The new one is cool cause it has 3 filter chambers... The first holds the sponge media to catch all the big junk, the second is customizable to user preference, I can either buy a pouch of carbon, carb-ammo, or ammo chips.. I bought the ammo chips and it comes with carbon, but have the ammo chips in for a few days, and the third has bio pellets which attract and store the good bacteria... The filter has been up and running for 36 hours now and I did a 1/2 tank water change this morning... Ammonia reading as of an hour ago is 4.0ppm... will leave the ammo chips in till tomorrow and take another reading. If down to 2 I will throw the carbon cartridge in and do another 1/2 water change.... with any luck this new filter will aide in my effort to cycle this tank.. I can say with certainty that the fish are happier.... they are having fun playing in the extra turbulance this filter gives off... The old whisper although designed for a 20 gal tank barely trickled the water out.

Since I am done medicating the guppies for right now I took the media that was in the old 10 and put it in the 2 gallon filter as they take the same media. And if there is any beneficial bacteria in there is should help stabalize that tank now for the guppies since I don't dare put them back in the 10 till I get it cycled.

my 5 gallon is still a mysterie, doing 50% water changes every other day and still 8.0ppm ammonia reading... but none of the fish seem to be affected in the slightest by this, especially my fry which are thriving so I have to assume the test is wrong on that tank.

Wish me luck!

 

[Sackwack]

Are you using tap water? If so, are you treating your tap water? Your tap water may contain these very harmful very high amounts of ammonia.