Ammonia too high!

[Ka_fitz]

Hi, please help!
I have a 28 litre tank. I have had the tank since Christmas but I have never kept fish before. I took lots of advice and set it all up correctly. In it I now have 5 tetras, 6 cherry barbs and 3 otocinclus. They have been added slowly and everything has been fine. Filter working, temperature correct, water clear. Today I tested the ammonia and it is reading 4.0 which is awful for them! Ph and nitrate levels are normal. I have recently been adding a slice of cucumber for the otos - could this have caused it? Tomorrow I will do a 30% water change and then test again - any further advice?

 

[Byron]

First, welcome to TFF.

Second, can you give us the test numbers for pH and nitrate? "Normal" doesn't tell us anything I'm afraid.

Third, ammonia at 4.0...which test kit are you using, and liquid or test strips?

While waiting for the above, I need to mention that a 28 liter (7-8 gallon) tank is not sufficient space for all the fish you have. They may be small now, but they are likely juveniles (most stores sell very young fish) and they will need space to grow properly. What species are the tetras? We might be able to suggest something when we know this.

Byron.

 

[NickAu]

Tomorrow I will do a 30% water change

Try 70%, what water conditioner are you using?

I agree with Byron your tank is way overstocked.

 

[Ka_fitz]

First, welcome to TFF.

Second, can you give us the test numbers for pH and nitrate? "Normal" doesn't tell us anything I'm afraid.

Third, ammonia at 4.0...which test kit are you using, and liquid or test strips?

While waiting for the above, I need to mention that a 28 liter (7-8 gallon) tank is not sufficient space for all the fish you have. They may be small now, but they are likely juveniles (most stores sell very young fish) and they will need space to grow properly. What species are the tetras? We might be able to suggest something when we know this.

Byron.

Thanks for the reply Byron.
I'm using a liquid test kit. Ph is 7.5 and nitrates 0. The tetras are cardinal tetras. I've been told by 2 different places that although this is the maximum number of fish for this size tank but it is not too many.

 

[Ka_fitz]

Try 70%, what water conditioner are you using?

I agree with Byron your tank is way overstocked.

Thanks for the advice, I'm using stresscoat- i think that is that a water conditioner? I add it whenever we change water and when we have introduced new fish.

 

[Essjay]

Hi Ka_fitz, unfortunately, fish shops are one of the worst places to ask for advice. Most of the people who work in them have no idea about keeping fish, they are just trained in how to make a sale. There are some knowledgable shop workers but there are not many.

The best place to research fish is the website http://www.seriouslyfish.com/knowledge-base/ This is written by fish experts, unlike other sites which are written by people who just keep fish. If you look up your fish on there, you'll realise that your tank is indeed far too small for them.



My 26 litre tank is only slightly smaller than your tank and I have one fish in it - a male betta (siamese fighting fish).

 

[Byron]

Thanks for the reply Byron.
I'm using a liquid test kit. Ph is 7.5 and nitrates 0. The tetras are cardinal tetras. I've been told by 2 different places that although this is the maximum number of fish for this size tank but it is not too many.

As essjay noted, you can never take advice from fish store employees as correct unless you verify it independently.
This tank is less than 10 gallons, and these are too many fish for that small a tank. The cardinals on their own could manage, but that is not the best. Surviving and thriving are two very different things when it comes to fish in an aquarium.

Back to the ammonia...have you tested your source water (tap water) on its own for ammonia? It would help to confirm the ammonia is solely occurring within the tank, or some arriving in the source water.

Subject to that, |I would increase the volume of the water changes to at least half of the tank.

Re the Stress Coat, this is OK but when you run out I would recommend a different conditioner. StressCoat contains aloe vera, which is believed to cause problems over time for fish, by affecting their gills. A good conditioner is API's Tap Water Conditioner, I use this one. It is highly concentrated so you use very little; a small bottle will last months.