Feeding and ammonia levels.

[Danny Boy]

I currently feed my fish on a mix of two foods...

TetraMin flake for my tetras and TetraTabimin (tablets, yellow bottle, picture of two catfish on the front) for my corys.

I'm wondering if the tablets could be contributing to my elevated ammonia levels (usually around 0.25-0.5ppm, everything else is stable-ish, but when I get raised ammonia levels I then get 0.25ppm nitrite readings).

I'm doing daily 25% water changes to ease the levels, and also seem to be vacuuming out lots of left over tablet food. I have been chopping down the tablets so that my 2 corys only have as much al they'll eat...but I can't go any smaller or they won't sink.

Any advice? Am I barking up a wrong tree, or should I change the type of food I'm using. As far as I'm aware, Corys don't eat algae, so surely I have to feed them on something? They do eat left over flake...but the tetras usually polish it off before it gets to them.

Help please!

 

[Def]

If your tank is in the process of cycling, then the food has nothing to do with it and the elevated ammonia/nitrite levels are normal.

If your tank is cycled, unless you're chucking in huge amounts of food I doubt it's causing the ammonia spike.

 

[ncstater1919]

if you are using medications such as ace that "supposedly" removes the ammonia levels then that could be the problem, many times the ace will make flase readigs when you use testing stirps also how big are your corys and how many tetras do you have in one tank and how many gallons does your tank hold