Ammonia And Nitrite Help

[Robbie-2014]

Hello all,
I'm having Ammonia and Nitrite problems in my 330 litre tropical fish tank. It started last Thursday when i first seen my black ghost fish with scratch marks down the side of it's body. At first i was thinking it maybe the seaweed i had in the tank it was rubbing his body next to it. So i have taken the seaweed out and put some new ones in. The next day my black ghost fish and some more fish as gone very bad with burn white skin marks all around there bodes. There eyes was all white and messed up. So i did a 20% water change and cleaned my fitter like what i do all the time with fish water out off the tank. The next everything as got more bad with my fish. Loads of fish as died and some of my big fish was getting the problem. So i taken some of the fish water to the pet shop to get it tested as i'm not all very good with test kits. I do have one but it's not all that good and don't do Ammonia. So i have got my self a new one coming by APL that do the full lot. Anyway the woman told me about the high Ammonia and Nitrite in the water. Se told me about APL quick start that helps on remove of Ammonia and Nitrite. So i did a water change like what she told me to do. 10% everyday for the full week with stress coat and this stuff. I did it at night time and the next day everything looked like it was back to how it was with my fish looking better. But the next day everything gone back to fish looking ill with there eyes all white and bodies and i had lost loads. So the next day me and my mum as taken the small fish and some big ones that are not ill to the pet shop to cut down on the fish in the tank as i hate for them to end up dieing or making more of a Ammonia problem then what i have. So i have only got 3 big ones and 2 littles ones left. My tank was not over stock but i did have some big fish in the tank like what i put i had for 3 to 4 years some of them. I do a water change every week on Monday and filter.
 
I have lost my ghost fish sadly what i had for 3 years and some of my lovely big guys and small ones i had.
It was sad taking the small ones and some big ones to the pet shop but i had to do it to save them and save what i have got left.
 
At the sometime taking the fish back i did take all my fish from my 100 litre tank to the pet shop to!!! As it was getting to hard for me to keep it all up and costs.. It was stressing me out and trying to get this problem fixed with my 330 litre tank i needed the room for sick fish. I was thinking about turning it into a turtle tank after i get my 330 tank right.  So i have moved some of the big fish into the 100 litre tank to try get them better.  Some of them are doing very well and looking better but only one is looking sick. 
 
When i smell my 330 litre tank i can smell the Ammonia in the water.
What do you think is best for me?
 
If some body can help me out, i will be very very thankful.
I really don't won't to lose any more fish as i have lost 1 today. 

 
Thank you
 
 
 
 

 

[Ninjouzata]

I'd up the water changes until you get your test kit.
When you get it follow the instructions carefully (there are vids on youtube as well if the instructions are confusing to you) and please post the water parameters once you've done this.
 
Can you give the list of fish currently in the tank?
 
How long has this tank been set up? I know you say you've had some of the fish for years but was thinking maybe you recently set up a bigger tank for them or something.
 
I'm so sorry for your losses by the way 

 

[the_lock_man]

When you get the test kit, you need to post the following test results: ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH. With the API nitrate kit, make sure you shake bottle no.2 seriously hard, time yourself for at least 90 seconds, if not 2 minutes.
 
TO have a sudden problem like this, something drastic must have happened - have you changed filter, or changed some of the bits inside the filter (like sponges or ceramics)? Did you forget to use dechlorinator for a few weeks?

 

[Robbie-2014]

Thank you for the replys back.. I had the tank setup for 4 years now when we first moved into the house. I have lost loads of fish from it but it looks like things are looking up for me. I did a filter clean out and my god i did not know it was so bad from the ammonia. You can smell the ammonia from the water and filter it self. I do my filter clean out every 6 weeks as the pet shop woman told me to do that. But it was bad and i did not know anything about it at first. So i have taken the water out of the filter and got rid of it.. like what i do anyway when cleaning out. Then i have got a bucket and taken some of the tank water out of the tank to clean my pads.. Then get rid of the water and do it again with the tank water. Then i put everything back into the filter and add some tank water from the tank then added the apl quick start into it. After that i put the lid back on and hit the push button to get tank water into the filter. When that's all done i did a sand clean with my sand cleaner hoover what you use to clean gravel with. At the sometime doing that it taken water out about 30% of tank water.  I filled a bucket off water up and added the stress coat into it then stirred the water and left it for 5 mins. I do use hose pipe when doing this job and add my stress coat in at the same time with the filter running. It's faster for me and saves buckets. But as i was having this problem, i use the bucket way to make sure i get the water right.  
 
The next day i did a 30% water charge with the stress coat again. 
 
Everything looks like it's doing well in the tank and getting better!!! 
I have only got the 3 fish in my big 330 tank and 4 big fish in my 100 tank only for now so i can get my 330 litter tank water back right.
 
Now i'm thinking about when coming to clean my filter to do it every 3 weeks and to do a 30% water change then 20%.. After looking up info on the net. People do say 30% water change is better for big fish then 20%.
So i'm going to do that if you all think that's better for me.
 
Some of the fish i had are 4 to 3 years old when we first moved into the house. There where tiny little things when i first got them and over the years. They got big!!! lol
 
The test kit as come but i have not had the time to have a play with it yet.
Been busy with music lessons and collage. But when i do get the time, i will learn how to use it as my old one is rubbish and don't do Ammonia and Nitrite. It's by JPL or JPC something like that the old one.
But my new one is by APL what i have never had any problems with. 

 
I have added some new pads and stuff for the filter when doing this clean out.. Before doing so i have put them into a bucket off tank water and left it for sometime to get the fish bacteria onto it. Then i added some of JBL Denitrol into the filter when all the pads where back inside. I did it on both of my fish tanks and everything is starting to look good in the tank. The fish that's left in both tanks are starting to get better and looking better everyday looking inside both tanks.  Some of my big guys are eating again and more playful.. What good to see. 

 
I'm going to do a water change today on both tanks to keep the water right and make sure the ammonia lever is down!!!
 
Thank you all for your help and replys.