Ammonia Explosion

[Ramsey]

Nearly all my fish died over a three day spell with only my two Corys left. Tests show ph 6, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 0 but Ammonia 8ppm. The water went very cloudy afterwards but whatever I do I can't get the ammonia level down. I've changed the water twice, I suspected filter failure so I changed a sponge and added more bacteria but I feel I've done something wrong. I've even tried putting in a Nitrate Sorb bag and left it for a week but ammonia levels won't drop.

Please help and give me ideas before my last two fish die.

In case it helps its a Juwel Rio 125 litre tank with internal filters.

Thanks in advance.

Ian

 

[WILDER]

How long has the tank been set up, what fish did you have in the tank.

 

[Ramsey]

The tank has been established for two years and I had 12 guppies and 6 platys. Plus the two corys who are still going.

 

[WILDER]

With replacing a sponge you lost a fair amount of the bacteria colony, so the tank has gone into a mini cycle, if the fish are gasping at the surface only thing to do is just keep up with the water changes, and add an airstone for extra aeration, if you have another tank and it has no desease in i could take a sponge out of there.

 

[Ramsey]

Thanks for the swift reply as its really worrying me. The NitraZorb has been in a week and has had no effect. The testing shows no change. I've even tried Ammo-Loc but still no effect on the levels of ammonia. Is it a matter of adding more bacteria or should I leave things alone now?

 

[WILDER]

Do you have any bacteria as i would, to speed things up.

 

[rdd1952]

I've even tried Ammo-Loc but still no effect on the levels of ammonia.

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Ammo-Loc transforms ammonia into a non toxic form but you WILL still get a reading for ammonia.

The ammonia may not be the cause of your problems. Even though 8 ppm is extremely high, ammonia is generally not toxic (or at least only minimally toxic) at pH of 6.0 or below. As pH drops to that level, ammonia changes to ammonium which is not toxic. Did you notice the fish gasping for air near the top of the tank before they died? Does your pH normally run that low at 6.0? Do you use CO2 for plants? It almost sounds as if you have had a pH crash which could be associated with CO2 overload.

 

[Ramsey]

Can you explain how CO2 fits into the equation?

I'm mystified as to why my ph is so low. Straight from the tap its neutral 7 but my tank is always 6. I've removed all rocks and driftwood some months ago and have various plants left and have since done numerous water changes. But the ph always shows 6. Any pointers to what causes ph to go this way?

 

[rdd1952]

CO2 drives oxygen from the water which causes the pH to drop. If you aren't using CO2 injection for plants though, that wouldn't be a problem. Have you tested the KH (Carbonate Hardness) of your tap water? That is the buffering capacity of the water. The higher the KH, the more stable your pH should be. Without driftwood, I don't know what would be pushing your pH down so much unless you are using CO2 or using peat in your filtration system. The water changes should raise it at least some though. If your tap water is 7.0 and the tank is 6.0, changing 20% of the water should raise the pH 20% to 6.2. A pH of 6.0 isn't necessarily bad depending on the fish you are keeping. Most fish can adjust to any pH as long as it is stable.

 

[Ramsey]

Thanks for the comprehensive explanation. My filters are normal Juwel sponges and I use gravel as a substrate. I'll see if I can test the carbonate hardness of the water and post the readings.

Cheers

 

[IMCL85]

Holy macro 8ppm ??? Wow cory rules. Never knew they were hardy to this point. Sorry for ur loses .

 

[trace1]

sorry to jump in on some1s thread but CAN driftwood reduce the ph of a tank ??? or did i just read it wrong )

 

[rdd1952]

Driftwood can definitely lower the pH. The amount depends on the KH (buffering capacity) of your water. The higher the KH, the less effect driftwood (or any other pH effecting items) will have on the pH.

 

[trace1]

wow didn't know that driftwood could do that, now explains why the ph is always lower on my 2ft tank. thanks rdd

 

[Ramsey]

I haven't got a carbonate test so I'll order one and test soon.