Ammonia/nitrite Problem. Help!

[bliss_OG]

Hi, I have a 250 litre tank. This tank was running with 9 guppies but 7 died from fin rot causing a very large ammonia spike while I was on holiday. When I got home I treated the 2 guppies and left the tank running for 3 weeks with just those fish. Last Sunday I added 5 ottos (1 died), 6 black widow tetras (1 died), 5 guppies (4 died, the original 2 are still there) and 1 rainbow shark. I think I made the newbie mistake of adding too many fish at once.

Water tests, this week;
Tuesday- pH 7.2
Ammonia 4
Nitrite .025
25% water change
Today (Friday)- pH 7.4
Ammonia 1
Nitrite 4.

I won't make the mistake of assuming any more. Thanks in advance

 

[Cazgar]

The ammonia & nitrite reading is still too high, you need to do a large water change, test again, the maybe do another large water change

 

[Xraymark]

The ammonia & nitrite reading is still too high, you need to do a large water change, test again, the maybe do another large water change

Yeah agree. Need to get your ammonia and nitrite below 0.25. Big water changes. Those levels are high. If you can keep up the water changes your fish will be fine.

 

[bliss_OG]

I meant Tuesday nitrite .25 and today nitrite 5. I am on my phone and therefore can't edit posts

 

[dh058977]

Nirite of 5?! Im suprised your fish are still alive. You really need to do a massive water change asap. Take out enough water so that the fish barely have enough room to swim upright and replace it with temp matched dechlorinated water.

 

[phoenixgsd]

Water tests, this week;
Tuesday- pH 7.2
Ammonia 4
Nitrite .025
25% water change
Today (Friday)- pH 7.4
Ammonia 1
Nitrite 4.

2 nitrite readings on tuesday? do you mean nitrite .25ppm and nitrAte of 4, your ammonia level of 4 is sky high, you should have done a massive water changes of 90%, todays readings of ammonia 1 and nitrite of 4 still requires the regular massive water changes, or do you mean nitrAte is still 4?

 

[bliss_OG]

I meant .25 nitrite and 4 ammonia on Tuesday. And 5 nitrate and 1 ammonia today

 

[phoenixgsd]

ahhh ok, well im sure your aware by now that you need huge regular water changes for a fish in cycle if you want to keep your fish alive, at the begining of my fish in cycle i did 50% every day and 95% once a week i only lost one fish, your filter needs to catch up with the load you've suddenly given it, be prepared for a high water bill

 

[bliss_OG]

Alright, thanks mate

 

[CezzaXV]

In the future, only add a few fish at the time. The filter will cycle to the amount of fish you have, so of you suddenly add a bunch more they won't be able to keep up, landing you in the predicament you're in now.

Basically, just keep testing your water once or twice a day and do a big water change whenever you got a reading for ammonia or nitrite. Eventually you'll stop getting readings for them, then it's safe to add fish, but only a few at a time (I wouldnt up your stocking by more than say 20% at a gonto be safe) and try to leave it a week or two between batches of new fish.

 

[OldMan47]

Bliss, stop adding fish to that overpopulated tank. You need to do several very large water changes to get both ammonia and nitrites to less than 0.25 ppm. Your tank might not be overpopulated if it was properly processing ammonia but it is not. Until it is, do not add any fish at all. Continue to monitor both ammonia and nitrites and any time either level rises above 0.25 ppm, do a large water change. With a nitrite of 5 that means a water change equivalent to 95% if it is only 5 ppm. In reality most test kits cannot read anything more than 5 ppm so you may well have far more than 5 ppm. I doubt that can be done with a single water change, hence the recommendation of several large water changes. By large I am suggesting at least 80% each time, not some puny little 50% changes.