Ammonia Spike And Problems!

[GTS_MAD]

how much water change i mean 50% twice aday?

or just a quater now?

 

[WILDER]

50% twice aday.

 

[GTS_MAD]

Thats just not posible for me though when working 12hour days, do you think i can change 25% every 2 days but keepan eye on the levels daily.

 

[WILDER]

It's up to you. But bad water quality can soon kill fish.
It burns there gills and skin.
It causes stress and a weak immune system.

 

[GTS_MAD]

are clown loach ment to hide away though like all day, and they are sitting on side of filter in the corner or at top of tank but all other fish are at front of tank swimming as usual.

 

[WILDER]

Not sure as I have never kept clown loaches.
Check over in tropical discussion.

 

[GTS_MAD]

Hi guys, iv done another water change today and the test now shows ammonia down to 0.50-1.0 but yesterday it was arounds the 8.0 mark.

I take it this is a good sign, what else should i do and look out for?

 

[WILDER]

Hi guys, iv done another water change today and the test now shows ammonia down to 0.50-1.0 but yesterday it was arounds the 8.0 mark.

I take it this is a good sign, what else should i do and look out for?

Keep doing water changes.
You need to look out for fish being pale, clamped fins, gasping or laboured breathing, darting, excess mucas, fish turning upside down, hiding, red inflamed gills.
All signs of bad water quality.

 

[onebto]

Hi guys, iv done another water change today and the test now shows ammonia down to 0.50-1.0 but yesterday it was arounds the 8.0 mark.

I take it this is a good sign, what else should i do and look out for?

Its a good start considering it was 8.0 which is a ridiculous level. I would recommend you set your sites high and not be happy till the Ammonia level is 0 constantly and that will require multiple water changes on a regular basis.

Clown loaches: They are known to be more active at night or when the lights are dim but they will become active in the day as they become more comfortable with there environment, they require lots of hiding places as well as other specific things to keep them happy but clean water is a basic MUST!

Do they have any caves to hide in?

what are you feeding them?

It is commonly thought the more caves and hiding places they have the more secure they feel and the more you will see them. I have witnessed this with my 8 clown loaches

Is your water Oxygenated enough? I recall you say you have an air stone in your tank these are used for visual effect mainly and inject very little oxygen into your aquariums water. The main way of injecting Oxygen in water is by surface agitation made by the water expelled by your filter pump head/outlet.

So your clown loaches could be hiding by your pump because that's what they do sometimes or it could be because that is the only place they feel anywhere near comfortable considering the environment they are/have been in, it is almost a definite that they are stressed out of there poor little minds due to the Ammonia levels you have had.

I seriously recommend constant daily water changes so you get consistent stats off:

Ammonia = 0.0
Nitrite = 0.0

The sooner you achieve this the better chance your fish have of surviving but with Ammonia levels of 8.0 you may have to resign yourself to further loss or permanent damage I really do hope this is not the case.

If you do not have one yet I recommend getting an API fresh water master test kit there cheapest on Ebay and some other on-line fish suppliers this will allow you to test your water accurately.

Clown Loaches like all fish require study and understanding to look after them correctly.

There is some advice in the fish index in this forum that I recommend you read and also I found this page very informative :

http/www.loaches.com/species-index/clown-loach-chromobotia-macracanthus

Good luck

Regards onebto.