Ammonia Spike

[craig855s]

Hey folks, just to recap,had fish in the tank for over 8 weeks now (fish in cycle) and had 0 and 0 on the ammonia and nitrite fronts until today (tested last friday night and it was 0-0,tonight tested it to find ammonia at 1 (others normal) done a 40-50% water change and tested again just now and ammonia is still up at 1)

Last week when i done the water change i added an ornamental bridge thing and a plastic plant..took the bridge out tonight as the paint was all bubbled (it was an aquarium ornament)

What do we think is causing it, will be doing another 50% change tomorrow morning and maybe again tomorrow evening to try and get the ammonia down until the filter can control the level again.

Ive had 2 snails early on in the week (no idea where they came from,but ive got them out when i found em)

 

[rdd1952]

Have you added anything other than the decorations? Any chemicals, fish, etc.? Any fish missing> A dead fish that goes unnoticed can cause a big spike.

 

[fatheadminnow]

Do you have any other source of ammonia in the tank other than fish waste?

It is very easy to over-feed, especially when just starting in the hobby, IME. Left over fish food that has gone uneaten will sink to the bottom and will eventually start to produce ammonia.

When you do water changes, do you use a gravel vac and suck all the debris/left over food up?

What we are doing in our aquariums, is trying to mimic what happens naturally in the wild(Colonizing beneficial bacteria in our filters). So it is very easy to have minor "hiccups" every now and then. Just as long as you catch them and act accordingly, and in your case doing water changes and knowing eventually it will clear.

Just see of there is not any left over fish food on the bottom, which can produce ammonia.

-FHM

 

[rdd1952]

One thing I forgot to ask is what size tank is it and what is in it? Smaller tanks are much more prone to blips as the less water, the more likely a small issue can cause a problem. As I mentioned in the first post, a dead fish can cause an ammonia spike. But the effects are much worse in say a 10 gallon tank than a 75 gallon tank as the ammonia is much more concentrated in only 10 gallons.

 

[craig855s]

No dead fish,its a 17L tank with 3 danios and 5 harlequin rasbora in (all only young and small yet and im getting a 90L tank in a week)

Ive just realised that last week when i got the plastic plant and the bridge thing i took my live plant out...as it was constantly losing needles and blocking the filter intake.

So i think the ammonia that the plant used to absorb is now being left for the filter to do so the filter is currently adapting to the increased load on it? maybe?

either that or the bridge things ruined paint has caused it?

I use a gravel vac and get the food etc out of the gravel when doing water changes so its not a build up of that...

Done a test (results 1.0 ammonia again) and then 50-60% water change and retest (1.0 again?!) just before.will be doing it again later on.

Should i skip feeding them tonight? should i turn my filters speed up so it creates more bubbles? (it uses a venturi thing and when turned up high makes the water very airated)

 

[rdd1952]

You may want to test your tap water just to check/calibrate the test kit. Could be an issue with it or it's possible the ammonia is in the tap water. One other thing you could do is switch to dechlorinator like Prime of Ammo-Lock that detoxifies ammonia. It will still show on your test kit but most will be harmless.

I don't think the one plant would be an issue. A single plant wouldn't use enough ammonia to matter. The filter bacteria would have caught up with that amount without you ever noticing it. The bridge might be the issue. Its ossilbe the paint did something to kill off the bacteria. You will also need to keep an eye on nitrite. If you bacteria colony was wiped out, once the ammonia starts processing, you will begin to see a nitrite spike too.

 

[craig855s]

cheers, i think the non-waterproof paint has done something to my filter bacteria. Ill continue to do water changes twice a day until its all back to normal..and ill keep an eye on the levels to see if it cycles through.

How much harm is this going to do to my fish?

 

[rdd1952]

If you keep the ammonia and nitrite down and use a detoxifier for the ammonia, the harm to the fish should be minimal. I wonder if the paint will have any effect on them. Also I didn't mention it inthe last post but when you are doing 50% water changes and the ammonia reading isn't dropping, something is wrong there. That's why I am led to believe that the ammonia could be in your water supply.

 

[craig855s]

it wasnt last week as i done a tap water test last week and found 0-0-10 and a ph of 7.6ish

 

[craig855s]

just done a 50-60% water change and the results are in.
Pre water change it was 1..again, nitrite is 0
Post water change got it to 0.25,with 0 nitrite

Will do another water change in the morn(try and change more than 60%) and ill need to buy more dechlorinator,will get some ammo lock while im there

 

[rdd1952]

Looks like the WCs are working then. If you need dechlor, get Prime or Ammo-Lock (is a dechlor too). Both will detoxify the ammonia that is present when it's added.

If the paint did wipe out your bacteria, you probably need to change your filter media too. It could be that it has absorbed (or adsorbed) some of what ever it was and may prevent the tank from cycling. WHat type media are you using?

 

[craig855s]

media is foam,in an ELITE mini filter. Conviniently i actually have "replacement foams" for it as when i first got it i read the manual which said change the media every 4 weeks (how stupid is that for a recomendation,ELITE would rather have my money than have me using a cycled tank)

Should i put the new media in the filter and throw the old stuff? or maybe leave the old media in the tank aswell in case it has some good bacteria on there?

Should i admit defeat and start a fish in cycle on new media sooner rather than later?

 

[rdd1952]

This is just my opinion but I think I would change the foam and start over. It certainly appears as though your bacteria colony is wiped out. Are you seeing any rise in nitrate? If so, then your bacteria is probably somewhat in place as the only way to get nitrate is via the cycling process. If the nitrate isn't rising, then it's a pretty safe assumption that the bacteria are gone.

 

[OldMan47]

I would not be too quick to admit defeat when it comes to having an effective biological filter. Any progress that your present filter media has made, will be lost if you arbitrarily give up and replace that media. I would carefully review what your present media is doing for you and only dispose of it if I found it was totally useless. Any progress made by the present media is progress you will not enjoy if the media is replaced. This should not be interpreted as a recommendation to keep unfit media but merely a caution that you may benefit from progress made up to this point if you are careful about your next move.

 

[craig855s]

after this mornings water change ive tested the water and im at what appears to be 0ppm. with 0 nitrite too..or nitrate..the one ammonia becomes.

Ill test the water again at around 7 or 8PM and if im back up to .25 its time for another water change. how long does it take for nitrite spike to begin appearing during a cycle