Ammonia Spike

[Sausage]

Hi,

After over 5 months of 0 ammonia and 0 nitrite i seem to of had a bit of an Ammonia attack. Current reading is up to about 0.5 and water seems slightly cloudy with a few fish looking rather ill including one random death today.

Whats the best way to treat an ammonia spike? Mu nitrite i still reading 0. Should i stop feeding for a couple of days and do a big water change?

 

[OldMan47]

Don't worry too much about cutting the feeding. You are in dire need of at least one 50% water change. After that if you still have significant ammonia, do another one. That death is not random, it is the poisons in the water.

 

[Sausage]

Don't worry too much about cutting the feeding. You are in dire need of at least one 50% water change. After that if you still have significant ammonia, do another one. That death is not random, it is the poisons in the water.

Ok thanks, i'll get right on with the 50% water change. Regarding the feeding i think i am slightly overfeeding hence the ammonia rising, i feed twice a day, would 1 feed every other day be better? My current tank stocking is as follows:

50 litre

2 peppered corys
1 honey Gouramis
1 Ram
3 rummy noses

 

[OldMan47]

If you are careful with the amount that you feed, you could feed 5 times a day with no problems. If you can't control the amount too well, it would need to be very little, then daily or even longer intervals are called for. The actual number and size of fish can only matter in terms of the size of the tank as far as stocking levels. Another thing that will tell you if you are overstocked is that the filter can't keep up with the biological load. That assumes that you have not done anything to damage the bacterial colony in the filter, like changing the media the way manufacturers would suggest.