I cannot get ready of Ammonia in my tank-Help!

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D.W.

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Hi,

I have a 10 gallons tank that is about 45 days old. I cycled the tank by adding bacteria. After gradually adding a few guppies and a 2 mollies my tank did great. However, the Molly had 12 babies, and I did not have another tank to separate them. Around the same time, my tap water started testing positive for Ammonia after I made a couple water changes without testing my tap water. After introducing the ammonia, I lost several fish. Currently, I only have in the tank 1 adult molly and two baby molly about 1/2 inches long.
The highest level I had for ammonia was 1ppm. After doing 50% daily water changes for 6 days, I got the level down to 0.25ppm. After that, regardless the daily 50% water change for 5 more days, the ammonia is still 0.25%. I went down to 25% water change yesterday, and today, I started 5% daily water changes, because I worry about eliminating the bacteria.

This is how I have been treating the tank:
- For the water changes, I use reverse osmosis water with a very low Ph. Therefore, I add baking soda to the water before I add it to the tank to maintain the tank water Ph around 7.8 and 8 (ideal for Molly)
- I add bacteria every day when I change the water.
- I added aquarium salt (1/2 doses for a level I bath), because I bought the fish from a place that adds salt to their tanks.
- I do not use any chemicals in my tank.
- I feed vegetables to my fish in the morning (I made sure the left over are remove after 5 minutes) and flakes in the evening. There is not overfeeding with the flakes.
- I have a filter (the appropriate size for the tank), and also a air stone.
- I vacuum the gravel every week, and I clean the filter pad every week. I change the filter pad every 4 weeks.
- I also keep the old filter pad behind the new one for two weeks before I remove it.
- I also have a small plant I added two days ago.
- The decorations are artificial and have been with the tank since the beginning.

My water parameters during these past two weeks are:
- Ammonia with (API test): 0.25ppm. Same kit has been used in the another tank reading zero ammonia (it is not defective)
- Calculated free ammonia: 0.155 ppm
- Nitrites: 0 ppm
- Nitrates: 0 ppm
- Hardiness: 25 ppm
- Alkalinity: 120 ppm
- PH: 8
- Temperature: 80 F.
These parameters have been constant for about a week.

I really do not know what else to do. My fist are doing great. I believe my tank is not cycled. But, I also do not want to stress my fish with more big water changes. My plan is to do 5% daily water changes until my tank cycles as long as the ammonia does not go over 0.25. Am I in the correct path? Or should I continue with bigger water changes until the ammonia reads zero? I am a Vet, but I do not have experience with fish. This is my first tank.

I appreciate any advice.

Deya
 
Hi,

I have a 10 gallons tank that is about 45 days old. I cycled the tank by adding bacteria. After gradually adding a few guppies and a 2 mollies my tank did great. However, the Molly had 12 babies, and I did not have another tank to separate them. Around the same time, my tap water started testing positive for Ammonia after I made a couple water changes without testing my tap water. After introducing the ammonia, I lost several fish. Currently, I only have in the tank 1 adult molly and two baby molly about 1/2 inches long.
The highest level I had for ammonia was 1ppm. After doing 50% daily water changes for 6 days, I got the level down to 0.25ppm. After that, regardless the daily 50% water change for 5 more days, the ammonia is still 0.25%. I went down to 25% water change yesterday, and today, I started 5% daily water changes, because I worry about eliminating the bacteria.

This is how I have been treating the tank:
- For the water changes, I use reverse osmosis water with a very low Ph. Therefore, I add baking soda to the water before I add it to the tank to maintain the tank water Ph around 7.8 and 8 (ideal for Molly)
- I add bacteria every day when I change the water.
- I added aquarium salt (1/2 doses for a level I bath), because I bought the fish from a place that adds salt to their tanks.
- I do not use any chemicals in my tank.
- I feed vegetables to my fish in the morning (I made sure the left over are remove after 5 minutes) and flakes in the evening. There is not overfeeding with the flakes.
- I have a filter (the appropriate size for the tank), and also a air stone.
- I vacuum the gravel every week, and I clean the filter pad every week. I change the filter pad every 4 weeks.
- I also keep the old filter pad behind the new one for two weeks before I remove it.
- I also have a small plant I added two days ago.
- The decorations are artificial and have been with the tank since the beginning.

My water parameters during these past two weeks are:
- Ammonia with (API test): 0.25ppm. Same kit has been used in the another tank reading zero ammonia (it is not defective)
- Calculated free ammonia: 0.155 ppm
- Nitrites: 0 ppm
- Nitrates: 0 ppm
- Hardiness: 25 ppm
- Alkalinity: 120 ppm
- PH: 8
- Temperature: 80 F.
These parameters have been constant for about a week.

I really do not know what else to do. My fist are doing great. I believe my tank is not cycled. But, I also do not want to stress my fish with more big water changes. My plan is to do 5% daily water changes until my tank cycles as long as the ammonia does not go over 0.25. Am I in the correct path? Or should I continue with bigger water changes until the ammonia reads zero? I am a Vet, but I do not have experience with fish. This is my first tank.

I appreciate any advice

Hi,

I have a 10 gallons tank that is about 45 days old. I cycled the tank by adding bacteria. After gradually adding a few guppies and a 2 mollies my tank did great. However, the Molly had 12 babies, and I did not have another tank to separate them. Around the same time, my tap water started testing positive for Ammonia after I made a couple water changes without testing my tap water. After introducing the ammonia, I lost several fish. Currently, I only have in the tank 1 adult molly and two baby molly about 1/2 inches long.
The highest level I had for ammonia was 1ppm. After doing 50% daily water changes for 6 days, I got the level down to 0.25ppm. After that, regardless the daily 50% water change for 5 more days, the ammonia is still 0.25%. I went down to 25% water change yesterday, and today, I started 5% daily water changes, because I worry about eliminating the bacteria.

This is how I have been treating the tank:
- For the water changes, I use reverse osmosis water with a very low Ph. Therefore, I add baking soda to the water before I add it to the tank to maintain the tank water Ph around 7.8 and 8 (ideal for Molly)
- I add bacteria every day when I change the water.
- I added aquarium salt (1/2 doses for a level I bath), because I bought the fish from a place that adds salt to their tanks.
- I do not use any chemicals in my tank.
- I feed vegetables to my fish in the morning (I made sure the left over are remove after 5 minutes) and flakes in the evening. There is not overfeeding with the flakes.
- I have a filter (the appropriate size for the tank), and also a air stone.
- I vacuum the gravel every week, and I clean the filter pad every week. I change the filter pad every 4 weeks.
- I also keep the old filter pad behind the new one for two weeks before I remove it.
- I also have a small plant I added two days ago.
- The decorations are artificial and have been with the tank since the beginning.

My water parameters during these past two weeks are:
- Ammonia with (API test): 0.25ppm. Same kit has been used in the another tank reading zero ammonia (it is not defective)
- Calculated free ammonia: 0.155 ppm
- Nitrites: 0 ppm
- Nitrates: 0 ppm
- Hardiness: 25 ppm
- Alkalinity: 120 ppm
- PH: 8
- Temperature: 80 F.
These parameters have been constant for about a week.

I really do not know what else to do. My fist are doing great. I believe my tank is not cycled. But, I also do not want to stress my fish with more big water changes. My plan is to do 5% daily water changes until my tank cycles as long as the ammonia does not go over 0.25. Am I in the correct path? Or should I continue with bigger water changes until the ammonia reads zero? I am a Vet, but I do not have experience with fish. This is my first tank.

I appreciate any advice.

Deya
Sounds like I would try and just give the tank some time to re cycle itself but unfortunately that's going to be hard with the molly's because they are known to being DIRTY fish. but that's just my input. just got unlucky with the sudden amount of molly babies that all came at once which made your tank go completely out of wack. You got any live plants in there? Those help out a lot.
 
Yes, I added two small Helanthium bolivianum "Quadricostatus". I also have a Hornwort in the hospital tank, which will be added to the tank in a week. I am trying to move into real plants slowly, because that is a new field for me. Thanks a lot for the reply. I will continue with small daily water changes and keeping and eye on the ammonia.
 
Hi! If you have any amount of ammonia in your tank, your tank is not cycled. You are now doing a fish-in cycle, so you need to start doing large daily water changes, 75% or more until your tank reaches 0ppm over a period over several days. Most municipal tap water contains ammonia to some degree, so from here on out always use a conditioner like Prime when doing water changes, which detoxifies ammonia so that your cycled filter will be able to process it. Don't worry about stressing your fish with a water change, the ammonia will stress them far more than changing the water.
 
Thank you so much for the advice. I will increase the water changes.
 

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