I Have Amonia

[scooterchick]

Disaster. Had flicking, flashing fish. Trreated with sterazin about 3 weeks ago, this improved things for about a week and then the flicking started again. For some mad reason, which I deeply regret now, I treated with a half dose of meth blue. Now I have a blue tank and worse of all amonia. Readings as follows:

Amonia - .5ppm
Nitrite - 0ppm
Nitrate - 5 ppm
PH - Steady at 7.5

Now would the blue coloured water affect the test? I'm going to do a big water change as soon as a finish this message. Is there anything else I can do? The tank is 37 gallon, inhabitants are 1 plec, 1 rtbs, 3 pearl gouramis, 4 diamond tetras, 4 golden barbs and 2 khuli loaches. The meth blue was added 36 hours ago, approx, and readings before than were perfect. After adding the meth blue one of my filters packed in, I had 2 fluval 3's in the tank, well established. When one of the died all I had was a spare fluval 1 which I put in using a bit of cut sponge from the broken one, I dropped the rest of the sponge into the tank hoping to keep the bacteria alive. I also added a clown fish air thing to add extra oxygen to the tank whilst treating it.

I have a 2 foot tank also, would it be worth taking some of the media from than and puttin it in the big tank to ease things? Would that be detrimental to the small tank?

Arggghhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Maximus]

I'd do a large water change (as you are) and grab a load of media from your other tank and put that in the filters

 

[scooterchick]

Thanks Max - Did a big change, but decided against taking media from the other tank becasue I thought..........this is what was going through my head as I was refilling teh tank.........if there's still meth blue in the tank, won't it kill the bacteria on the new filter anyway? So would I be as well doing daily changes for say....they next week, then when I've got my tank more or less back to clear water, putting some donated filter in then? Bearing in mind it takes around 2 weeks to cycle a filter, it could be a fruitless exercise at this stage?

 

[mikev]

Put the media in when the color of the water reaches very light blue. You can accelerate this process with fresh carbon.

 

[scooterchick]

Thanks Mikey, can't believe I didn't think of that. I have carbon, I'll go and do it right now.