Hi i am new to this and always looking for advice and new understandings
i was successfully running the tank with a few angels, 2 parrot cichlids, neon tetras, 2 ramfins, 4 tiger barbs and a catfish when i started noticing the oncoming of a bacteria bloom, took my water to get tested and my local tropical fishtank guy said i had a big ammonia spike most likely due to overfeeding. i was continously following the strict regime of nutrafin cycle supplement every 2 days and ammo lock and a minimal amount of food. after a few days i noticed all the fish up the top of the tank gasping which was due to the ammonia, that night i lost my two parrots, 1 ramhead and most of the tetras. since then its about 3 weeks later and i have been foloowing the regime and havent lost any since but i still have a big ammonia spike as i keep testing the water down the fish shop.
my main question is what am i doing wrong to keep the ammonia so high? also i am using an AquaEL Hexaset with aquael pump but the way the tank filters the water seems a bit naff, as it goes up the filter through a filter sponge to the other side and over a drop overflow but i get such a massive buildup of gunky white material in the side that should be filtering clean water through, is the sponge rubbish and i need a new one? i just made the mistake of taking out the sponge with the filtyer turned off to clean it (in the water i had taken from the tank) and it caused all the white buildup to go back down the filter tube and flood back into the tank cause it to look very very murky
i really appreciate anyones help, i can attach photos if nessecary
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i was successfully running the tank with a few angels, 2 parrot cichlids, neon tetras, 2 ramfins, 4 tiger barbs and a catfish when i started noticing the oncoming of a bacteria bloom, took my water to get tested and my local tropical fishtank guy said i had a big ammonia spike most likely due to overfeeding. i was continously following the strict regime of nutrafin cycle supplement every 2 days and ammo lock and a minimal amount of food. after a few days i noticed all the fish up the top of the tank gasping which was due to the ammonia, that night i lost my two parrots, 1 ramhead and most of the tetras. since then its about 3 weeks later and i have been foloowing the regime and havent lost any since but i still have a big ammonia spike as i keep testing the water down the fish shop.
my main question is what am i doing wrong to keep the ammonia so high? also i am using an AquaEL Hexaset with aquael pump but the way the tank filters the water seems a bit naff, as it goes up the filter through a filter sponge to the other side and over a drop overflow but i get such a massive buildup of gunky white material in the side that should be filtering clean water through, is the sponge rubbish and i need a new one? i just made the mistake of taking out the sponge with the filtyer turned off to clean it (in the water i had taken from the tank) and it caused all the white buildup to go back down the filter tube and flood back into the tank cause it to look very very murky
i really appreciate anyones help, i can attach photos if nessecary
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