Really high amonia

[Lindsay]

I have a 130 litre tank that is about three weeks old. When it was started up we used the water from our old 55 litre tank and added the rest in ro water from Maidenhead Aquatics. I have stupidly high amonia levels of at least 7.3 on my chart. My nitrates are about 10 and nitrites are next to nothing, My PH is about 8.2. I have been doing regular water changes every 2 days of about 10% and can not get the amonia to come down. I have a Bio Life filter and have run out of ideas. I am so afraid that my fish will die. I have Neon and Glowlight Tetras, male Guppys, 1 Ancistrius, Panda Corrys and Pepered Corrys

Please Help!

 

[Alien Anna]

Lindsay,
the matured water didn't contain sufficient bacteria to get the nitrogen cycle going properly in your new tank (the bacteria that turn ammonia into nitrite and nitrite into nitrate). Can you get some gravel and filter media from the old tank as well? They will contain the beneficial bacteria and start your tank "cycling" (if you can't put the filter media in your new filter, put it in an old stocking and suspend it near the water outlet or air-pump).

In the meantime, you need to do much larger water changes as long as you have ammonia and later as the nitrite levels begin to spike. Change 20% daily as a bare minimum, as much as twice daily while the levels remain so toxic.

Don't feed your fish AT ALL for the next 3 or 4 days (it's good for fish to fast sometimes and will cut down on the waste and ammonia they produce) and then feed them very sparingly until ammonia and nitrite levels are zero (i.e. until the tank has cycled). If you have a spare air-pump, stick an air-stone in for luck.

If you can get the shop to keep your fish for you in a cycled tank until you are ready, that will probably be the safest thing to do, or put them back in the old tank. Cycling the tank will probably take a few weeks (with fish), a couple of weeks if you do fishless cycling.

Good luck.

 

[Feargal]

Welcome Lindsay,

..and I see you have already got some advice from Anna.

Sorry I was not able to reply sooner.

Anna is correct the water does not contain the bacteria that convert Ammonia, Nitrite, etc. They live on your filter medium (gravel).

As Anna says if you can get some gravel from your old tank, or from any one else who has an established tank, that will help bring the readings down.

I think Anna has covered the rest pretty well.

 

[Lindsay]

If I was to add something to help it cyle such as Cycle would it help my tank?

 

[Davy Reynolds]

Hi Lindsay, welcome to the fourum. Me I'm Davy, he who drinks to many bears, yes bears. Also some refer to me as boss :laugh:

Not a lot of us (memberbers to this forum) like that cycle really does much. At most it helps by a day or two. Here the evidence, also a quote from hagen thereselfs
http/fish.orbust.net/cgi-bin....1;t=135

As Anna says dont feed. This will produce less waste.

COuld you tell me what fish you have in the tank. Also how often do you feed them and how much. How often do you touch the filter and how well do you clean it.

Think that should do. If anything buy ammo-lock, it turns the ammonia into a harmless form

 

[Lindsay]

I have 6 Neon Tetra, 6 Glowlight Tetra, 1 Ancistrius, 5 Guppy, 4 Panda Corry and 4 Peppered Corry. I have only cleaned the filter once and made sure not to clean it too much so that it still had stuff in it. I was only feeding me fish about once every two days to try and cut down on the waste but now I feed them once a day.

Thanks for the help!

 

[Dragonslair]

Hi Lindsay and welcome to the forum. Just wondering. Where are you from? :what:

 

[Lindsay]

Dragonlair

I am from Canada now living in Berkshire.

 

[Macquatic]

Hi Lindsay, welcome to the madhouse, we're a friendly bunch and help as much as we can. Your problems have been pretty much covered. As Davy mentioned, the only thing to add is Ammo-lock it neutralises the ammonia although you will still get positive readings from your test kit. Keep us posted on developments. Mac.

 

[Davy Reynolds]

Your not over stocked, your not feeding to much and the filter seems good enough.
The only other thing I'd check is that the tape water does not contain Ammonia. It's rare but does happen.

Anna has the best advice. Do water changes and add ammo-lock. With time this should resolve its-self. Keep an eye on the fish and report any happenings.

Other than that, good husbandary and time will prove best.

 

[pete]

When you wash your filter media how do you wash it?....ie under the tap or in your old tank water?

Also how well do you wash the sponges etc...lightly or really well

If you are washing the sponges under the tap DONT as you will wipe out up to 98% of the friendly bacteria contained in there and even if you dont wash them under the tap DONT wash them too well or will still loose up to 45% of the bacteria even if washing in the old tank water (which is what you should be doing by the way)

And as davy and others have suggested already get some ammo loc in the tank A.S.A.P as this will help your fish no end

Also add an airpump with 1 or 2 airstones to oxygenate the water as your fish will also benefit from this

Hope things improve soon for you and your fish and please keep us posted as to any more problems and any progress that you think may be of interest to us

 

[adeyc]

Lyndsay looks as if everything's been covered here so I'll just say keep us informed as to any changes good or bad. We like to know if we've hepled sort a problem as it makes our heads swell. lol

 

[Rose]

I would use AmQuel instead of Ammo Lock only cuz ammo lock dosen't really do anything to the ammonia.  Where as AmQuel will turn toxic ammonia into non toxic.  The other thing with AmQuel is you need to use a non nestler regent (ammonia tester) in order to get correct readings.  You can also dose as many times as needed with out effecting the fish.  Here are a couple of things you might wanna read regarding AmQuel that will you out in figureing out what to use for your ammonia problems.

AmQuel and NovAqua article by JFK (inventor of both)

AmQuel Data Sheet (On the left hand side you can also find the data sheet for NovAqua and PolyAqua)

 

[Lindsay]

I am doing regular water changes but nothing seems to be happening yet. Any other advice.

Thank you everybody for your help!