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#Post#: 2153--------------------------------------------------
Help!!! Can't keep ammonia down!
By: stang66dad Date: March 22, 2015, 11:49 pm
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Hello everyone! The name is Doug and I currently reside in NY!
I wanted to reach out and see if I could get some help. I'm
having a huge issue with ammonia and I can't seem to get rid of
it. I bought an Aqueon 55gal starter kit for my two boys and
let the tank cycle before adding fish. I bought a master test
kit and tested the tank before I added fish. After the readings
were okay we went and added some fish to the tank. I added fish
over a few days as I did not want to bombard the tank with a ton
of fish all at once. Over the last two weeks my ammonia has
been at 8ppm (dark green) even at times it will be blue which
isnt even on the chart. It has not gone down despite the things
I have researched and tried! I did a 75% water change the other
day and when I tested the water 2 hours later and it was still
8ppm (I use a python gravel vac). I just dont understand. I
tested my tap water and it has 0 ammonia. The thing that
baffles me is that I have not lost any fish and its been two
weeks at this high rate. They swim around and look very healthy
and fine. No spots, no gill discoloration. I did go to the LFS
to check my water just in case my kit was messed up somehow and
they got the same results.
My current specs/readings are:
55gal Aqueon quiet flo filter (2 filter cartridges which are
caked and I swirled and cleared the debris in existing aquarium
water when I performed my last water change)
pH 6.8-7
Ammonia 8ppm
Nitrite 0ppm
Nitrate 0ppm
82 degrees
I have three plants in the tank (did have 6 but the fish
destroyed the others when I started only feeding them once a
day). I know that I definitely over fed them at the beginning
but have since kept it to once a day- very sparingly)
I have the following fish in the tank (all an inch or less
except pleco):
5 tiger bags (less than an inch for each)
2 black mollies
3 blue gouramis
3 rainbow sharks
1 red tail shark (half inch)
1 gold nugget pleco (inch and a half)
I have a feeling that I am about to get flamed on having an
overstocked tank haha. I was using API products until recently
I read about Prime and Stability. I have begun using them
instead of the API.. I have not been dosing the tank full of
chemicals altho I did use AmmoLock briefly.
Any advice would be great to have. I've read on this so much
since its been a problem for awhile but there are so many
suggestions out there and I have almost tried everything!!
Nothing is working!! :( I can't even get the rates to budge. I
hope someone can shed some light on this! Thank you in
advanced!
Doug
#Post#: 2154--------------------------------------------------
Re: Help!!! Can't keep ammonia down!
By: littlebuddy Date: March 23, 2015, 7:21 pm
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hey when I sent up my first tank I did the same thing, and had
the same problem. It did go down on its own after a month or
two. I just sent up my second tank (its a 55 gallon) and i
bought some Fluval Biological Enhancer and put that in just
before adding fish. Its been about a month and so far on
ammonia. You might what to try that.
Good Luck
#Post#: 2155--------------------------------------------------
Re: Help!!! Can't keep ammonia down!
By: PaulMartin61 Date: March 25, 2015, 5:31 pm
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Hi Doug and welcome to the forums!
I'd like to ask you a couple questions so we can help figure out
what's going on with your tank.
How long has it been up? Total time, from start to today's
date.
How many day's/weeks did you wait until you put fish in your
tank?
Did you add a 'cycling' product to your tank to speed up the
cycle process?
At first glance, it appears that your tank never really went
thru a complete cycle.
Now that you have as many fish as you do, your biological
bacteria is having problems taking care of the ammonia.
With an 8ppm reading, I'd be changing 50% of the water every
other day.
Your addition of Prime will start to help.
Remember, if your using Ammonia Lock your test results still
show total ammonia, as most test kits do not separate ammonia
(NH3) from ammonium (NH4 a less toxic form of ammonia)
I'm curious what your LFS suggested you do to correct your high
levels. Keep us up to date!
Paul
#Post#: 2157--------------------------------------------------
Re: Help!!! Can't keep ammonia down!
By: GaryJewett Date: March 26, 2015, 3:58 pm
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One thing that won't hurt is lower tank temperature to 75 or 76,
which will increase oxygen in the water to help beneficial
bacteria to increase to help remove ammonia, and Seachem Prime
will protect fish from ammonia and nitrites
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