Water change?! Help!

[killerz6]

About 2-3 days ago I did a water change to reduce ammonia. My ammonia levels dropped to safe according to the in tank monitor for a while, but now they're back up again. How offer can I do a 10 gallon water change on my 55 gallon tank? Everyday? Every other day? My ammonia levels are high :/

 

[Borderlesscott]

Is the tank just set up?

 

[killerz6]

About 2 months old maybe, water just turned crystal clear, and I mean crystal clear, right after doing a 12 gallon water change and adding cichlid salts and buffer max .55 gallon powered by an emperor 400 and penguin 350

 

[Borderlesscott]

Did you remember to use dechloranator?

 

[killerz6]

I have well water.

 

[Borderlesscott]

Must have been something in the water, it's usually the most obvious thing that does it. I would add some carbon into the filter incase there was something in the water, some Prime and Stability. Prime can also detoxify ammonia for 24 hours to give you a break.

 

[killerz6]

I have the media cartridges in my Marineland emperor 400 full of activated carbon

 

[Ian086]

About 2-3 days ago I did a water change to reduce ammonia. My ammonia levels dropped to safe according to the in tank monitor for a while, but now they're back up again. How offer can I do a 10 gallon water change on my 55 gallon tank? Everyday? Every other day? My ammonia levels are high :/View attachment 213975

I would recommend getting a liquid test kit(API). I doubt those monitors are as aquarite as the liquid test kits. You can do large water changes as much as you like, back to back 50% water changes, no problem. What does the monitor consider safe??. Ideally it should be zero....
What was the Ammonia reading before the water change??. How much and how often are you doing water changes??

 

[killerz6]

I've been doing water changes once a week and changing 25% of the water. The safe reading for the monitor is <0.02ppm. The monitor was reading 0.2ppm before the water change. Went down to safe after the water change then back up to 0.2ppm. I added cichlid salts and buffer max after the water change but the ammonia levels read the same before the water change without the salts so I doubt it's the salts

 

[Ian086]

I've been doing water changes once a week and changing 25% of the water. The safe reading for the monitor is <0.02ppm. The monitor was reading 0.2ppm before the water change. Went down to safe after the water change then back up to 0.2ppm. I added cichlid salts and buffer max after the water change but the ammonia levels read the same before the water change without the salts so I doubt it's the salts

I would do 50% but I would still look into getting a water test kit. The salts won't have any effect on Ammonia.

 

[killerz6]

So what do you think could be affecting it? The fish eat, the tank is filtering 18,000 gallons a day. Temp stays about the same 24/7.

 

[Ian086]

So what do you think could be affecting it? The fish eat, the tank is filtering 18,000 gallons a day. Temp stays about the same 24/7.

Have you a test for Nitrites??. Are you sure your cycled. Maybe over feeding, or a dead fish hidden from view. How often do you feed. Is there any food left over from feeding??

 

[killerz6]

I feed them slowly, I watch them eat 95% of what I feed them. The gravel looks very clean, I give them a day off from feeding and they pick through the gravel and eat the other stuff. I feed them sinking pellets, flakes, frozen shrimp, and some other frozen food. I had my buddy test things a few weeks ago and he said in a few weeks things would be good. He has a 110 saltwater and a 55 gal cichlid.

 

[killerz6]

I feed them twice a day, and there's no dead fish I check everyday, I'm stumped :/

 

[Ian086]

I feed them twice a day, and there's no dead fish I check everyday, I'm stumped :/

Ah, that could be an issue. I would cut that to once a day and even leave out feeding for two days a week. I only feed mine every other day. The more they are feed, the more waste they produce. Have you cleaned your filter recently??

 

[killerz6]

No but I have checked them and they do not look dirty at all.

 

[Ian086]

No but I have checked them and they do not look dirty at all.

I just thought if you cleaned the filter recently, that could be the cause. I would try cutting back the feeding, get a liquid test kit and see how you get on from there.....

 

[killerz6]

Okay thank you!

 

[Ian086]

Okay thank you!

No problem. Let us know how you get on....

 

[killerz6]

I would recommend getting a liquid test kit(API). I doubt those monitors are as aquarite as the liquid test kits. You can do large water changes as much as you like, back to back 50% water changes, no problem. What does the monitor consider safe??. Ideally it should be zero....
What was the Ammonia reading before the water change??. How much and how often are you doing water changes??

Above you said I can do water changes back to back. Now when I do water changes I have to replace the cichlid salts and the natural trace and the buffer max, correct? (Replace the chemicals in my tank) And I have to do that every time correct? So do I have to add the chemicals everytime or can I just keep doing several water changes and then replace all the chemicals after doing all the water changes. Cause my ammonia hasn't changed so I'm thinking about doing several 25-30% water changes