Ammonia levels rising in tank- help!

[lednura]

Tuesday I bought 5 guppies to add to my 160L tank that already houses 5 neon tetras. Since adding the guppies my ammonia levels have increased due to the increasing bio matter.
I read that guppies need to be fed 3 times a day due to how active they are- so I fed them 3 times a day (including my tetras), the only problem was they were also eating the food that was for the tetras, which I later figured out how to avoid.
Last night I tested my water and my ammonia level was 0.25, when before the guppies it was continuously at 0. I couldn't do anything until this morning when I went to my local pet store and picked up some Quick Start and also some Ammo-Lock to detoxify my ammonia. When I got home I did a 30-40% water change and vacuumed my gravel as well, added in all my water conditioners etc, along with the Quick Start and Ammo-Lock. Returned from work tonight and did another ammonia test and my ammonia has gone up to between 0.25 and 0.50!?! I know the Ammo-Lock detoxifies the ammonia but what the hell!? How did this happen!?
I tested my tap water and it's at 0 ammonia!? WHAT IS CAUSING THIS!?

It's also worth noting that I bought another piece of driftwood today for my tank (I've had previous problems with lowering my pH) and I boiled it to clean it. I only fed my fish once today to prevent excess waste to have a better reading of my levels, my tank is also planted (had to get rid of a lot of one of my plants today due to algae but then added in an algae conditioner)
A friend of mine suggested doing a 50% water change if it doesn't change. Another question I have is should I still add in my conditioners etc or not if I'm having to do water changes everyday?

Please help!

 

[Yorg]

Tuesday I bought 5 guppies to add to my 160L tank that already houses 5 neon tetras. Since adding the guppies my ammonia levels have increased due to the increasing bio matter.
I read that guppies need to be fed 3 times a day due to how active they are- so I fed them 3 times a day (including my tetras), the only problem was they were also eating the food that was for the tetras, which I later figured out how to avoid.
Last night I tested my water and my ammonia level was 0.25, when before the guppies it was continuously at 0. I couldn't do anything until this morning when I went to my local pet store and picked up some Quick Start and also some Ammo-Lock to detoxify my ammonia. When I got home I did a 30-40% water change and vacuumed my gravel as well, added in all my water conditioners etc, along with the Quick Start and Ammo-Lock. Returned from work tonight and did another ammonia test and my ammonia has gone up to between 0.25 and 0.50!?! I know the Ammo-Lock detoxifies the ammonia but what the hell!? How did this happen!?
I tested my tap water and it's at 0 ammonia!? WHAT IS CAUSING THIS!?

It's also worth noting that I bought another piece of driftwood today for my tank (I've had previous problems with lowering my pH) and I boiled it to clean it. I only fed my fish once today to prevent excess waste to have a better reading of my levels, my tank is also planted (had to get rid of a lot of one of my plants today due to algae but then added in an algae conditioner)
A friend of mine suggested doing a 50% water change if it doesn't change. Another question I have is should I still add in my conditioners etc or not if I'm having to do water changes everyday?

Please help!

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The addition of the guppies and the very large quantities of food you're putting in the tank might have overwhelmed your beneficial bacteria and caused a mini-cycle. Since you're using a product that detoxifies ammonia your fish should be fine for now without the large water changes. You might want to cut back on the amount of food you're putting in the tank, though. Three times a day is not necessary. Perhaps you could drop down to once a day and see how quickly you can get the ammonia back down to zero?

A big water change probably isn't necessary until you figure out what happened to your cycle. Are you monitoring your nitrite and nitrate as well? If you are getting a mini-cycle then you might see nitrite again, too, until the bacteria have caught up with the increased bioload. Water changes are never a bad idea, but getting your cycle reestablished is probably a bit more important right now.

I've kept guppies on and off for years, and I've never fed them more than once per day, often less than that. They've done just fine on that feeding regimen.

 

[lednura]

I checked everything today with my testing kit, Nitrites and Nitrates are both at 0 but ammonia seems to have stuck at the same range as yesterdays testing. Only fed the fish once yesterday and once today.

 

[lednura]

Maybe it is worth noting that I have live plants in my tank. Noticed some algae on one of my plants, took it out to clean it off an noticed it was on a lot of my plants and ended up tossing most of it out. I'm so lost and I don't know what else I can do. I put more Quick Start in tonight because the bottle said to do so if there was any ammonia/nitrites visible and if it's still not down tomorrow I will have to put more Ammo-Lock in. Either that or I do a 50% water change and hope for the best.

Should I just remove the remainder of that plant I have left or not? Should I wash my filter cartridge thing or not? So many questions and not enough time I just don't want to hurt my fish and lose them...

 

[Yorg]

Maybe it is worth noting that I have live plants in my tank. Noticed some algae on one of my plants, took it out to clean it off an noticed it was on a lot of my plants and ended up tossing most of it out. I'm so lost and I don't know what else I can do. I put more Quick Start in tonight because the bottle said to do so if there was any ammonia/nitrites visible and if it's still not down tomorrow I will have to put more Ammo-Lock in. Either that or I do a 50% water change and hope for the best.

Should I just remove the remainder of that plant I have left or not? Should I wash my filter cartridge thing or not? So many questions and not enough time I just don't want to hurt my fish and lose them...

******************************************
Hi lednura:

No, there's no need to do anything with the plants right now. In fact, while you're working on the ammonia issue it's probably best not to disturb the tank in any way, except for your regular water changes & gravel vacuuming. The Ammo-Lock should help protect your fish from ammonia poisoning.

What kind of filter do you have? What is the cartridge you mentioned (does it hold all or part of the filter media?)? I wouldn't wash it or disturb it in any way unless there is an actual problem that prevents it from filtering. Beneficial bacteria will colonize your filter media (and other surfaces in the tank as well), and it's best not to disturb them unless you absolutely have to for some reason.

I've never used the Quick Start product; does it have you add regular doses over time, or does it advise a one or two large doses once you have an ammonia supply in the tank?

 

[lednura]

I have a hang on filter, AquaOne, I think a 400, not sure. And the filter cartidridge is a carbon cartridge. I had to do a 50% water change today and the ammonia has gone down to 0.25, so I'll have to do a second one tomorrow.
Quick Start is supposed to quickly cycle your tank by adding in the appropriate bacteria, I set up my tank 2 weeks ago and used that, and it worked really well for me and my tank. I only had the ammonia spike once I added my guppies and the whole feeding situation etc.

If the ammonia levels aren't at 0 after tomorrow's water change I honestly have no idea what to do or what's causing this to happen in my tank.

 

[nirbhao]

Like Yorg said, it's probably a mini cycle - or an actual cycle. What are your nitrates?

Neon tetras have a very small bioload, and adding a lot of ammonia- creating stuff all at once could overload your nitrifying bacteria.

It's okay! You'll get through it!

Have you considered using Prime? It's very good about detoxifying ammonia and nitrites. It's also a water conditioner that you use with each water change.

 

[lednura]

What do you mean by adding a lot of ammonia creating stuff?
My nitrites and nitrates are both at 0. Ph is at about 7.4/7.6, I've been struggling to keep my pH down but I was advised to just work with it.

 

[nirbhao]

Yeah your pH is fine.

Guppies look small, but they do eat and poop (create ammonia) quite a bit. Uneaten food also creates ammonia.

It does look like your tank isn't cycled yet. Keep feedings minimal for now.

 

[lednura]

I purchased some Prime online, should get to me by Friday morning. After purchasing I realised it's basically the same thing as Ammo-Lock in which it just detoxifies ammonia but doesn't get rid of it.
Did another 50% water change today, ammonia is still at 0.25, yesterday was 0.50.
Getting really frustrated because I have no idea what's causing it to stick and not go away.

 

[nirbhao]

It's not going away because your tank is still cycling.

Prime is a water conditioner. It's meant to be used with each water change. Ammo-Lock is an emergency tool. You don't want something that will make ammonia go away, because then your nitrifying bacteria would starve.

 

[lednura]

So will Prime protect my tank for longer? Ammo-Lock says to treat every two days until no ammonia is detected, and if still detected after 7 days to do a 50% water change.

 

[nirbhao]

A couple of things-
1. You should be doing weekly water changes anyway.
2. Prime lasts 24 hours. While you're cycling, water changes daily or every other day might be a good idea.
3. Again, Ammo-Lock is an emergency tool. You will not be using it long term.

 

[gilpi]

Five guppies and five neons somehow IMO don't seem to be that many fish for that size tank. I'm thinking more how much you feed your fish and/or your filter could be the problem. Another issue could be your cycling, whether it is complete or not since you mentioned zero nitrites and nitrates.
Adding stuff to the tank is not really fixing the problem.

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