Ammonia tests high

[Pongeer247]

I have been using seachem prime for about 2 weeks now and doing pwc roughly every other day. I know that seachem doesn't remove ammonia but that it detoxifies it by turning it into ammonium. I also know that it will still read on my ammonia test. My question is, should I be worried that its still reading at 2ppm every other day? I can get it to go down when I do the pwc, but it goes right back up after about 8 hours.

 

[Bix22]

What are your other readings? Do you have fish in?

 

[Pongeer247]

If my last test was correct (was using test strips till I ran out last week, just waiting for my API liquid test kit) my nitrites were 0, nitrates were between 20 and 40, ph was at 7.5. I have been on a fish in cycle for about a month. With the readings I assumed I was done with the cycle based off of everything I read. I have 4 card tets, 2 fancy guppies, 5 fry guppies that will be removed here in a week or so and 2 African dwarf frogs.

 

[54seaweed]

try to double your wc 1 or 2 times it should bring it down and hold more steady
what live stock you have
do you run ammo carb in your filter

 

[Pongeer247]

try to double your wc 1 or 2 times it should bring it down and hold more steady
what live stock you have
do you run ammo carb in your filter

Just posted my stock and Paramus above. Don't have any ammo carb in the filter. Just have the media that came with my aqueon 10. Was thinking about adding another media cartridge to raise my bacteria colony, will this help?

 

[54seaweed]

you may want to pick up some ammo carb
the dwarf frogs are big waist factory's and produce a lot ammonia
bet thats your prob

 

[54seaweed]

Just posted my stock and Paramus above. Don't have any ammo carb in the filter. Just have the media that came with my aqueon 10. Was thinking about adding another media cartridge to raise my bacteria colony, will this help?

may help some but think you may need ammo carb in your filters it will help stable out any high readings

 

[shellieca]

How big are your water changes? When I do fish in cycle, I test daily & do 50% water changes when a water change is needed. I don't like to let the ammonia or nitrites be >.25 so I've had to do daily water changes to keep them down.

 

[Pongeer247]

I did not know that about ADFs. Everything I've read about them never mentioned their bio load. Ill have to look into the ammo carb. Would they be better off in a tank bigger then a 10 gal?

 

[Pongeer247]

How big are your water changes? When I do fish in cycle, I test daily & do 50% water changes when a water change is needed. I don't like to let the ammonia or nitrites be >.25 so I've had to do daily water changes to keep them down.

I was only doing about 25% I have moved into 50% wc. Probably going to do about 3 different 50% wc tonight. I have been hesitant this week on the wc. I don't want to stress out my pregnant guppy too much. I'm expecting her to drop any time now

 

[Pongeer247]

Just got done with the first wc tonight, ammonia levels have come down to 1. Going to do another wc in about 15 minutes. I will also be looking into the ammo carbs this weekend. Thanks for the help and advice.