High Ammonia Levels

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

robotwizard

Aquarium Advice Newbie
Joined
Sep 2, 2003
Messages
4
Location
Minnesota
Ok, so I got a new 30-gal awhile back. Five days ago I introduced a small Koi (about 7") and a small Pl*co (about 2"). The Ammonia levels are still extremely high (although the fish don't seem to be too sick or anything). I tried water changes and adding stuff to help the nitrifying process but the levels just continue to be really high. Now, I noticed the Koi really kicks stuff up, and there's a lot of particulate matter floating around...so today I checked the filter bag (I have a TetraTec 30) and it was just thick with brown grossness, so I washed it and put it back.

What should I do? I imagine that the filter being clogged impeded the cycling, so should I get a bigger filter or what?

Thanks!
 
I washed it and put it back
I hope you washed it in aquarium water. If you used tap water, then the chlorine in the water probably killed most of the good bacteria liveing in the filter.

Is there any other fish in the tank besides those two? You said you got the tan a while back and recently added the two fish, I didn't know if there were any other inhabitants prior to this...

I noticed the Koi really kicks stuff up, and there's a lot of particulate matter floating around
How often and how much are you feeding them? If there is that much stuff flaoting around, then I would hold off on the food for a couple of days (they won't starve, trust me). Uneaten rotting food will really kick up the ammonia levels in a tank.

When you do your water changes are you vacuming the gravel? I would suggest that you do so. Typically I vac one side of the tank the first time and the other side of the tank at the next water change. This is done to avoid killing off good bacteria that live in the substrate.

I don't know what all you know about the nitrogen cycle, but it's one of the most important things to know when keeping an aquarium. Here is a link with a short but good article on it...

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/showquestion.php?faq=2&fldAuto=21
 
Back
Top Bottom