High Ammonia Levels - any suggestions why?

[LjTx]

60 gallon fresh water tank set up, water cycled for a week and fish introduced on 12/23.

Finally got past the cloudy phase, after a couple water changes & 2 doses of Water Clarifier.

I have not been able to get the ammonia levels to come down. Angel fish had been hovering near the top so tested the water Tues and the ammonia was pretty much off the chart. 25% water change and level down to near 4.0. Came home from work yesterday, same thing, this time did nearly 37% (I used a tape measure and w/ 20" of water area, drained 7 1/2" = 37%). Did 2nd test and again, level down to 4.0 area. Tested again (rerunning test again) and it is the same - except my angels (large guys) are not hovering near the top so they don't seem to be as stressed. Test is done, more than 4.0 but not up to 8.0 this time.

Since tank has been going for almost 30 days, should I be having this much ammonia trouble this long? It has been years since I have established a new tank and this time around no bio-wheel so I don't have the long time bacteria established (like when I would when I would break down & “reset” the 25 gallon tank).

One site suggested I pull some gravel from a clean established system. Anyone concur with that? Even though the other tank is empty, I've keep the filter running on it so it is a viable option if it is possible.

 

[fort384]

First off, you said you cycled the water for a week... how did you "cycle" it? Without a source of ammonia, a tank is not cycling. Beneficial bacteria will not grow in a system where there is no ammonia. Pulling gravel from a clean established system would help speed your cycle. If the other tank you speak of is empty (no fish) chances are the bacteria colony in the filter is dead, so it wouldn't help to pull from this source.

For now, since you are cycling with fish, you need to do daily 50%+ water changes to keep your ammonia down to .25ppm or less. At 4.0, your fish are going to die in a matter of days. We see this same story all the time on here... without the daily or more PWCs while the tank is cycling, the fish just won't last.

So, I would do a couple of big water changes tonight and tomorrow morning, test tomorrow afternoon, and change again if the ammonia is over 0.25.

The most recommended method you will find on this site to cycle a new tank is called "fishless cycling". This involves seeding the tank with a source of ammonia over the course of 2-3 weeks to get the tank cycled BEFORE adding fish. This cuts down on the daily maintenance that can be a major pain in the butt while the tank cycles. There are several threads and articles both on this forum and on the www about fishless cycling, so you might want to read up and see if it something you want to try next time around (or this time if the fish don't make it).

The good news is once the tank is cycled, it gets pretty easy... I am sure you know that though if you have had tanks in the past.

 

[LjTx]

Ah, good point on the other tank. Yeah, I moved the fish from there to the new tank so the bacteria are most likely dead. Bummer.

The first week cycle was to get the chlorine out of the tank, normally 24 hrs is good but since this one was larger I let it go longer.

Since I am showing a “slight” improvement over the last 2 days of testing, I will take it as a good sign. So I’ll just plan on several more days of water changes.

At least I am feeling better about this. Thanks!

 

[fort384]

No problem...

Are you treating your tap water with a dechlorinator before adding it to the tank? If so, no need to wait to add it... it works almost instantly.

 

[The_Desacrator]

Your tap water might have ammonia in it. My ap water comes out as .25 ammonia and 30 ppm nitrates

 

[fort384]

Your tap water might have ammonia in it. My ap water comes out as .25 ammonia and 30 ppm nitrates

Ouch!! that is some high nitrates out of the tap...

Ammonia in the tapwater isn't too bad... especially at .25. Once a tank is cycled, the ammonia will clear once the water is added to the tank since the nitrobacter will process it.