What does this mean? Help.

[cmwalters]

So I left my house yesterday around noon, and my tank was fine. Everything was stable, water was clear, and fish were happy. I get back home tonight and all my fish were accounted for, but I notice my water is really cloudy. So I break out my test kit. It was reading my ammonia way off the charts. The tube was almost black, but it had a blue tint, not like the green it should be when reading ammonia. I had done a 50+ water change and vacuumed my gravel a the night before I left. Anyways, I did the best thing I know to do and did a ~40% water change and dosed Ammo Lock. After the water change my water is still cloudy, but I think that is in part due to junk off of my filter. The tank is cycled. I had added a pair of kribs two days before that. Basically, what does this reading mean? It can't be that high. Is my test kit messed up? I tried it like 3 times and it was the same every time. I attached a picture of my test results.

 

[meese-a-mew]

I don't know about your tank but I don't think the test kit is messed up. Picture of your tank?

 

[Babakapusta]

How big is your tank and what fish are in it beside the kribs?

 

[20cc]

if your ammonia was really 8.0 ppm and up your fish would be dead

 

[cmwalters]

It's a 20 gallon tall with that pair of kribs, 6 pristella tetras, and 3 bronze cories. I have a newish piece of driftwood in it. Probably about two weeks in the tank. But it was soaked before I put it in there. All of the fish seem happy and healthy. Here's a pic of it from my angle because I'm laying in bed and don't feel like getting up to go to the other side.

 

[cmwalters]

All of my fish are seemingly happy and healthy. And I picked up an aquaclear 50 today. Currently running both that and the aqueon 30 until the aquaclear cultures enough BB. I also lowered the water a tad to increase the surface disturbance to help get rid of my protein film and did a 30% water change today.

 

[Fishfur]

The cloudy water may have been bacterial bloom, which may have resulted from excess organics, possibly disturbed by the vacuuming. Bacterial bloom can cause ammonia spikes.

This is a very good article that explains the relationship of bacterial types in our tanks, blooms and their effects. Very worth reading.

http://www.oscarfish.com/article-home/water/72-heterotrophic-bacteria.html

WC and Ammo lock was the right thing to do in this situation and with any luck you were timely enough to prevent serious damage. Ammonia that high should have had the fish showing a lot of distress. Clamped fins, gasping, dying.

They may have been damaged, but if you caught the spike soon after it peaked, you may have staved off the worst. But if the fish start to die off later on, this may be why.

Don't think I have ever seen an ammonia test that dark. I hate to think if you had not come home when you did, what you would have found.