Ammonia Emergency

[GouramiGuru]

I just typed a really long message and it didn't go through, so here is the abbreviated and condensed version.

New 10 gallon aquarium; took gravel and water from an already established and fully cycled aquarium with ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate readings of 0 in order to hopefully snag some beneficial bacteria for my tank.

Went out and got a Gourami for my tank shortly after setting it up, the ammonia spiked a bit as was expected, I attempted to combat this with very regular water changes and minimal to no feeding.

Upon doing so I made a strange observation; the Gourami, many times, has been looking worse after performing water changes, be them big or small; often the Gourami shows more severe signs of ammonia poisoning after performing a water change than it did before.

Tested the tap water for ammonia -- it came back with astoundingly high readings...somewhere between 6.0 and 8.0. I feel like I am stuck...how am I supposed to treat for high ammonia levels if my tap is so horrifingly high in ammonia?

I have been using Prime in very cautious amounts, should I be using more? It says one capful treats 50 gallons, and my tank being only 10 gallons, I have been using it in smaller increments but pretty regularly. How much is too much? What should I be doing that I'm not?

I am truly at a loss here...I know cycling tanks can be difficult, and I fully anticipated an ammonia spike, but I thought with an adequate amount of research and preparation I would be able to keep it under control, however I did not account for some of the variables that have been introduced into the situation, namely the tap water, as the tap water at the old house where my dad's aquarium is at (just moved out on my own) is much more manageable.

If anyone can help me or give me any advice, it is much needed at this point. I know there is always a good chance that you will lose fish when you are cycling, but I feel really bad that I have subjected the poor guy to such stress levels without any reprieve. The current ammonia level in my tank is somewhere between 0.5 and 1.0 ppm. Thanks.

 

[dkpate]

If the level is about .5, do a water change of 50%, and it should bring it down to .25 ppm. Are you using a liquid test kit?
With the Prime, each thread in the cap treats about 10G's so measure it out that way, that's what I do. You have to use 5x's the dechlor to harm the fish, so if you put in a little more than 10G's worth, you will be fine. The Prime does bind to the ammonia, making it harmless (only a certain ppm though) but you will still get readings for it.

 

[GouramiGuru]

Yes; liquid master test kit. I was worried about doing too much more of a water change because of the negative connotations that came with the 10% water change I did an hour or so ago, but now I am really starting to think I am not using enough Prime.

I had been adding it very regularly but the increments were pretty small, and I am thinking in cumulative terms that there is so much dechlorinization going on in the water that it is going to be too much, but I am not taking into account the fact that it is being filtered out consistently, and more importantly, I am not taking into account that normal dosagases might not be sufficient for the circumstances given the high amounts of ammonia in the tap water.

I think I will go ahead and do a 50% water change but be a bit more generous in my addition of Prime...funnily enough, during the last water change I added the least amount of Prime I have all day, and the gourami did not respond well. I think I will try this again, and hopefully with the addition of more Prime the water change will be more beneficial.

 

[glassbird]

Sorry to ask what might be an overly basic question, but are you being carefull to match the temperature of the water going into the tank (during a partial water change) to the temp of the water still in the tank? Rapid temp changes can make a fish very uncomfortable...

When you say "often the Gourami shows more severe signs of ammonia poisoning after performing a water change than it did before", what are you seeing for "signs"?

 

[Mark Hewitt]

I'm no expert but I would have thought levels of ammonia in tap water that high would be a cause for significant concern to your own health, nevermind the fish! It may be worth taking a sample of your tap water to your LFS so they can verify your readings.

If they are correct then firstly contact your water company and ask them if there is anything that can be done about it. Otherwise you may just have to use bottled water for your fish!

 

[bluerose]

Are you using a reagent kit or test strips? And does your water go through any kind of filtering system before it comes out the tap?