High ammonia level. HELP!

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fishlove777

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Apr 2, 2014
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48
Location
Ostrander, Oh
My ammonia level keeps rising. Yesterday it was 1.0, the day before 0., today it is almost a 2.0 if I saw it correctly (I am ill and might not be reading right). Point is my ammonia is high, period. I cannot get out right now for RO water and I do not have ammonia neutralizers. I filled 6 gallons with my tap water that has a pH of about 7.2 and ammonia of about .25. I have a 20G tank. My fish are acting fine but they look a little red around the gills so I am afraid of ammonia poisoning. I think I caused a spike by accidental overfeeding. They just seemed so hungry the other day. I did not feed them last night or so far today after seeing the levels (tried to bring it down). Is it safe to use my tap when I normally use RO for WC just this once until maybe tomorrow so I can get water?

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I am sorry. Double check on my tap, ammonia is .50.

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Fish In Tank Cycling

My ammonia level keeps rising. Yesterday it was 1.0, the day before 0., today it is almost a 2.0 if I saw it correctly (I am ill and might not be reading right). Point is my ammonia is high, period. I cannot get out right now for RO water and I do not have ammonia neutralizers. I filled 6 gallons with my tap water that has a pH of about 7.2 and ammonia of about .25. I have a 20G tank. My fish are acting fine but they look a little red around the gills so I am afraid of ammonia poisoning. I think I caused a spike by accidental overfeeding. They just seemed so hungry the other day. I did not feed them last night or so far today after seeing the levels (tried to bring it down). Is it safe to use my tap when I normally use RO for WC just this once until maybe tomorrow so I can get water?

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Hello fish...

Since it appears you're in the middle of the nitrogen cycle using fish, you should be testing the tank water daily for ammonia (you already have that) and nitrite. When you have a positive test, you should be removing and replacing 25 percent of tank water. You use pure, treated tap water. Add a bit of standard aquarium salt, a teaspoon in every 5 gallons of the replacement water. The salt will reduce the toxic effects of the ammonia and nitrite and helps calm the fish during the stress caused by the cycling process.

Again, test the tank water daily and when you have a trace of either of the above forms of nitrogen, you replace a quarter of the water. When you have several daily tests with no traces of ammonia or nitrite, the tank is cycled.

If I was cycling the tank, I'd drop some Hornwort stems into the tank to help with the cycling process.

B
 
Hello fish...

Since it appears you're in the middle of the nitrogen cycle using fish, you should be testing the tank water daily for ammonia (you already have that) and nitrite. When you have a positive test, you should be removing and replacing 25 percent of tank water. You use pure, treated tap water. Add a bit of standard aquarium salt, a teaspoon in every 5 gallons of the replacement water. The salt will reduce the toxic effects of the ammonia and nitrite and helps calm the fish during the stress caused by the cycling process.

Again, test the tank water daily and when you have a trace of either of the above forms of nitrogen, you replace a quarter of the water. When you have several daily tests with no traces of ammonia or nitrite, the tank is cycled.

If I was cycling the tank, I'd drop some Hornwort stems into the tank to help with the cycling process.

B

I had done 25% water change every day in the days prior. I had ammonia .25, .25, .25. 0, 1.0, 2.0...I have added plenty of bioboost on a regular basis.

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Do 50% water change a day while your cycling. Use prime as water conditioner if you have it aval it will neutralize the ammonia and nitrite for up to 48 hours. Do a couple 50% water changes in one day to get the ammonia under control


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Do 50% water change a day while your cycling. Use prime as water conditioner if you have it aval it will neutralize the ammonia and nitrite for up to 48 hours. Do a couple 50% water changes in one day to get the ammonia under control


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I now have 7 gallons of jugs available. Trying to get 10. Just saving the milk jugs my family uses. Hopefully I can do a total of 50 today. But it will be tap and not usual RO. I have tetra aqua safe. I wish I could get out today to get some ammonia neutralizer. I hope the golden girls can hold out until tomorrow.

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I did 60% water change. Ammonia is at .25 now. Back to normal. I will keep on the excessive monitoring especially after the day of fishie rescue. Everyone's gills are starting to look better. And their top fins are back up rather than tucked.

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Why are you using RO water? Are you on a well?

Tap water should be fine.

Here is a link for fish in cycling info...
Fish-in Cycling: Step over into the dark side - Aquarium Advice

Prime is a great suggestion to help detoxify the ammonia, Nitrites and Nitrates.

Do not change the filter pads again!!! That is where the beneficial bacteria are growing. When they grow there, they will be able to help process wastes and keep your tank in good balance.

I saw something about a goldfish...a 20G would be a minimum for one fish...
Here is an awesome link for you to see, quite surprising.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...uire-big-tanks-visual-perspective-265871.html

So back to your tank...I have Aqueon hang on the back aka HOB filter too, I use two filter pads back to back. This can allow double the bacteria to colonize and keep your water even better, especially for a goldfish. As a side note, you might want to run 2 filters eventually or upgrade the size of your tank/filtration.

Also don't use tap water to rinse your filter pads, the chlorine/chloramines will kill your hard work of growing a beneficial bacteria, aka BB colony. Use the pwc water to rinse the dirty filter and clean treated water, slosh back and forth to fine tune the rinsing of the filter pad.

Also if you do a clean on your tank, you shouldn't do it ALL at once. After the tank gets established, one week you can clean the filter pads, the next week you can vac the substrate, next week clean the glass (only if it needs it). That way you can rotate cleaning and won't loose hardly any BB.

By using these techniques I went from crazy water parameters to a smoothly running tank, I was able to enjoy...actually lots of tanks, lol!!! Hope this helps.
 
Last edited:
Why are you using RO water? Are you on a well?

Tap water should be fine.

Here is a link for fish in cycling info...
Fish-in Cycling: Step over into the dark side - Aquarium Advice

Prime is a great suggestion to help detoxify the ammonia, Nitrites and Nitrates.

Do not change the filter pads again!!! That is where the beneficial bacteria are growing. When they grow there, they will be able to help process wastes and keep your tank in good balance.

I saw something about a goldfish...a 20G would be a minimum for one fish...
Here is an awesome link for you to see, quite surprising.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...uire-big-tanks-visual-perspective-265871.html

So back to your tank...I have Aqueon hang on the back aka HOB filter too, I use two filter pads back to back. This can allow double the bacteria to colonize and keep your water even better, especially for a goldfish. As a side note, you might want to run 2 filters eventually or upgrade the size of your tank/filtration.

Also don't use tap water to rinse your filter pads, the chlorine/chloramines will kill your hard work of growing a beneficial bacteria, aka BB colony. Use the pwc water to rinse the dirty filter and clean treated water, slosh back and forth to fine tune the rinsing of the filter pad.

Also if you do a clean on your tank, you shouldn't do it ALL at once. After the tank gets established, one week you can clean the filter pads, the next week you can vac the substrate, next week clean the glass (only if it needs it). That way you can rotate cleaning and won't loose hardly any BB.

By using these techniques I went from crazy water parameters to a smoothly running tank, I was able to enjoy...actually lots of tanks, lol!!! Hope this helps.

No no no. No gold fish. I call my Gold Dust Mollies the Golden Girls. I have my ladies and then my spotted cory cat. I have three GDM and one CC. Mollies are Blanche, Dorothy and Rose. Cory Cat is Stan. It just made sense and their personalities totally fit. But no goldfish. I have two 10-20G Aqueon filters running 125GPH each. I was using RO because when I started my pH was sky high and RO got it down to 7.0 so I could start adding fish. I am using well water in this 60% water change while I am ill and it has maintained a steady pH 7.6 and .25 for ammonia. I changed the one pad because I feared maybe the carbon wasn't doing its job. And it was pretty bad looking for only a week, but then again I did use a product with tanins (I forgot about that. Explains the dirty look). I am very sick this week and was just doing everything I could think of to help things. But I will leave these alone for a few weeks and then change only one at a time. Also, two pads will not fit in my filter, it is equipped to fit only one. But I run two filters so I shouldn't have an issue. I add bioboost as well. Should I add that to the filters instead of the water?
I am so lost on the last part about pwc, what is that? And the whole last part. Not sure if it is because I am sick or just I truly do not understand. So please bare with me and detail that info for me. Thanks so much.

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So glad it isn't Goldfish, lol! Sorry about that.

pwc = partial water change

The pwc would normally be done once per week on a cycled tank. 10-33% water out and fresh treated water in.

BUT your tank is in the middle of the fish-in cycle, so you will need to change your water whenever the levels start getting to the danger level/before they get to the danger level, like 2ppm or over ammonia is not healthy for the fish. And .25 is alright.

The part I mentioned in the end of the post was about rotating the normal maintenance of your tank, doing a fish in cycle requires more work for you. Feed a little 2x per day. They act hungry but they shouldn't starve, and yes too much food causes extra poop, but more importantly it adds more wasted/decomposing ammonia enhancing waste, from what they probably didn't eat. Flakes turn to ammonia pretty fast because they disintegrate.

Carbon from your filter pad can clear up the brownish water, and brownish water can look bad, but it is good for the fish. The carbon as far as I know wouldn't have an effect on your pH or anything. It is used as a cleaner for clarifying the water and removing medications, as we discuss the scientific info I am not one who would be best for that. I understand that the small amount of carbon in the filter pad would not be enough to really have an impact on helping rid your tank of ammonia.

The filter pads can be used for more than a year normally, yes I meant to say, the same 1 filter pad I have had all of mine for over 1 year, probably more like going on 2 years. That is where the BB live. And if you throw them away every few weeks, then you will be in a cycling process constantly and never have stable water parameters. And again, only rinse with water that has been treated.

As you mentioned well water, some people don't treat it, but it could have small amounts of heavy metals, so if it were me, I would make sure to treat the water anyway. If Chloramines are used to treat the water you use, they require a double dose of the water treatment, also just make sure the bottle actually says it will treat Chloramines.

When you are feeling better try doing a water test on the RO water, just to make sure it is coming from the source clean. Sometimes the stores don't maintain their equipment well. Occasionally our tap water has .25 ammonia out of the tap ( I can't stand to think why that is...)

Do some more reading about the nitrogen cycle, and "fish in" cycles.

Please get to feeling better. This is a tough thing to deal with when you aren't feeling well. It is late and I am getting tired, so I apologize if there is anything confusing. Just let me know and I can try to clear it up, also someone else may have a better way to explain things.
 
So glad it isn't Goldfish, lol! Sorry about that.

pwc = partial water change

The pwc would normally be done once per week on a cycled tank. 10-33% water out and fresh treated water in.

BUT your tank is in the middle of the fish-in cycle, so you will need to change your water whenever the levels start getting to the danger level/before they get to the danger level, like 2ppm or over ammonia is not healthy for the fish. And .25 is alright.

The part I mentioned in the end of the post was about rotating the normal maintenance of your tank, doing a fish in cycle requires more work for you. Feed a little 2x per day. They act hungry but they shouldn't starve, and yes too much food causes extra poop, but more importantly it adds more wasted/decomposing ammonia enhancing waste, from what they probably didn't eat. Flakes turn to ammonia pretty fast because they disintegrate.

Carbon from your filter pad can clear up the brownish water, and brownish water can look bad, but it is good for the fish. The carbon as far as I know wouldn't have an effect on your pH or anything. It is used as a cleaner for clarifying the water and removing medications, as we discuss the scientific info I am not one who would be best for that. I understand that the small amount of carbon in the filter pad would not be enough to really have an impact on helping rid your tank of ammonia.

The filter pads can be used for more than a year normally, yes I meant to say, the same 1 filter pad I have had all of mine for over 1 year, probably more like going on 2 years. That is where the BB live. And if you throw them away every few weeks, then you will be in a cycling process constantly and never have stable water parameters. And again, only rinse with water that has been treated.

As you mentioned well water, some people don't treat it, but it could have small amounts of heavy metals, so if it were me, I would make sure to treat the water anyway. If Chloramines are used to treat the water you use, they require a double dose of the water treatment, also just make sure the bottle actually says it will treat Chloramines.

When you are feeling better try doing a water test on the RO water, just to make sure it is coming from the source clean. Sometimes the stores don't maintain their equipment well. Occasionally our tap water has .25 ammonia out of the tap ( I can't stand to think why that is...)

Do some more reading about the nitrogen cycle, and "fish in" cycles.

Please get to feeling better. This is a tough thing to deal with when you aren't feeling well. It is late and I am getting tired, so I apologize if there is anything confusing. Just let me know and I can try to clear it up, also someone else may have a better way to explain things.

What do people mean specifically by "treated water"? So I have a clear understanding. What I think that means is water treated by your conditioners and such.

I would like to change the water every two days regardless of danger level. Say it is at .50, I am changing it since it has been two days. Part of that is just trying to make sure I make a habit of remembering to do it. But I want to keep it down to between 0-.25ppm. I test at least once a day (today I did twice). Once my tank is established I will be happy with weekly WC knowing that they will be safe in that. I am a paranoid Scitzephrenic, so the OCD that comes along with it may make me sound like a weirdo with the fish. I thought some of the extensiveness of my parameter checks and insisting on regardless WC may make me sound ignorant so I wanted to explain what makes me that way.

I live in the country, so my water isn't treated by chlorine or anything like that. My RO water that I buy from town is not either. Believe me, I tested all my water before any of it touched my fish. I am one who kills everything. And for once I am keeping fish alive on my own (with extensive research and help from LFS and you guys) and growing my own aquarium plant. So, I am majorly testing and making sure I do everything right according to the AA tank experts.

My well water has an ammonia level of .25 out of the spiggot. But, my tank dropped to 0 after a 60% change the other day, with it. I will have to put up pictured of my tank and the filter set ups. Maybe you can figure something out about using multiple ones so I can change them. (I bought a box of 6. Aqueon is expensive, period.)

Thanks for all the help. :)

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A different way to look at it...

Treated water is using something like Prime water conditioner which removes Chlorine, Chloramines, and heavy metals. (Prime and a few others will also detoxify the Ammonia, Nitrites and Nitrates.)

So at the base level , a "dechlorinator". Not all of the treatments will take care of all of Ammonia, Nitrites and Nitrates. So ANY time you use water, even for cleaning fish stuff from the tank I would use a Treatment like Prime, just because of the possibility of heavy metals in your well water, since as you said it doesn't have Chlorine, so you wouldn't be worried about that. If you use a UV sterilizer to make your water safe to drink, then it still wouldn't take out or neutralize any heavy metals.

You can read up on Prime and how it works. I am not the scientific explainer. lol

***************************

Congrats to you for wanting to take excellent care of your fish. Just know that even with all that you can physically do for them sometimes things happen and they get ill or die, so, in advance, don't be hard on yourself if it does happen.

You are obviously not one who could care less how many fish die, as long as you just have something pretty to look at. Yay!!!

First I will say, I am just a human being trying to help and you will always need to research, and learn and make any final decisions on any care or actions for your critters and that goes on anything here.

You, I can tell, are very concerned about the filter pads. Yes they are expensive, and very valuable when they are teaming with BB.

So just think of it as a beneficial bacteria farm in a filter pad. Your objective is to create a bustling invisible to the naked eye, BB farm and keep it growing and happy. Cleaning it will make you happy, but not make the BB happy. Chlorine will kill it as might heavy metals and stuff (in case any one else reading this has city water)

So a vigorous swishing in your removed water from a pwc (or fresh treated water) will actually loose some of the bb but there should be plenty left after the colony gets established, therefore enabling a happy nitrogen cycle in your tank, and a happy fish tank and stable water parameters.

So keep the BB farm growing!!!

Now if you must remove a BB farm filter pad it will be damaging for the tank water parameters.

Seriously, I think you can slide 2 filter pads in there. If not a filter pad, maybe a rectangle of bulk filter and you could replace THAT more frequently. Considering it takes 4-6 weeks to establish a good BB farm colony, you can see the very serious downside to throwing out a pad every month. (and throwing out the little BB guys who work so hard to keep your tank in "perfect" order.)

Hope you can feel happy about growing a BB farm now... :flowers:
 
Treated water is using something like Prime water conditioner which removes Chlorine, Chloramines, and heavy metals. (Prime and a few others will also detoxify the Ammonia, Nitrites and Nitrates.)

So at the base level , a "dechlorinator". Not all of the treatments will take care of all of Ammonia, Nitrites and Nitrates. So ANY time you use water, even for cleaning fish stuff from the tank I would use a Treatment like Prime, just because of the possibility of heavy metals in your well water, since as you said it doesn't have Chlorine, so you wouldn't be worried about that. If you use a UV sterilizer to make your water safe to drink, then it still wouldn't take out or neutralize any heavy metals.

You can read up on Prime and how it works. I am not the scientific explainer. lol

***************************

Congrats to you for wanting to take excellent care of your fish. Just know that even with all that you can physically do for them sometimes things happen and they get ill or die, so, in advance, don't be hard on yourself if it does happen.

You are obviously not one who could care less how many fish die, as long as you just have something pretty to look at. Yay!!!

First I will say, I am just a human being trying to help and you will always need to research, and learn and make any final decisions on any care or actions for your critters and that goes on anything here.

You, I can tell, are very concerned about the filter pads. Yes they are expensive, and very valuable when they are teaming with BB.

So just think of it as a beneficial bacteria farm in a filter pad. Your objective is to create a bustling invisible to the naked eye, BB farm and keep it growing and happy. Cleaning it will make you happy, but not make the BB happy. Chlorine will kill it as might heavy metals and stuff (in case any one else reading this has city water)

So a vigorous swishing in your removed water from a pwc (or fresh treated water) will actually loose some of the bb but there should be plenty left after the colony gets established, therefore enabling a happy nitrogen cycle in your tank, and a happy fish tank and stable water parameters.

So keep the BB farm growing!!!

Now if you must remove a BB farm filter pad it will be damaging for the tank water parameters.

Seriously, I think you can slide 2 filter pads in there. If not a filter pad, maybe a rectangle of bulk filter and you could replace THAT more frequently. Considering it takes 4-6 weeks to establish a good BB farm colony, you can see the very serious downside to throwing out a pad every month. (and throwing out the little BB guys who work so hard to keep your tank in "perfect" order.)

Hope you can feel happy about growing a BB farm now... :flowers:

I THINK Dorothy has Ich and passed it on to Blanche. One day it is there and then it is gone, then she looks fuzzy again. But I can't tell. With Ich treatment you have to take out cartridges because the carbon removes medicine. So I would hate to lose BB I have built up already. But, I also know that the parasite can stay in the cartridge and filters and reinfect the tank, so, im all like "ahh". I would have to replace them anyway.

Anyway, so could I rinse them in my well water or would I need to run well water in maybe a bowl and treat it with AquaSafe for the metals. (That is what I use). Also, since I have two filters, maybe every six months or so I could replace ONE cartidge, leaving the other a BB farm. Until I have used my whole box then rinse them forever.

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I THINK Dorothy has Ich and passed it on to Blanche. One day it is there and then it is gone, then she looks fuzzy again. But I can't tell. With Ich treatment you have to take out cartridges because the carbon removes medicine. So I would hate to lose BB I have built up already. But, I also know that the parasite can stay in the cartridge and filters and reinfect the tank, so, im all like "ahh". I would have to replace them anyway.

Anyway, so could I rinse them in my well water or would I need to run well water in maybe a bowl and treat it with AquaSafe for the metals. (That is what I use). Also, since I have two filters, maybe every six months or so I could replace ONE cartidge, leaving the other a BB farm. Until I have used my whole box then rinse them forever.

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You can use heat to kill the Ich, do some research /checking, atm I think it is 86-89F.

Basically you increase heat about 2 degrees a day, at least that is what i did. Inverts will die at that temp. I also used salt (aquarium salt) with my treatment. Also something which you add over a period of a couple days.

When you say fuzzy, I wonder...Ich is usually little dots or something which looks like grains of salt or sugar. If you can post it in sick fish with a pic or 2.
 
You can use heat to kill the Ich, do some research /checking, atm I think it is 86-89F.

Basically you increase heat about 2 degrees a day, at least that is what i did. Inverts will die at that temp. I also used salt (aquarium salt) with my treatment. Also something which you add over a period of a couple days.

When you say fuzzy, I wonder...Ich is usually little dots or something which looks like grains of salt or sugar. If you can post it in sick fish with a pic or 2.

She won't let me look at her very long. She has like a little fuzz on her mouth. A little spot of fuzz. I do not use a heater since my room keeps the temp within perfect ranges for them at all times.
I read about adding salt. I can just see myself messing it up though. But, I may give it a try. Done well so far. If I can get a pic (it is quite a small area) I will send it over to sick fish.

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She won't let me look at her very long. She has like a little fuzz on her mouth. A little spot of fuzz. I do not use a heater since my room keeps the temp within perfect ranges for them at all times.
I read about adding salt. I can just see myself messing it up though. But, I may give it a try. Done well so far. If I can get a pic (it is quite a small area) I will send it over to sick fish.

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The fuzz on the mouth does not sound like Ich. It sounds possible to be Columnaris, which is a gram-negative disease, some meds are for negative, and some positive. I have had this before and it was a slow acting variant, and I used Marycin-2. Though there are several meds you can use.
 
I just looked up pictures. That's it. I saw some fish wish sores! If she gets sores can they be treated? It looks like a horrible illness. :( can I get this medicine anywhere? Sorry for all the questions. I should probably go google rather than hound you about it.

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I just looked up pictures. That's it. I saw some fish wish sores! If she gets sores can they be treated? It looks like a horrible illness. :( can I get this medicine anywhere? Sorry for all the questions. I should probably go google rather than hound you about it.

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Mine came from Petsmart. About $25 per package. You can keep the water level lower, by 1/3rd to a 1/2, to save money on treatment/meds, as they are dosed by gallon.

I wish you well for them. Make sure to complete the antibiotic series and follow directions. I believe I ran it with the filter, the info for Maracyn-2 was that it didn't affect the bb. Besides, you would want everything treated so you wouldn't get it again. Other meds could be different.
 
Mine came from Petsmart. About $25 per package. You can keep the water level lower, by 1/3rd to a 1/2, to save money on treatment/meds, as they are dosed by gallon.

I wish you well for them. Make sure to complete the antibiotic series and follow directions. I believe I ran it with the filter, the info for Maracyn-2 was that it didn't affect the bb. Besides, you would want everything treated so you wouldn't get it again. Other meds could be different.

My filters won't run unless I have I think at least 18 gallons in. I found this article. It really sounds like a terrible thing to go through.
http://www.fishvet.com/columnaris.htm

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My filters won't run unless I have I think at least 18 gallons in. I found this article. It really sounds like a terrible thing to go through.
Columnaris Disease Education from FishVet, Inc.

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Sometimes the tubes for intake will extend.

I have heard of using the Metro.....sp?

Getting sick fish from the store is always a awful thing.
 
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