Completely frustrated! Just need to vent.

[PlatyLady]

One platy has ich. Another platy probably does too. I took out my ammonia remover from my filter a few weeks ago, and I have my first ammonia spike now. The water is slightly cloudy. I did a water change, and still found ammonia. I kept going, thinking I'd change the water until there was no more ammonia - and ended up doing about 5 seperate 30% changes. I'm still finding traces of ammonia, and the water is still cloudy! I probably also stressed out those two poor fish trying to catch them to put in QT. I have no idea what's going on - I've been changing the water regularly, testing it, treating it, feeding the fish a varied diet, but not overfeeding... rrrrrrr

I'm soooo close to scrapping my 29 gal and giving all the fish back (3 guppies, 4 platies - well, now 2 platies, and a rosy barb). I've had it since August. My 10 gal on the other hand is heaven, and I maintain it the same way!

Argh!!! It's one of those days!!! :x

 

[grimlock3000]

After those five water changes, you would be down to 16% of the original water that was in the tank at the start of the day. Remember, changing the water only reduces ammonia, it does not get rid of it. Just like you would only have 16% of the original water, you would still have 16% of the ammonia as well. You can not get rid of all the ammonia with water changes, unless you do a 100% change.

Think of it this way... If you fill a glass with half water and half milk, then dump out half the glass and refill it with water, you can still see the milk. Then if you dump out half that glass again, and refill with water 10 more times, you are still going to be able to tell there was milk in the glass. The only way to really get rid of the detectable milk is to keep dumping out half the glass over and over and over again until it gets down to .001% of the contents, or just dump out the whole thing at once.

Sometimes you just have to wait out the spikes and do basic water changes as needed. The bio filter will need to catch up eventually. Doing an emergency 5 water changes in a row is usually not the best idea unless you really have something threatening going on like some fool dumps soda in the tank or you wrongly dose a medicine. Just focus on keeping the ammonia very low, not removing it entirely.

Keep working at it. Once the bio filter is fully established you will have a much easier time

 

[snapcrackler]

I've been changing the water regularly, testing it, treating it

What have you been treating the water with?

 

[PlatyLady]

I realize that water changes only dilute the ammonia, not completely remove it. It was just amazing to me that the ammonia concentration did not seem to be decreasing at all. It is now just slightly less in concentration.

Snapcrackler - I have Aqua Plus tap water conditioner. I also have a bottle of Stress coat, but haven't cracked it open yet.

 

[grimlock3000]

"I realize that water changes only dilute the ammonia, not completely remove it. It was just amazing to me that the ammonia concentration did not seem to be decreasing at all. It is now just slightly less in concentration."

Well, if you take out half the water in the tank, and the ammonia does not drop by half, check the test kit. Ammonia should drop in a linear fashion with the ammount of water that gets changed.

 

[Madame_X]

PlatyLady, I think AquaPlus is one of those tapwater conditioners that skews some ammonia tests. Have you tried a different kind of test kit?

Someone correct me if I've got this backward, but I think its the Nessler kits that give false positive reading with some kinds of water conditioner. You need the other kind--can't think of what its called. Someone else here will know.

Stress Coat does not skew the ammonia tests. I know its controversial because of the aloe, but its all I've ever used and my fish are happy.

 

[BrianNY]

I would nix the stresscoat too. Just allow the tank to cycle and you will be fine.

PS. I just love your city Playlady

 

[An t-iasg]

The other kind of ammonia test kit is called a salicylate based test. That's what I use. The brand is Aquarium Pharmaceuticals (Doc Wellfish).

It is in a gold box, and it says "130 tests" on the box. The Nessler test, in this same brand, is in a yellow box and says "80 tests". It didn't say "Nessler" or "salicylate" anywhere on the outside of the boxes. I bought the Nessler one by mistake one time, and had to take it back.

 

[PlatyLady]

Thanks everyone. I was going crazy last night. Much calmer now.

My fish seem okay today. Ammonia looks like it's about 0.6 Grimlock's absolutely right - it could be the test kit. I've only ever had the Hagen ones, maybe I should buy another kind. As for the water conditioner, I never had probs with it before, but it might be the culprit! I'm open to anything right now.

Cycling sure does take patience!

 

[ADCISCO]

Been there and one that and yes it does take alot of patients and I am one for not having much of that. I have had alot of trouble in the past with my cycling and ammonia. I thought I would go nuts for a while until my tank finally got cycled. I have a 10 gallon qtank and have it up and running for 8 days with 5 danio and I havent seen an ammonia spike yet!!!! Makes me wonder what the heck is going on! I just keep a watchin to see what happens I guess. But I am very impatient.......VERY!!!! Hang in there it eventually gets better!