I have a regular spotted pleco, who recently began exhibiting signs of ammonia poisoning. He is about 6 years old and 8 inches long, and it the only fish in a 29 gallon tank. He has never been sick before, nor have the ammonia levels in the tank been spiking the way they are now. I am fairly diligent about doing regular water changes and making sure the filter system is clean and functioning properly. I was away from home for about 5 months, during which my parents did not clean the tank. Strangely enough, he was completely fine during my absence and didn't exhibit any sign that the ammonia level was too high. When I got home in August, I immediately did a water change and cleaned the tank. And I have been doing water changes since then. My last regular water change was about two weeks ago. Then, about 4 days ago, I found my pleco on his side on the bottom of the tank, breathing heavily. I immediately tested for ammonia, found it to be a little less than .25, and did a 50 percent water change. Then, I went to the store and bought API no-ammo and put the appropriate amount in his tank. I did another 50% water change on the 24th, and yesterday (the 25th) I put more no ammo in. I havent seen any change in the ammonia levels, and in fact, they seem to have risen a little bit. There are a lot of algae blooms in the tank due to the ammonia and to the fact that he isn't eating any of it like he normally is.
My fish is doing better though and is no longer breathing on his side. But he isn't moving around a lot. I don't know what else to do! Other than continuing 50 percent water changes, what else can I do?
My fish is doing better though and is no longer breathing on his side. But he isn't moving around a lot. I don't know what else to do! Other than continuing 50 percent water changes, what else can I do?