Ammonia problem

[EMTtony]

I am having issues in my 20gal. The ammonia spiked while I was away for the hurricane, killing 4 guppies and 2 frogs. I have been back almost 3 weeks and it is still a 3.0. Even with water changes it won't break but 1.0 to 1.5 ppm. It's driving me nuts! Nothing is in the tank but driftwood, live plants(which look pretty good), and an airstone.

 

[talloulou]

I would do daily water changes to get rid of the ammonia. Also check your source water out to make sure it's okay.

 

[An t-iasg]

Sorry about your fish Maybe one of the dead fish are still stuck in the tank somehow, releasing ammonia?

 

[Jchillin]

I agree...check your filter for possible remains as well.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Also, what kind of dechlorinator are you using? Does your water company use chloramines instead of chlorine?

 

[Menagerie]

Daily PWC and a lots of vacuuming.

 

[jcarlilesiu]

im confused... so you have no fish in the tank? Let the ammonia spike, if you have a dead fish in there, you should automatically start your cycle again, and have your nitrates back up in no time and ready for fish...

maybe im confused as to the situation

are you worried about WHY its spiking with nothing in there?

 

[Guest]

do you have a filter for the bacteria to grow on? are thier fish in the tank?

 

[Bhunsucker]

How long has the tank been currently setup? Did it Cycle?

 

[EMTtony]

There are no fish in the tank currently. I did a 4 gal change earlier and the level was 0.5 afterwards. I thought the tank had cycled before I left because it had spiked once and dropped off before adding fish. My fiance' did water changes while I was gone, and the fish died over a week period. I may have had a disease but no idea I never got to see my deceased fish. It would be a PITA to start over, but I may have to, I just don't know what to do with all my live plants. She said she couldn't find one of the fish, and I have searched for it, and can't find it either. Do I need to drain the tank and start again? Or will it works itself out?

 

[rich311k]

You are now fishless cycling. No need to do water changes or anything except take test levels and wait.

 

[Guest]

If there are no fish then you can just let the ammonia level go down on its own... you need fish or an ammonia source to keep the beneficial bacteria alive.

 

[fantasticaqua]

You may want to replace or clean your filter media. But then again I am unclear of what type of filter you are currently using if any.

 

[EMTtony]

My filter is the TopFin 20 with a bio filter that came with the tank from PetSmart

 

[Guest]

replacing the filter media would only be throwing out your beneficial bacteria