Amonia level increase cause?

[HOLLIEO]

I returned a dead fish to the LFS and they require a water sample from the tank. They said that my ammonia level was a little high. I think they said it was .40ppm????? I think?
I have a 20 gallon.
Anyway, I had found my chinese algae eater dead in a rock cave. I hadn't seen him in a while and I was getting ready to clean the tank. I think he must have been rotting away for about a week. Would this be a cause for the ammonia level to rise? I did a water change (like 20%) and everything seems to be fine now. Well, my nitrates have always tested the same... like at .20ppm. So, if my ammonia levels rise again, is a water change all that will help?

 

[SixFootDaisy]

Decomposition of your CAE will cause Ammonia.

And I know this... because I have to

Try doing some water changes every couple of days. 10%. It should help

 

[HOLLIEO]

Thanks for the info! I will try this.

 

[SixFootDaisy]

I meant to say 10% each time. lol. Im sure you probably figured that out though



Good Luck and I'm sorry for your loss.

But while I am thinking of CAE, try getting a different type of algae eater. They are known to become agressive, and I have heard and read many times that they will attach themselves to the sides of other fish.

Depending on your fish load, try a dwarf pleco. If algae isn't your problem, I recomend Cory Cats. They are AWESOME!

 

[HOLLIEO]

I meant to say 10% each time. lol. Im sure you probably figured that out though

Yeah. I knew what you meant.
No real problem with algae, I just thought he was cute. I have some apple snails, do cory cats get along with those?
In my tank right now, I have some guppies, mollies, platys, zebra danios, black skirt tetras, and two apple snails. Do these all get along with the cory cats?

 

[SixFootDaisy]

cory cats are great community fish. And there are tons of different kinds.

planetcatfish.com



If you have no algae, your CAE most likely starved To prevent this in the future, try using algae wafers. My GAE ate those every so often. He died too. Calculate how many inches of fish you have in your tank, and then decide on corys. They prefer being in groups, and they are much more pleasant to watch that way.

 

[HOLLIEO]

hmmmmm, an inch of fish per gallon...
I have:
6 zebra danios = 6"
2 Sunset platys = 4"
4 Black Skirt Tetras = 6"
3 Fancy Guppies = 3"
2 Mollies = 5"
2 Apple snails = 2"
okay, so that's..... approx 26"...... awwwww crap! I think i went over.
I only have a 20 gallon tank that the community fish are housed in.
I guess i have to wait on the cory cats.
I am surprised my levels are pretty stable for having this bio load. I clean the tank once a week, maybe that helps?

 

[HOLLIEO]

Wait... I might be okay for what I have currently. i just went to the calc on the home page and according to my tank dimensions, I actually have a 25 gallon tank. I still will have to wait on the cory cats, but hey!!! I have more room than I thought!

 

[SixFootDaisy]

Congrats on the good news!!!

Maybe you should go out and get a 55!!!! Then you could have a few corys

Are those measurements for the adult size of the fish?

 

[bada]

Your ammonia being .4ppm is not that bad! Most fish can handle it till 1.0.

For every 5 points over 1 I do a 10% water change. 1.5, 20% water change. 2.0 30% water change or more. It depends. I try to get out as much water as I can if it is high!

 

[HOLLIEO]

Well, I actually have a 50 gallon, but it is the home of a Painted turtle and 4 goldfish. They are not ready to move out yet.. ha, ha
Yes. Those were the adult size calculations.
thanks BADA for the advice on changing due to ammonia levels.

 

[bada]

Sure! I hope you don't have too many problems with ammonia! It is awful stuff!