I can't get my amonia down, its 1.0

[bobc4d]

I've had my 36 gallon tank about 2 months, 2 weeks ago I did a cleaning of substrate, water came out brown. I have done 2 15 gallon water changes now and the amonia is still 1.0

I have 4 platys, 3 tetras and 3 cory cats. I feed them every other day. I also have 3 java fern and 1 anubus plants I put in sunday (29 april)

should I do another heavy substrate cleaning or should I change the filter (5 weeks old)

I used the 2 bottle method to check the amonia.

 

[okapizebra]

Have you ever vacuumed your gravel before? It is most likely an ammo spike because you stirred up a lot of debris from the substrate. Don't change the filter- but what you can do is clean the filter pad in a bucket of tank water to remove any debris that has got stuck on it.

I wouldn't clean all the substrate at once because there is a significant amount of good nitrifying bacteria living in there that will eat up the ammonia. Did you clean out a large portion? If you did then I'd just do some more PWCs to get the levels down.

When I gravel vac I do it in sections. I PWC every week so each week I will vacuum a different spot in order to avoid causing any spikes.

 

[Laser]

Have you tested your ammonia levels in your tap water?

 

[phoenixkiller]

I've had my 36 gallon tank about 2 months, 2 weeks ago I did a cleaning of substrate, water came out brown. I have done 2 15 gallon water changes now and the amonia is still 1.0

I have 4 platys, 3 tetras and 3 cory cats. I feed them every other day. I also have 3 java fern and 1 anubus plants I put in sunday (29 april)

should I do another heavy substrate cleaning or should I change the filter (5 weeks old)

I used the 2 bottle method to check the amonia.

What's the ammonia test in your tap water?

How old is the test kit?

 

[bobc4d]

My tap water ammonia is zero and I have had the test kit about two months. I'll continue to only do water changes. How many do y'all think it will take?

 

[okapizebra]

If the tank has been running for two months then the BB would be adjusted to any ammo in the tap. Ammo spikes can definitely happen when gravel vacuuming.

It depends really. Just do some changes, let everything settle, and test your water to see where you're at.

 

[phoenixkiller]

I've had my 36 gallon tank about 2 months, 2 weeks ago I did a cleaning of substrate, water came out brown. I have done 2 15 gallon water changes now and the amonia is still 1.0

I have 4 platys, 3 tetras and 3 cory cats. I feed them every other day. I also have 3 java fern and 1 anubus plants I put in sunday (29 april)

should I do another heavy substrate cleaning or should I change the filter (5 weeks old)

I used the 2 bottle method to check the amonia.

There is a possibility that a large water change and cleaning the filter media at the same time would destroy some of the BB and cause an ammonia spike. When was the last time you cleaned the filter media?

 

[bobc4d]

I gave the filter media a light cleaning monday. the amonia has come down a little, it was 0.5 tonight so hopefully a few more water changes might do the trick. I am learning patience, to not do drastic things and take time to correct it. I appreciate all the help.

 

[twoodrough]

What do you use for conditioner? I use prime and found out that it will show an ammonia reading for 24 to 48 hours after a water change. The bad ammonia is neutralized but because of the way it bonds it still shows up on a test. Might be your water is fine... you just have to wait longer to test. This helped me out. I have a post where someone explained it really well.

 

[phoenixkiller]

I gave the filter media a light cleaning monday. the amonia has come down a little, it was 0.5 tonight so hopefully a few more water changes might do the trick. I am learning patience, to not do drastic things and take time to correct it. I appreciate all the help.

No problem. Keep up on the water changes, and make sure to rinse out the filter media periodically (Not at the same time as water changes though!!)

Keep us updated. We're happy to help!

 

[okapizebra]

Water changes will not affect your bacteria as there is very little bacteria living in the water column. It's the most convenient time to clean media since you have a bucket of tank water to swish it in to remove debris.