Now I have an Ammonia problem!

[ADCISCO]

Ok guys I did what you said....I did the 50% water change......Nitrites 0...nitrates...0 PH perfect......AMONNIA......HIGH!!!! Ok now can you explain to me how that they can be high just after the water change and they were perfect before water change???? Did I stir something up when I added back the water??? If its not one problem its another!lol At least the nitites are 0 now!lol I am recharging my ammonia chips and getting ready to add them back to the filter. Gonna check the water again in a bit to see if things have maybe settled and the water is different......I'm scared to check!LOL But I do have one of those Seachem ammonia monitors and it is reading fine....?????? I guess I will have to wait and see now.

 

[azn dreamer]

i think that your tank is starting another mini cycle because there should be no traces of ammonia if you have nitrite and nitrate

 

[talenzmeier]

Just a Coincidence

I agree with azn, it's probably another mini-cycle.

 

[ADCISCO]

So what is the cure???LOL I am going to add some ammonia chips here in a bit but the ammonia detector is still reading noraml.....dont know if I trust it now or not!

 

[Allivymar]

Dunno if its possible, but can you bring a water sample into a lfs and have them double check? Your tests may be wonky. I mean, you had really high nitrites; a 50% water change should have reduced the nitrites by 50%, not completely eliminated em. And then this weird thing with the ammonia! It may be a mini-cycle, but I can't imagine ammonia spiking really high that quickly; what exactly are the test result numbers?

No offense ADCISCO, but you have luck with fish tanks the way I have luck with computers LOL nothing ever simple and easy to answer goes wrong LOL always has to be something unusual.

 

[ADCISCO]

Ok...I went back and did another test with the new liquid kit and one with the drytabs both are from Aquarium pharm. Drops....high Ammonia....Drytabs....Perfect. The only thing I did today when I did the water change was take 50% out and DIDNT mess with moving any rock or anything just water.....BUT I added Amquel Plus.....could that be the reason my test might be screwed up. Now I also checked the water this morning before the change everything was fine but the usual....NITRITE. All I say is if something bad is going to happen it will happen to me...I dont take offense to it! Its just my life!Now computers I have much better luck at...knock on wood!I did go ahead and add ammonia chips to the filter....no change though.

 

[sweetsuvvyb]

Amquel will cause you to get "false" positives on most ammonia tests! Plus, adding this can cause your tank to re-cycle, since you effectively remove the food source for your lil bacterias...so they die off.

maybe you should, in the future, consider not adding ANYTHING to your tank other than dechlorinated water....so many of the chemicals cause more problems than they solve, it seems...

ps...what are these "ammonia chips" you're talking about?

 

[Allivymar]

*agrees with sweets*

I've never used the tabs, but I'm wondering if they only read toxic ammonia. I'm guessing your liquid test is the FW version (and is a Nessler test) and can't tell the difference between toxic and converted ammonia. The FW/SW version (a salicyte test) does only measure the toxic stuff. *just looked up and it seems the drytabs are for both FW and SW; my guess is it is similar to the liquid version.* Because the Nessler tests can't tell the difference, using ammonia removers/converters gives you false positive results. Btw, nothing really removes ammonia; just changes its composition so its non-toxic to your fish.

 

[ADCISCO]

I think that they just have WAY to many fish products for the tank!LOL This bottle of Amquel Plus that I used SAID it wouldnt interfere with test....Well last night after I posted me and hubby got to talking and I told him about the Amquel....he said I betcha a dollar that is what is giving the false reading! Of course you know what he said.....Quick worrying about the tank and LEAVE IT ALONE! No more "products" for me...other than some nitra zorb or the bio-spara and some aquarium salt! I think that there should be a nice simple beginner book that tells you right up front what to do....should come with every tank!lol The one I got....wow...what an over load of info for a newbie....that might be why I was so confused!lol But all in all I think that I have tried to do right by my new scaley buddies! So.....for the big question......am I back to a cycled tank???? Everything else has tested perfect!!!!! But Ammonia of course.....how long will it be until my water will test right since I used that Amquel....or is that going to require water changes as I go?(which I will have to do anyway) Oh and the ammonia chips is supose to make the water not as toxic.....so I guess I can take those back out too. You guys are great for hangin in there there with a cross stitchin fish lovin woman that is now totally crazy!

 

[sweetsuvvyb]

the problem with adding the amquel is that you remove the "food" for the bacteria that convert NH3 to NO2...so you might have yet another mini cycle in your future (or you might not! can't really predict!). I'd just leave things be, keep testing, and if you do see a nitrite spike...you can either go through the daily water change ordeal, or add the bio-spira.

I'm not familiar with the nitra-zorb...but I'd stear clear.

It's kind of a careful balance you aim to achieve in a fishtank...between NH3/NH4 (which is controlled by the pH), the bacteria which will "eat" the NH3 and produce NO2, and the bacteria that will "eat" the NO2 and produce NO3. If anything gets out of whack, it has a cascading effect, unfortunatly. In my experience...adding ANYTHING to a tank...even salt! can sometimes (not always) initiate a big change in the system. While the chemicals are intended to help...and they generally do what they say on the label...maintaining 2 colonies of bacteria is hard enough in a lab, let alone in a real-life setting, there's no need to make it harder!

I think it's good to keep the amquel around as a "just in case"...in the off chance you have a really high ammonia problem and can't do water changes...but I haven't actually ever used it!

 

[AtodaJ]

Here's my 2 cents.

Sounds like your tank has never had a chance to actually cycle. Your use of Amquel and ammonia chips have removed the food source for the beneficial bacteria (as noted earlier). So even if the bacteria were beginning to get established they were unable to survive and have since died. Putting in Bio Spira is a great idea but if you also have ammonia chips and/or Amquel in the tank then the Bio Spira bacteria will just die too. It is a fine line one walks during cycling. :?

My advice is to simply perform water changes as needed to keep the ammonia level from rising above .5 ppm and the nitrite level from rising above .25 ppm. At the same time grab some Bio Spira and put it in. This should solve your problem rather quickly. It did for me. Just remember not to use products to remove the food supply of your bacterial work force!

Good luck and I hope it works out whatever option you choose to go with!

 

[Allivymar]

Just to piggyback on the great advice from sweets n atoda:

Yep, you're tank is still cycling; actually it will ALWAYS be cycling *grin* cause there will always ammonia being added to the mix. However, as you know, its not in balance yet; not until ammonia and nitrites are no longer registering.

Water changes are really the best way to go; clean fresh conditioned water is ALWAYS a good thing; much better then trying to balance things thru artifical means (yeah I know, the entire environment is artificial LOL but you know what I mean). Its a pain initially; you feel like daily water changes are never going to end but it will! I promise.

 

[ADCISCO]

Ok now let me get this straight. I am having a false reading of ammonia because of the Amquel....right? So actually my ammonia is ok? I should take the ammonia chips back out and put the carbon back in? Will putting the carbon back in help take the amquel out of the water?

 

[sweetsuvvyb]

Take out the ammonia chips and hide them so you aren't tempted to use them ever again LOL.

You can put the carbon back in...you certainly don't need it, though, your filter works just fine without it (I use it in mine, simply because it comes with the filter packet). The only thing that will fix your water is time...

The amquel binds to the NH3, so it isn't something that can be easily removed.

 

[Allivymar]

I'd suggest getting a salicyte ammonia test to be sure; no way to tell whats converted ammonia and whats still in the toxic form without it.

 

[Guest]

I agree with everyone and as well agree with the hubby, leave it be for a while...aquariums take patience of mass quantities...The more you mess the chances are greater that the tank will not cycle fully and it will be harder and harder to get it right... Let Mother Nature do her job... I know it is frustrating, but,, she can handle it...JMO