amonia in tank 4wks old

[TASHANCRAIG]

hi have purchased a juwel vision 180 tank (180 litres) it had been cycling for a wk before i added any fish then i added some neons and tiger barbs. i keep checking my amonia levels and they are about 0.25 then sometimes 1.5 as i change water it comes down but there is always about 0.25 there. my nitrite is 0.
is this all because its a new tank and will clear up soon ???
should i clean my sponges out or leave them to cycle still as i am unsure about this ???
i added a pleco and have noticed white spots onit told this could be ich (white spot) or it could be due to adding cold water into warm water in my tank its all confusing.
i have been advised to raise temperature to 30c as this will kill off ich but if water changes are to be done it will lower the temerature
PLEASE HELP !!! AS ITS ALL NEW TO ME !!!

 

[mfdrookie516]

Welcome to AA

Check out the link in my signature called "cycling with fish"... its a thread started by a member here on what to do when you dont cycle a tank before you add fish. For the most part, it stresses the importance of daily water changes to keep ammonia below .5 ppm.

 

[ilovemydragongoby]

1. welcome to AA
2. don`t clean your filters, all the good bacteria that your tank has is in the filter sponges.
3. are you treating the tank for the ich, or are you just raising the temp
4. def read the link that mfdrookie gave you (in his sig) it`s really helpful...i read that after my lfs told me that i should just run my tank for a week and then get fish

and 5. good luck with everything...oh and post some pics, we all love pictures!

 

[bluerose]

Test the water you add for water changes for ammonia-- it's possible that it has some already. In any case, when you do water changes, try to get the water temperature as close as possible; otherwise you can shock the fish.

Otherwise, I agree with reading up on cycling with fish and trying to figure out if you've got ich or not in your tank. If you do, slowly raise the water temp (2 degrees every 8-10 hours, I think?) and keep it there for a couple of weeks. Don't mess with your filter.

Good luck! And welcome to aquarium keeping

 

[TASHANCRAIG]

not sure if it is ich but have noticed a few tiny white dots on my neons fins and my common pleco what is the most effective way of treating ich and how am i suposed to keep the water temp t 30 if i am doing daily water changes is it ok to use kettle water to heat the water i am changing also i have tested the water that i am using and it has no traces of amonia in it thanks for your replies

 

[TASHANCRAIG]

also my tiger barbs hide when my lights are switched on ???? they were fine at 1st when introduced but after about a wk they only really come out in the dark or in a lit room is this normal ???? i have 35w bulbs