I dont understand why the tests show what they show

[dja3617]

I have a 55 gallon tank that's been set up for about 5 and a half weeks now I unfortunately added fish right away and everything was fine for about 2 weeks then the water started getting cloudy which I was told was normal due to a bacteria bloom. right when it started to get cloudy I tested the water and the ammonia was about 4.o ppm and nitrate was high as well and absolutely no nitrite which again I was told that was normal due to new tank syndrome about 4 weeks later after vigorous testing I tested the tank again and the ammonia was at .25 ppm nitrite was at 0 and nitrate at about 60 ppm but water was still cloudy I got excited threw some acurelF in the tank cleared up the water and bought 4 new fish 3 clown loaches and 1 black ghost knife the next day I went to work and came home the water was super cloudy again (which didnt scare me to much because I figured the acurelF just wore off) but I tested the water and the ammonia was super high again about 6.0 ppm still no nitrite and about 60 ppm of nitrate now its 5 days later still the ammonia is at 6.0 ppm no nitrite and 60 ppm of nitrate.... so my question is why I never have nitrite the ammonia is high and the nitrate is high WTF am I doing wrong and what can I do to better my situation

 

[ashleynicole]

1... stop buying fish. Why would you add more fish with an ammonia reading? And the nitrates are way top high.

2... do a water change now of at least 50 percent. You probably neneed to change 50 percent of the water twice a day to get that ammonia level down.

3. Test your tap water for nitrates. If your tap water has nitrates your going to need to buy some fast growing stem plants to help use them up or buy bottled water for your water changes.

4. If you can, buy some prime. It will neutralize the ammonia and nitrates for 24hours each time you dose. So using prime can help keep your fish from being poisonee.

 

[aquandrew]

+1 to that. unfortunately you will probably want to return the black ghost knife also, they get massive and need a 150 gallon tank. they get nearly a foot and a half long. the clown loaches will grow very, very slowly but will eventually also need a bigger tank. to reduce the ammonia you are going to need to do 50%+ water changes, otherwise your fish can suffer from ammonia burn.

 

[dja3617]

Im going to do the water change immediately I want to keep the fish as comfortable as possible. Will this stifle the bacteria bloom or cause the cycle to stop or restart?

 

[Mebbid]

It won't bother the cycle any to do a water change. But the advice to stop buying fish is good as well as the advice to return the fish. Your cycle was still quite a ways away from being finished sadly. The bacteria to convert ammonia to nitrite grow much faster than the bacteria to convert nitrite to nitrate. You still have a ways to go.

The ammonia is the cause of the bacteria bloom. Get it under control and it will help with the bacteria.

 

[Fishperson]

I don't know why you have nitrates but no nitrites. Like said, test your tap for nitrates. Also, what test kit do you use?

 

[ashleynicole]

No changing the water will not stall your cycle.

I don't know much about knife fish, but don't worry about the clown loaches, they grow incredibly slow. When they start getting too big you will need a bigger tank or you will need to upgrade.

 

[dja3617]

I have api liquid drops

 

[librarygirl]

Cycles take time. You're still in the ammonia phase, but you need to do what you can to keep the fish comfortable. Ammonia levels that high are hurting the fish. Also adding fish right now is just adding to the problem. Here is a guide that may help:
I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?! - Aquarium Advice
and Guide to Starting a Freshwater Aquarium - Aquarium Advice

Can you list tall of the fish you have right now? What filter are you using? What dechlorinator are you using? Are you using tap water?

 

[dja3617]

I have 5 platys 2 mollys 4 tetra 2 pectis cats 3 clown loaches 2 dwarf garamis and black ghost I use api stress coat and a aquaclear 110 filter

 

[Fishfur]

Oh dear. All those fish were exposed to that high ammonia level ? That's not good.

And one other thing. Ammonia is not the cause of bacterial bloom. It's the result of bacterial bloom. So in addition to the other problems of not being cycled, the bacterial bloom boosted the ammonia even higher.

Let me find an article I have bookmarked.. very good explanation of bacterial bloom, to go with the other info

http://www.oscarfish.com/article-home/water/72-heterotrophic-bacteria.html

Bacterial bloom is not uncommon in new tanks, but there are ways to handle it that work and ways that won't help at all. Water changes alone won't help, because the bacteria involved reproduce so very quickly.

 

[ashleynicole]

And one other thing. Ammonia is not the cause of bacterial bloom. It's the result of bacterial bloom. So in addition to the other problems of not being cycled, the bacterial bloom boosted the ammonia even higher.

This is wrong. The beneficial bacterial are establishing due to the prescence of ammonia. Fish pee is ammonia. Rotting fish and old food in the tank causes ammonia too. This type of bacteria feed off of the ammonia and convert it to nitrite. When ammonia levels begin to peak and bacteria begin to "bloom" to feed off of the ammonia, you can get white hazy water.

When nitrite begins to form other types of bacteria begin to grow and colonize which convert nitrite to nitrate. This usually doesn't cause as much of a haze to the water... I fact the water can be clear throughout both of these phases.



EDIT:
Wait, you are referring to the bacteria that converts organic waste (like uneaten food, dead fish, poo, etc) to ammonia? In that case something like rotting food from overfeading or a dead fish breaking down is causing an excessive amount of ammonia production but this would still stimulate both types of bacteria to begin growing and "bloom" so to speak.

 

[Fishfur]

I was not referring to any of the BB in a tank or filter. I was talking about the kind of bacterial bloom often seen in newer tanks that causes cloudy water.

Read the article I provided a link to and you will understand what I was talking about. It is often said that these blooms are caused by high ammonia, but in fact it is high ammonia that is the result of a bacterial bloom.

It's a very good article that explains it very, very well.

Edit. I mentioned it because the OP mentioned having bacterial bloom in his tank, along with the other problems he's having. What he had may or may not have been the kind of bloom I was trying to explain but that's a good reason to read about it, to find out what kind it might have been.