Ammonia spike in established tank please help

[steph101]

Hi

I noticed my betta was becoming really lethargic, he hadnt eaten in 2 days which is extremely weird for him. My cories were swimming all over the place, they seemed stressed out. I tested my water and the ammonia tube turned a bright green colour (1-2ppm). My tank has been running for a good 24 months, this is the first spike ive ever had besides when i first cycled.

I did some research and I have learnt that the reason for the ammonia spike is because I medicated my tank with tri sulfa (i also doubled the dose) because it seemed my neons had a case of mouth rot or some type of fungus. They had white all over their mouths and one is all lumpy with black and white spots. He still is active and eats though.

Any who, the triple sulfa didn't work and it has caused my beneficial bacteria to die off hence the ammonia spike. Basically my tank is going through a mini cycle now. What do I do? I just did a 40 per cent water change. Do i continue the changes every day? Ill list my tank details below.

Size: 100 Liters
Temp: 27 Celsius
Stock: 6 neons, 1 betta and 4 cories
Water conditioner: Neutral regulator (removes chlorine and ammonia)
Ph: 7.6

If my tank was going through a mini cycle, wouldnt it be bad to remove the ammonia because the ammonia needs to turn into nitrite then nitrate and then good bacteria? Im not sure what to do...

I honestly though the neons would be dead by now but it seems to be effecting them the least.

[Caliban07]

Originally Posted by steph101

Hi



I noticed my betta was becoming really lethargic, he hadnt eaten in 2 days which is extremely weird for him. My cories were swimming all over the place, they seemed stressed out. I tested my water and the ammonia tube turned a bright green colour (1-2ppm). My tank has been running for a good 24 months, this is the first spike ive ever had besides when i first cycled.



I did some research and I have learnt that the reason for the ammonia spike is because I medicated my tank with tri sulfa (i also doubled the dose) because it seemed my neons had a case of mouth rot or some type of fungus. They had white all over their mouths and one is all lumpy with black and white spots. He still is active and eats though.



Any who, the triple sulfa didn't work and it has caused my beneficial bacteria to die off hence the ammonia spike. Basically my tank is going through a mini cycle now. What do I do? I just did a 40 per cent water change. Do i continue the changes every day? Ill list my tank details below.



Size: 100 Liters

Temp: 27 Celsius

Stock: 6 neons, 1 betta and 4 cories

Water conditioner: Neutral regulator (removes chlorine and ammonia)

Ph: 7.6



If my tank was going through a mini cycle, wouldnt it be bad to remove the ammonia because the ammonia needs to turn into nitrite then nitrate and then good bacteria? Im not sure what to do...



I honestly though the neons would be dead by now but it seems to be effecting them the least.

First of all I would lower the temp to around 25 degrees. Then the single most important thing you can do now is water changes to keep the fish safe. Forget about the ammonia and bacteria. The cycle will re-establish naturally but it may take a bit longer. Changing the water as much as necessary to keep the ammonia down and 50% weekly from then on. Water changes may also be all that is required to stop the disease. Feed lightly during this period too.

Good luck


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[steph101]

How much water change should I do daily? ive been doing 25 per cent and it does not make much difference in the ammonia levels. I feel like if i do 50 per cent daily this will put me back to square one (re cycling the tank). Im thinking I just let my tank go through its mini cycle because if im removing ammonia by doing water changes my tank will never rebuild the beneficial bacteria if this makes sense. But if i do go with that option my fish are at risk of ammonia poisoning.

[Caliban07]

Originally Posted by steph101

How much water change should I do daily? ive been doing 25 per cent and it does not make much difference in the ammonia levels. I feel like if i do 50 per cent daily this will put me back to square one (re cycling the tank). Im thinking I just let my tank go through its mini cycle because if im removing ammonia by doing water changes my tank will never rebuild the beneficial bacteria if this makes sense. But if i do go with that option my fish are at risk of ammonia poisoning.

What are you using to test ammonia? If you can, buy a Seachem ammonia alert that will tell you when to do a water change. Without going in to too much detail there are two forms of ammonia harmful and non useful. The liquid test kits measure all of it combined but the Seachem ammonia alert just measures harmful.

How are the fish reacting? If they are behaving normally then 25% May be adequate but most people advise to change 50% when there test kit shows 0.25-0.5ppm.

Have you tested your tap water? Your water company may have altered something which has higher levels of ammonia. Chloramines are becoming more popular over chlorine to help keep tap water safe but the chloramine includes ammonia.

Also Seachem prime is a good water conditioner that turns all the harmful ammonia in to non harmful for up to 48 hours. The tank will still cycle but the ammonia will still show on the test as prime only changes the chemical state it doesn't take it out.

You have a couple of options there.


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[thing fish]

have you tested for nitrites, as well?

i would keep up with the 50% water changes and that was a good idea to feed lightly. i would not ignore the ammonia levels at the expense of the fish.

do you happen to have another tank or know someone else with an established tank? if you squeeze out some media from an established tank's filter and add it to your tank water, it will help speed things up. that would be ideal.

[steph101]

Hi

I can find Seachem where I live (Australia) I am using API master test kit. I had 0 readings for nitrite. Ammonia is 1-2ppm. Fish are still swimming around frantically. Betta is laying on the bottom and breathing heavily.

Sadly, no one I know has fish besides me. Theyre all dogs and cat people haha Im thinking of buying that product that is supposed to 'boost' the cycle. The name of said product is Quick Start from API. Has anyone used this and does it work?

My current water conditioner (neutral regulator) says it 'removes' ammonia. So it must turn 'harmful' ammonia into 'non-harmful' but yet it still reads as 2ppm when i test. It also keeps the Ph balanced at 7.5. Thats why I like it. Never had a problem with ph. Its been 2 days since ive fed fish. I think ill feed every 2 days.

What about aeration? should a turn it up a notch during this time?

[Jerky]

Originally Posted by steph101

Hi

I can find Seachem where I live (Australia) I am using API master test kit. I had 0 readings for nitrite. Ammonia is 1-2ppm. Fish are still swimming around frantically. Betta is laying on the bottom and breathing heavily.

Sadly, no one I know has fish besides me. Theyre all dogs and cat people haha Im thinking of buying that product that is supposed to 'boost' the cycle. The name of said product is Quick Start from API. Has anyone used this and does it work?

My current water conditioner (neutral regulator) says it 'removes' ammonia. So it must turn 'harmful' ammonia into 'non-harmful' but yet it still reads as 2ppm when i test. It also keeps the Ph balanced at 7.5. Thats why I like it. Never had a problem with ph. Its been 2 days since ive fed fish. I think ill feed every 2 days.

What about aeration? should a turn it up a notch during this time?

The non-harmful ammonia will still register on those tests. I am like 99% sure of that. I am unsure of quick start. I would stick with the water conditioner and 50% water changes everyday. Just my opinion on the matter. I am still a novice fish keeper tho. I would try to not change too much or add any new chemicals as it may push your already stressed fish harder. The 50% water changes daily I feel will be the biggest factor.

[missie86]

I tried quick start when I first started out (didnt know a thing about cycling) and it didnt seem to do anything other than the water conditioning properties. It took 5 weeks to complete my cycle and have never used it again...I only use prime and have not had any issues. I even got a second tank (cycles in 2 weeks with filter media from established tank)

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[steph101]

Thanks for everyone's replies.

I think I will ditch the Quick Start and stick to daily water changes and water conditioner. That is all. Ill let the cycle happen naturally, trying to speed it up with chemicals is adding stress.

What do you think about stress coat? This product is supposed to lower stress levels in fish. Should I ditch this too or add it in with my water changes and conditioner?