KimAnnKitz
Aquarium Advice Regular
I have posted about my ammonia problem once and since it seems to keep dragging on, I'm posting again because I am so frustrated. I have a Fluval Spec V that has been up and running since February 11 (It's a 5 gallon tank for those of you not familiar with Fluval tanks). For the first week it had just 2 snails and then I added a betta. I had test strips for a while and they were showing everything ok in the tank. After having shrimp die, I purchased the API Master Test Kit and realized that I was having Nitrite and Ammonia problems. It seems I have gotten a handle on the Nitrites, but not the Ammonia. I have been doing water changes of 50% every single day for at least two weeks and still getting Ammonia of at least .25 ppm. I did skip one day because the ammonia test looked yellow to me, but the next day the ammonia was definitely green (.5 -1.0 ppm) I am not sure why I can not get the ammonia under control in this tank. I test the Nitrites and Ammonia daily and then do my water change with Seachem Prime and, recently, Stability. I did do the 7 day course of Stability with no positive results. Honestly I have to say that I think I prefer the Nutrafin Cycle over the Stability as I have had success with it in two other tanks. My last tests were PH 6.5, Nitrites 0, Nitrates 0, Ammonia .5 ppm. I know now about fishless cycling but since the tank has a betta, that is not possible. Why is my ammonia still high every day? Oh...I need to mention that this tank is also planted and my plants are starting to suffer a little. I would appreciate any input!