OP
OP
taylorodw
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Thanks DK.
:-| Unfortunately the news on my tank is grim. Observing my fish today, I just felt that their behavior was not quite right. After their daily 25% PWC and medication (I skipped the mela/pimafix today because I feel that I may be overloading the tank with additives), I did a water test and turned up .25 ppm ammonia.
It looks like the medicine has killed the cycle (as I suspected it might, as most ich medication does, and anti-parasite meds contain many of the same ingredients). Fortunately, the daily water changes include a daily dose of prime to detoxify ammonia/nitrites present in the water. Unfortunately, I am limited to 25% PWCs by their medication, so I can't do the daily 50% that I feel fish truly deserve during a cycle.
None of this should be a problem because cycling = 50% PWCs until levels even out, and I understand how to fish-in cycle even though I've never done it. Unfortunately, I am going on a 5-day vacation soon (good luck enjoying it while my fish are in peril
) that I can't miss, it's a very important family event. So I will be unable to care for my tank during that time, and I don't trust anyone to care for it except those going on vacation with me.
Due to these events, I think I will take some risky and unconventional moves. The medication finishes on the day I leave for vacation, so I will add the final dose, and overdose prime to try to neutralize the ammonia. In discussing this on chat with krap101, the idea came up to use Zeolite (or similar ammonia-locking tools) to neutralize the ammonia while I am on vacation. Then, when I return, I will do a large PWC (very large!), remove the Zeolite, and begin the daily PWCs of a fish-in cycle, and hopefully limp my tank back to health.
Please post with any thoughts on this, or if you have a better idea
Or, even post just to wish me luck. My fish and I need it.
Hopefully I can
snipe this problem and keep all 11 swimming.
:-| Unfortunately the news on my tank is grim. Observing my fish today, I just felt that their behavior was not quite right. After their daily 25% PWC and medication (I skipped the mela/pimafix today because I feel that I may be overloading the tank with additives), I did a water test and turned up .25 ppm ammonia.
It looks like the medicine has killed the cycle (as I suspected it might, as most ich medication does, and anti-parasite meds contain many of the same ingredients). Fortunately, the daily water changes include a daily dose of prime to detoxify ammonia/nitrites present in the water. Unfortunately, I am limited to 25% PWCs by their medication, so I can't do the daily 50% that I feel fish truly deserve during a cycle.
None of this should be a problem because cycling = 50% PWCs until levels even out, and I understand how to fish-in cycle even though I've never done it. Unfortunately, I am going on a 5-day vacation soon (good luck enjoying it while my fish are in peril
) that I can't miss, it's a very important family event. So I will be unable to care for my tank during that time, and I don't trust anyone to care for it except those going on vacation with me.Due to these events, I think I will take some risky and unconventional moves. The medication finishes on the day I leave for vacation, so I will add the final dose, and overdose prime to try to neutralize the ammonia. In discussing this on chat with krap101, the idea came up to use Zeolite (or similar ammonia-locking tools) to neutralize the ammonia while I am on vacation. Then, when I return, I will do a large PWC (very large!), remove the Zeolite, and begin the daily PWCs of a fish-in cycle, and hopefully limp my tank back to health.
Please post with any thoughts on this, or if you have a better idea
Or, even post just to wish me luck. My fish and I need it.
Hopefully I can
snipe this problem and keep all 11 swimming.
