Ammonia levels

[Claretmaz]

Hi all, im pretty new to the fish scene and have tried to do everything right. I have a small 40L tank with filters and temp. I have cycled the tank and slowly added the fish as advised. I noticed after adding 2 more fish that they became unwell when i woke up the following morning. The symptoms of the other fish made me test the water and the Ammonia levels are up at 4. I have took advice of a water change slowly but they are not improving. I am down to 2 neons and would like some help on what to do from here. Will the neons die and how do i reduce the levels Please help....!!

 

[shellieca]

Hi all, im pretty new to the fish scene and have tried to do everything right. I have a small 40L tank with filters and temp. I have cycled the tank and slowly added the fish as advised. I noticed after adding 2 more fish that they became unwell when i woke up the following morning. The symptoms of the other fish made me test the water and the Ammonia levels are up at 4. I have took advice of a water change slowly but they are not improving. I am down to 2 neons and would like some help on what to do from here. Will the neons die and how do i reduce the levels Please help....!!

40L is around 10 gallons? Because of the size of your tank you will not be able to have many fish. Each fish you add will add to the bioload which in turns causes more ammonia. How many fish total do you have in the aquarium & how many of each? How long has the tank been running? With your ammonia that high LARGE water changes are necessary and maybe more than one in a day until the level is back down. Since adding fish how often are you doing water changes & how much water? I have a 10g tank that the ammonia jumped to about 1 so I did a LARGE water change, checked it a couple hours later, didn't like where it was still & did another water change within a few hours. Are you sure your ammonia test is accurate? Are you using strips or a liquid test? I would not add anymore fish until the tank is under control & it is possible that you are maxed on the amount of fish you can safely have in your tank.

 

[Claretmaz]

Hi,

I had 7 fish in there only small ones. I had tetras, guppys some neons and 1 more. The tanks been up and running for 6 weeks and i have been doing water changes weekly. I did a water change about 4 hours ago shall i do another 1 and of what size.

The test i have been using is the API freshwater master kit. On the last test i did its down to 2ppm.

Really appreciate all the help....!

 

[lorihallfrisch]

welcome

hi and welcome to the forum. Try putting this under unwell fish or starting out..etc and you should get some responses. I think this is more for technical puter stuff
as for the high amonia levels. I am cycling my first tank and have the same problem. I would keep your number of fish down and do a bunch of PWC. I had no choice but to do 3 yesterday..25%, 50% and 75% Also i have been told prime added will help keep your amonia less toxic for like 24- 36 hours. Wish I had known that before i started cycling my tank. I lost 1 tetra yesterday from either amonia or the huge water changes. Today amonia is down a bit and I am beginning to see a tiny tinge of nitites,,,I am holding on for the ride.. I'd personally do a huge water change..75 % would hopefully give you liveable amonia levels. what kind of test (liuid or strips) do u test with? Post this in the right area and I hope someone with more experience can help you. good luck

 

[lorihallfrisch]

sorry didnt see the previous post. i agree...

 

[Claretmaz]

hi and welcome to the forum. Try putting this under unwell fish or starting out..etc and you should get some responses. I think this is more for technical puter stuff
as for the high amonia levels. I am cycling my first tank and have the same problem. I would keep your number of fish down and do a bunch of PWC. I had no choice but to do 3 yesterday..25%, 50% and 75% Also i have been told prime added will help keep your amonia less toxic for like 24- 36 hours. Wish I had known that before i started cycling my tank. I lost 1 tetra yesterday from either amonia or the huge water changes. Today amonia is down a bit and I am beginning to see a tiny tinge of nitites,,,I am holding on for the ride.. I'd personally do a huge water change..75 % would hopefully give you liveable amonia levels. what kind of test (liuid or strips) do u test with? Post this in the right area and I hope someone with more experience can help you. good luck

Hi how do i re post somewhere else. I wasnt sure what i was doing.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Hi,
I've just moved your post to the getting started section. Welcome to AA!

 

[shellieca]

Hi,

I had 7 fish in there only small ones. I had tetras, guppys some neons and 1 more. The tanks been up and running for 6 weeks and i have been doing water changes weekly. I did a water change about 4 hours ago shall i do another 1 and of what size.

The test i have been using is the API freshwater master kit. On the last test i did its down to 2ppm.

Really appreciate all the help....!

My rule of thumb is if my ammonia is .25 I do at least a 50% water change. With yours being at 2 (which is much better than 4 but still dangerous) I would do at least a 70% water change & then retest in a couple of hours. If it's still above .25 do another water change of at least 50%. Make sure you are using a water conditioner each time. I know it is a pain but believe me it will keep your fish alive. You cannot do too many water changes. Also you haven't changed out your filter recently have you?

 

[Claretmaz]

My rule of thumb is if my ammonia is .25 I do at least a 50% water change. With yours being at 2 (which is much better than 4 but still dangerous) I would do at least a 70% water change & then retest in a couple of hours. If it's still above .25 do another water change of at least 50%. Make sure you are using a water conditioner each time. I know it is a pain but believe me it will keep your fish alive. You cannot do too many water changes. Also you haven't changed out your filter recently have you?

Hi i changed the filter around 2 weeks ago. I have just done a 70% water change and put the tap safe solution in as well. I still have 2 neons in the tank will they be ok being left in on their own. When should i re do the ammonia test??

 

[Claretmaz]

Hi,
I've just moved your post to the getting started section. Welcome to AA!

Thanks

 

[Claretmaz]

I have just re tested my water after the big change and the test has come down to 0ppm.

Is there anything i need to do now??

Thanks all for your help.

 

[Claretmaz]

Hi,
I've just moved your post to the getting started section. Welcome to AA!

Also how do i post questions in different sections i cant find out how to do this. Im using the app on ipad...?

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Also how do i post questions in different sections i cant find out how to do this. Im using the app on ipad...?

Go to forums on the left hand side on the bottom of the screen. Scroll through until you find the correct section. In this case the freshwater section. Then select the category that best suits your question. Select the arrow in the box on the right side at the top, then select new reply. Enter a title and your question then hit send.

If you accidentally post in the wrong section you can report your post and a Mod will move the thread to the correct location. To report select the little downwards facing arrow on the right of the blue bar just above the post. The option will be there.

 

[shellieca]

I have just re tested my water after the big change and the test has come down to 0ppm.

Is there anything i need to do now??

Thanks all for your help.

GREAT JOB! Just keep testing daily & do water changes when need be. I do my water change when I see .25 ammonia to keep it from getting too high. I'm doing water changes tonight because one of my fish in cycling tanks decide to show nitrites for the 1st time in about 2 weeks & the other is showing .5 ammonia. So long as you stay on top of the testing & water changes your fish should stay happy & healthy.

 

[shellieca]

Hi i changed the filter around 2 weeks ago. I have just done a 70% water change and put the tap safe solution in as well. I still have 2 neons in the tank will they be ok being left in on their own. When should i re do the ammonia test??

Don't change the filter unless it is absolutely falling apart. If it seems gunked up, when you do a water change swish it around in the USED tank water & put the filter back in. Do NOT use tap water because that will kill your beneficial bacteria & your tank will go through the cycling process again. I know the instructions probably said change it out every 4-6 weeks but don't.

 

[Claretmaz]

GREAT JOB! Just keep testing daily & do water changes when need be. I do my water change when I see .25 ammonia to keep it from getting too high. I'm doing water changes tonight because one of my fish in cycling tanks decide to show nitrites for the 1st time in about 2 weeks & the other is showing .5 ammonia. So long as you stay on top of the testing & water changes your fish should stay happy & healthy.

I have re tested this morning and the ammonia levels have risen again. I have done another water change. Im off to work now but will check when im home. Its not as high as before. Strange....

 

[librarygirl]

Keep up with the water changes and testing. Don't touch/replace your filter media. Dont' add more fish until the cycle completes and then ask here first, don't trust what the people at the store tell you as they'll sell you anything even if it isn't good for the fish (e.g. neons are active fish and should be in a much larger tank).

Here are some links that might help:

I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?! - Aquarium Advice
Guide to Starting a Freshwater Aquarium - Aquarium Advice

 

[shellieca]

I have re tested this morning and the ammonia levels have risen again. I have done another water change. Im off to work now but will check when im home. Its not as high as before. Strange....

This is going to happen so keep doing what you're doing, test the water & do a water change as needed. Was it as high as it was yesterday? Have you tested your tap water to see what it's parameters are out of curiousity?

 

[Claretmaz]

This is going to happen so keep doing what you're doing, test the water & do a water change as needed. Was it as high as it was yesterday? Have you tested your tap water to see what it's parameters are out of curiousity?

No i havent done that but not had any problems before. Im still getting a reading of between 1 and 2 what % water change shall i do. ?

 

[librarygirl]

No i havent done that but not had any problems before. Im still getting a reading of between 1 and 2 what % water change shall i do. ?

Ideally you want to keep ammonia .25 or below; I'd do at least 2-3 larger water changes, 60% or so. If it keeps rising that fast then you're probably overstocked or your tap water has ammonia in it. What size tank and what fish are left (sorry if you posted this already)?