Ammonia spiked high recently

[Socialrainxl39]

Ok i did a 75% water change and i added 7x rhe prime dose another fancy gumpy died and i tested my water and is

ph 7.6
Ammonia 0.50
Nitrite 1.0 and 0.50 cant tell the outcome
Nitrate 10ppm

Im about to give up, all i do i cant bring nitrite and ammonia down.

I have done 50 water changes 4 days in a row and today 75. What a nightmare for my fishes.

 

[Delapool]

I think with tap water at 0.5ppm ammonia that’s about as good as you can maintain until the nitrifying bacteria build up to handle the tank plus tap water ammonia.

Cycling tanks like this fish-in is a lot of work unfortunately. I’ve done it on my 150gal tank a couple of times with mini-cycles and totally agree not much fun. The good news is your cycle is well on the way and tanks get much more “bullet-proof” as they get established. You could try lowering the water change volume and test ammonia, increase water change volume if ammonia starts to creep up again.

Was setting up the 10 gallon tank and running empty of fish to cycle ammonia out of tap water as I suggested an option?

I assume you have a light over main tank? You could also try adding some cheap floating plants to suck up ammonia / nitrates.

 

[Socialrainxl39]

Well to be honest i trade my 10g tank for 4 bio filters medium size. It was just making dust outside, never knew i needed it right now. Im noticing top fin bacteria aint activating and is not helping at all.

I hope my remaining fish survived this apocalypse with amonnia and nitrite was zone.

Can you give me a list of floating plants that i could buy please and is safe for aquarium please.

Thank you for helping me and giving me good directions.

 

[Socialrainxl39]

Today my male precious betta i had for quite while in my small glass frame paased away in my 20 gallon tank and i believed i made a mistake trying to be in a hobby that i cant manage to be. I do love my pets and seeing them go it hurts. Well what next , i had 8 fishes and now is 4, im devasted seriously. Sorry for my drama crap but it just a form to express my self.

 

[Delapool]

That’s ok - it’s a lot of pain right now but does get better!

So with plants - what sort of light do you have? And how much water flow on surface.

I’d try anything cheap and see if it likes the tank water. Duckweed, small pond weed, wisteria, anything with fine to small leaves and no roots like eg cabomba (your shop will be able to help). Anything that can just float around. Or you could try planting a few in the substrate or leave in pot (assuming it comes in one of gravel). Generally I find floating plants easier but plants are pretty cheap.

Beware with plants it can be trial and error to see what works. It doesn’t sound like you have much algae so that helps. Check for snails on leaves.

 

[Socialrainxl39]

Ok i added 5 amazones sword plants in my 20 g tank and i have 2 bio sponge filters and one quiet flow 20.

My reads are

Ph 7.6
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 1.0
Nitrate 20ppm

Am i safe? None fish had died or symptoms

Please thank you.

I only have 3 corydories, 1 betta 1 fancy gumpy.
5 in total.

 

[Autumnsky]

7x Prime dose for the Nitrite issue.

Nitrite can injure internal organs in fish and they can die of their injury in around 3 weeks after everything test wise is seemingly fine. Read a paper mentioning this fact, that people get even more frustrated wondering what is wrong then 2-3 weeks later when the testing is looking safe. Fish die and look perfectly fine. But internal damage, they had succumbed to their previous injury.

Just a side note in case it happens.

Water change should remove it, but it is a quick test, verify that there isn't that much Nitrite in your tap water.

 

[Socialrainxl39]

Ok i already gave 14 ml dose for my 20 gallon ta k and i checked my tap water shows 0 nitrite in my api test liquid.

Yes i will monitor my fishes , at this moment they looked healthy and eating normally once a day with out leaving left overs.

My question is should i clean the bottom gravel and filtration to remove waste and left over food that i havent cleaned in 2 weeks, reason i havent done it is because someone told me i was removing bacterial and i would like to make sure between right and wrong?

 

[Autumnsky]

There would be negligible impact on BB if vac'ing.

High impact of excess food sitting in substrate out weights the small chance of disturbing a little of the BB.

 

[Autumnsky]

Missed the filter pad part.

Swish the pad in pwc water you will be throwing out. Not the water you just vac'ed but the cleaner top water you want to just remove for the water change.

If you feel the tank water isn't quite enough then use Prime treated nice new clean water to swish filter pad gently back and forth.

Also if you can, I like to add a second filter pad to the filter to provide additional places for BB to grow. See if it fits in front of the older one, or switch them so the older one is in back of the newer one. Usually there is space behind it.

 

[Socialrainxl39]

Ok already did what you said and nothing has change and still under1.0 ppm of nitrite. Did 50 water changeand dose of prime over 10ml.

I have bought a 10 gallon tank to start a mini cycle without fish. To create bacteria. But dont know how and what i need to do. Please give me an idea.

Water reads 7.6 ph
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 1.0
Natrate 20-30

 

[Autumnsky]

Water change will help reduce the nitrIte. 50% water change 50% less Nitrite. 50% next pwc a further reduction.

PWC is the key when you already have fish - a Fish-In cycle.

Also reducing the food as already mentioned and dividing the total food for one day into 2-3 feedings causing less of a large amount at once of ammonia, giving the BB which is establishing an easier time of using what is in the tank.

More water changes and Prime - did you read this it helps explain what we have been saying.
I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?! - Aquarium Advice

You are maybe over halfway there in your cycle.

As for creating bacteria for the new tank, take the Goldfish media before rinsing it and squeeze it into the new media, muck and all to the filter. Then you can gently rinse it off (always and only with pwc or treated fresh water) for the GF tank.

Then when the next week squeeze the next pad into the filter again for the new tank. This is seeding the new aquarium/filter media.

Angels Plus sells a cycled sponge filter and it has been reported, all that I have heard try it, to work like a charm. Just another option.

 

[Socialrainxl39]

Ok i have done water changes from 50-75 percent water changes and i could bring it to 05.0 then a few hours it goes back to 1.00 ppm, i do the 7X prime dose but no changes occured.

Is getting to the point of giving up and let my fishes die because it been 2 months that i cant get my ta k cycle. My wife is very upset because im making a huge mess with them water changes and nothing is changing. What should i do? Start all over or let my fishes suffer more, i started with 8 and i am left with 3 that been very hard fishes. I wish i knew having fishes were a hard task, and money spending too. I bought plants and all type of chemicals and nothing has changed.

This is my last read

Ph 7.6
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 05-1.00ppm
Na
Nitrate 20

 

[Delapool]

Just skimming but 10 gallon is set up with filter plus small amount of filter seed media from main tank (as has almost cycled so has all the bacteria)? And tap water added which was going at about 0.5ppm ammonia? Is that small tank?

 

[Delapool]

Your main tank actually sounds cycled with the nitrates, it just can’t handle the load quite yet.

Prime only detoxifies ammonia, it doesn’t remove it. Just makes it safe for a day or so and then the nitrifying bacteria consume.

Actually think it is just about there.