Hi everyone. I recently purchased and set up a 10g aquarium on December 20th. I had it stocked with 5 neon tetras, 2 glow tetras, 2 corydoras catfish, my betta, and 2 guppies, plus 2 tiny ghost shrimp. I also added a snail for algae control, which has helped. I realize that it was too over stocked (long story as to why I had so many fish) but I did my best to have the tank cycle quickly and avoid the new tank syndrome. It actually didn't seem too bad in terms of swimming space because my guppies hung out at the top, betta spends most time resting near the surface and isn't a very active fish, tetras in the middle, and plecos at the bottom.
Anyway, I have two fairly large bamboo plants and some betta bulbs currently sprouting. I bought eco complete black substrate, use leaf zone API to help with the plant growth, have a heater and water temps are at 78 F, have plentiful lighting (I forget the wattage but it was recommended to me at my local fish store), and a nice underwater filter. I began performing water tests a week ago after I saw my tetras rapidly opening and closing their mouths and gasping a bit, and found my ammonia levels were very high (around .8-1).
I do 25%-40% water changes every other day using a gravel vacuum so I get the waste at the bottom, and treat fresh water with a water conditioner to make the tap water safe (stress coat API). When I saw the levels of ammonia were so high I added the API Quick Start solution to get the tank cycling faster, added a second filter (at the surface so there is water agitation and oxygen flowing) and added an ammonia removing pouch within the filter (not sure what is in it, some kind of tan rocks that are supposed to capture ammonia). I also cut way back on feeding to reduce waste.
Despite all of this my ammonia levels are not dropping and I have lost 3 neon tetras and a ghost shrimp. I currently have an air stone in the mail to help increase oxygen even more. I'm running out of things to do to lower ammonia levels. The neon tetras seem to be struggling the most. The plecos and guppies are fine, the glow tetras are relatively ok, snail is great, and I removed the betta to a separate tank because he was beginning to become very lethargic. He's fine in his own, new tank. Any advice for how I can drop these ammonia levels? Thank you!
Anyway, I have two fairly large bamboo plants and some betta bulbs currently sprouting. I bought eco complete black substrate, use leaf zone API to help with the plant growth, have a heater and water temps are at 78 F, have plentiful lighting (I forget the wattage but it was recommended to me at my local fish store), and a nice underwater filter. I began performing water tests a week ago after I saw my tetras rapidly opening and closing their mouths and gasping a bit, and found my ammonia levels were very high (around .8-1).
I do 25%-40% water changes every other day using a gravel vacuum so I get the waste at the bottom, and treat fresh water with a water conditioner to make the tap water safe (stress coat API). When I saw the levels of ammonia were so high I added the API Quick Start solution to get the tank cycling faster, added a second filter (at the surface so there is water agitation and oxygen flowing) and added an ammonia removing pouch within the filter (not sure what is in it, some kind of tan rocks that are supposed to capture ammonia). I also cut way back on feeding to reduce waste.
Despite all of this my ammonia levels are not dropping and I have lost 3 neon tetras and a ghost shrimp. I currently have an air stone in the mail to help increase oxygen even more. I'm running out of things to do to lower ammonia levels. The neon tetras seem to be struggling the most. The plecos and guppies are fine, the glow tetras are relatively ok, snail is great, and I removed the betta to a separate tank because he was beginning to become very lethargic. He's fine in his own, new tank. Any advice for how I can drop these ammonia levels? Thank you!
