Increasing ammonia in tank?

[amitnarain]

hello. its been 3 days im medicating my fish for itch. i put in salt. however im concerned about the ammonia level of my tank. will it raise till becoming too high? should i have a water change? btw wont my pacu get stressed if i make the water change? plz help me on what to do.

im posting this bacause i find my fish swimming more near the surface of the water but they are not yet gasping for air.

 

[amitnarain]

also can u tell me what connection has ammonia got to do with ph level. thak u.

 

[Jchillin]

Unless you have an established tank (fully cycled), ammonia should not be a concern. If your tank is not established, you will have to perform water changes as often as needed. Your fish should not be stressed by this. Replace salt equivalent to the amount of water you change.

If you are using an HOB filter, lower the water level to create more surface agitation. If you are using a canister, raise the outflow to do the same. You can even add an airstone to accomplish this.

If your ph level is low (under 6), the ammonia/ammonium is not as toxic as it is when it is over that level. Nevertheless, ammonia in any form is stressful and should be removed.

BTW, what size tank do you have? Pacu's are pretty messy and can get quite large.

 

[TomK2]

uh-oh. Your fish have Ich, and you have ammonia too? That is a double stress for the fish, and can really hamper the fish's ability to fight off the Ich.

 

[greenmaji]

he treated his tank with bacteriacide for the ich.. thats what someone at his LFS suggested.. He has lost his cycle..
your just going to have to do water changes every day or two..

 

[amitnarain]

ok