my ammonia levels wont drop!

[dannii]

hello, well last saturday i add some new fish too my tank, and i know that the ammonia level would rise until the bacteria raises. but how long should this take? i am worried that it is going to start to effect my fish. i have been using stabillity (10mls for 7 days) and also i found a product call ammo lock which i have been using and i have done my water changes but nothing seems to be helping to drop the ammonia! am i doing something wrong and if so what else should i be doing or will it eventually fix its self!

thanks

 

[i3k]

If you're tank has gone through the cycle, i would suspect a false positive on ammonia because you're using ammo-lock and more than likely using nessler based test kit.

Are you testing for ammonia within 36 hours of adding ammo lock? try testing 48 hours after using ammo-lock.

Of course, if your tank has not gone through the cycle, you probably do have an ammonia spike.

 

[dannii]

i dont think it has gone through a cycle as my nitrite and nitrate levels have not changed. i am using API liquid test kit. and i was testing the water the next day after using ammo lock. my ammonia is reading 0.50ppm so if it is a spike how long dose it normally take to go back to normal?

 

[dkpate]

Stop using AmmoLock, and just do water changes. It might take a week or two to get the ammonia to 0. If your ammonia ever gets over .25, do a water change of 25-50%.

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

Do you know anyone who has an established tank that could give you a couple handfuls of gravel? If so, get some and put in a aquarium media bag and put it in your tank or better yet in your filter to seed the bacterial colony. FYI if you test any level of NitrIte, your NitrAte kit will be off, because the API test converts NitrAte to NitrIte in the first step, then tests NitrIte.

 

[dannii]

if i stop using ammo lock will the ammonia start to stress the fish out cause at the moment they seem fine? my nitrite and nitrate levels are on 0ppm at the moment. and no i cant get a hold of some gravel but i have read about this stuff you can put in your tank that contains live bacteria, would that work or is any good?

 

[XimeD]

In my experience, it's a hit or miss with the bacterial products. Some people swear by them. I've only had my tanks for several months but of the products that I have tried (API stress-zyme, nutrafin cycle, microbelift special blend and Nite-out, biozyme) I felt biozyme maybe helped a little. My 20gal still took a good 8weeks to cycle (made a few mistakes along the way).

Best thing by far is some gravel or filter media from established tank but since you don't have that you could try some bacterial product (they're not that expensive, you can get away with the smaller bottles for your 150L). Whichever one you use make sure you get the newest one you can find, if the product is old the bacteria in it is probably dead (this is why I think these products are hit or miss). Biozyme is a solid and has no expiration (my guess is that it is lyophilized bacteria, but am not sure).

Another thing to have in mind is some of these products with live bacteria, like Nite-out, will say to keep refrigerated and yet the pet stores I've seen do not, that makes me seriously doubt whether there are any live bacteria in there by the time you buy it.

These are just my thoughts and experience on this, doesn't meant I am right, but hope it helps =)

 

[XimeD]

haha sorry messed up the math in my head, 150L is not small you'll need the bigger bottles.

Also regarding the ammo-lock, that was what stalled my cycle. I would stop using it if I were you and (like dkpate suggested, she helped me too) do as many PWC as you need to keep the ammonia (and later nitrites) below 0.25ppm. This will mean a LOT of work, so if you don't have one, get a python.

 

[i3k]

Yup, as others said, stop using ammo-lock. Test your water few days after you last dosed with ammo-lock. You might not even have an ammonia spike...it can very well be a false positive. If you're still getting positive test results after a few days of last ammo-lock dose, do water changes more frequently to keep ammonia down.

 

[dannii]

ok i will stop the ammo lock and do a test in a couple of days and i will keep doing my water changes. hopfully its is a false positive as the fish seem fine.
thanks for the advice very helpful.

 

[dkpate]

A false postive means this: The ammonia is still in the tank, but it is "bound" by the ammo-lock, so you still get readings but it's not harming your fish. I hope that makes sense. Think of the ammo-lock as a little bubble around the ammonia "piece." LOL
Clean water is the best medicine for everything. You will probably be doing water changes every day for a while, so get a good dechlorinator (most of us on here use Prime since it lasts forever). Prime will also help with the cycle by controlling the ammonia and nitrites, and helping with the nitrates.

 

[dannii]

thanks. i went out and brought some prime and and i am still doing my water changes everyday. hopfully i will see a change soon.

 

[dannii]

i have another question? um i have been doing water changes everyday since thursday and my ammonia seems to have gotten worst rather than better. i have stopped using ammolock. is it ment to get higher before it drops?

 

[mattrox]

is it ment to get higher before it drops?

Yes.... BUT you might need to do two pwcs a day of a little while until it drops.

 

[i3k]

what water conditioner are you using now? if you're using prime now, and still using a nessler based test kit, you will still get a false positive readings.

 

[dannii]

is the API liquid test kit a nessler based kit cause that is the test that i am using?

 

[i3k]

Is it the API Master kit or just the ammonia test kit? I googled, and getting mixed results. Some people say the API liquid kits are not nessler based and some people say only the API Master kit is not nessler based.

 

[dannii]

i have the API master kit. yeah i googled that too so im just confused now lol cause the fish seem fine.

 

[dannii]

i just tested my water again and it is reading that my ammonia has reached 4ppm my nitrite is 0 and my nitrate is 5.0ppm. i have done water changes everyday and did a half change 2 days ago and it is getting worse none of the fish seem to be sick and r not gasping for air or anything. i dont know what to do

 

[mattrox]

You really will need to do 2 50% water changes per day if your readings are climbing that quickly. Your fish are in danger at those levels, even if they aren't showing it yet.