Water change caused ammonia spike! Help!

[katw1986]

Tank

 

[katw1986]

Tap

 

[katw1986]

Ammonia

 

[katw1986]

It's hard to tell with the colors, I might just run some water over to big als and have them test it

He's still in the same corner as this morning

 

[Andy Sager]

It's hard to tell with the colors, I might just run some water over to big als and have them test it

He's still in the same corner as this morning

I would because the other option is that he has a bacterial sheen to him which is causing the fins to clamp. That becomes a whole other issue but you need to address the possibilities one at a time.

 

[katw1986]

I brought the tank water to big als and they tested it. Everything came back fine.

They suggested some aquarium salt to help him

 

[katw1986]

He is still in the corner, but periodically moves his little fins

But he hasn't moved much at all today

 

[katw1986]

He has been in this funk ever since the ammonia spike we had

 

[Andy Sager]

Here's a hint for you ( and everybody reading this) , NEVER accept test results as " fine" or " Okay", or " Within range", etc. You want actual numbers. Without them, you are not painting a picture with a full brush of paint.
Salt can help but that would also depend on your GH. If he's been this way since the ammonia issue, he may have burned his gills or more importantly, his labrynth organ and if so, that is going to take some time to heal if at all.

 

[katw1986]

They showed me the results of the test they have a light right over their counter, It was easier to see the color than at home. Ammonia was zero

Good news the aquarium salt helped! He is moving around now, and he accepted a small breakfast

 

[Andy Sager]

They showed me the results of the test they have a light right over their counter, It was easier to see the color than at home. Ammonia was zero

Good news the aquarium salt helped! He is moving around now, and he accepted a small breakfast

That's fine but when you are asking someone who is not there to see the results for help, it's the numbers that can help us help you. I'll add that the best light to read the API test with is natural sunlight. Artificial light can make colors appear differently depending on what spectrum the light bulb is putting out.
Glad to hear the salt helped.

 

[Airborne 82nd]

@andy "If your tap water has nitrates in it, you will need to use another source" This brings up something I've been meaning to ask you. When testing tap water is it correct to aerate it and let it sit for a few hours? I've been testing tap Ph but want to do a full range of test with my API master kit along with kh and gh. Just what is the best way to do a full tap water test at home? I do use prime before testing I have chlorine in my tap water. Maybe not needed if waiting 24hrs. but cost of prime is not a issue
Thanks in advance Airborne-Bragg again

 

[Aiken Drum]

You only need to aerate tap water for the pH test. This is primarily because disolved CO2 in the tap water will need to equalise with atmospheric CO2 before you get a true pH for the water.

Aeration should have no impact on any of the other water tests, as they aren't affected by disolved gasses. But if you wanted to do all the tests at the same time then no harm doing all the tests after letting the water aerate.

Seachem will tell you that their products affect ammonia tests. Their FAQ says not to use Nessler type tests (the ones with a single reagent that tests for free ammonia only) at all in the presence of Prime, and to use salicylate type tests (the ones with 2 reagents that combine free ammonia and ammonium in the result like APIs) straight away after dosing prime before the prime-ammonia bond can effect the result.

 

[Airborne 82nd]

Thanks Aiken

 

[Andy Sager]

Thanks Aiken

Yeah, what he said.