Should I Give Up?

fidjet2 · Oct 20, 2011

Well as some of you might know, i have ammonia in my tap water....so in tank water. (little under .25)
The filter doesn't seem to want to get rid of it.
I use prime and i use an API master liquid test kit.
My fish are getting red gills which i presume is ammonia poisening.
I don't want to put my fish through this

Should i give them to my LFS?
Or is there something i can do?

I originally didn't cycle my tank, but it has been set up for about 4 months(actually 6 months, but 4 months since i realised i didn't have to change the filter media) With fish in it, so i though it would have been cycled by now.

I don't know what to do and i don't want to put my fish through this.
-I have 15 neon tetra's
-6 panda cory's
-1 flame dwarf gouarmi- which i know would be sensitive to bad water parameters, at the moment he is fine, but im not sure how long that will last.....

What should i do? :sad:

holidayinn · Oct 20, 2011

Sorry to hear of your troubles, could possibly increase filtration? Ammonia is the lifeblood of a filter, so more filtration will convert it into nitrite>nitrate quicker.

fidjet2 · Oct 20, 2011

Thanks, i will have a go at that

if only my stupid tap water had no ammonia

holidayinn · Oct 20, 2011

there are prob some chemicals such as ammo-lock, which converts ammonia to less harmful substances, but this is more of a short term measure.

Dieses Madchen · Oct 20, 2011

fidjet2 said:
Thanks, i will have a go at that if only my stupid tap water had no ammonia

I also have ammonia in my tap water, but with the use of Prime, which converts ammonia into less toxic ammonium, and a well built bacterial colony, the ammonia shoudl dissipate before any damage is done to the fish.

I have 1ppm of ammonia in my tap water, and my fish are still flourishing. If I have to do a large water change (50%+) then I have a really large bucket that I siphon the tank water into, then relocate my fish temporaroly until my filter rids the tank of ammonia, whichis usually less than a day. That is my emergency method (which I have only had to use once when my husband put way to much food in the tank.) and my fish are doing well.

Tizer · Oct 20, 2011

if your filter has been running that long, there is a high chance your test kit is poop, tried taking a sample to the local shop for a double check?

the_lock_man · Oct 20, 2011

Fidj, I still reckon it's an issue with your test kit, not a problem in your tank. There is no way that your filter can tell the difference between ammonia from fish, and ammonia from your tap. I think it was Mowbz, yesterday, who was saying that he thought he had 0.25ppm NH3 in his tank, but when he looked under different lights, at the same test, it was clearly 0.

DON'T GIVE UP!!!!!!!

mike455555 · Oct 20, 2011

use rainwater? no ammonia in that + you'll probably have some beneficial bacteria in there as well. do you have a water-but?

fidjet2 · Oct 20, 2011

the_lock_man said:
Fidj, I still reckon it's an issue with your test kit, not a problem in your tank. There is no way that your filter can tell the difference between ammonia from fish, and ammonia from your tap. I think it was Mowbz, yesterday, who was saying that he thought he had 0.25ppm NH3 in his tank, but when he looked under different lights, at the same test, it was clearly 0.

DON'T GIVE UP!!!!!!!

If it is my test kit though, why do my neons have red gills?

Clarousel · Oct 20, 2011

Hi there, my tap water has high ammonia too and I use seachem prime to help neutralize it. So far the filter is coping well. Maybe you can try increased filtration like what holidayinn mentioned?

You can try using Interpet Cycle as your last resort. It did help boost up my filter.. :look:

nitrogen15 · Oct 20, 2011

Did you try your test kit with purified bottled water like I suggested? It's the best way to be sure your kit isn't spoiled.

If the ammonia is really there, I agree with holidayinn. Add another filter. Also put in some fast-growing plants to soak up the ammonia. Ammonia is good plant food.

Mowbz · Oct 21, 2011

You might be experiencing "API Phantom Readings" lol

I find that if i try to read the levels in the lounge, i can see 0.25ppm Ammonia (Light is fairly dim)

If i go in the kitchen and put the test tube and chart under the fluorescent tubes under the kitchen cupboard, its quite plainly 0ppm.

Try looking under a different light, you may be suprised!

fidjet2 · Oct 21, 2011

Fish tank test with no flash-

Fish tank test with flash-

Purified water test with no flash-

Purified water with flash-

Am i blind or does it look like it has a tinge of green in all pics?

Tizer · Oct 21, 2011

perfectly yellow in my eyes

Fish do actually have red gills you know, under the outer flap. Its usually redness around the natural redness that can be ammonia poisoning. Get a picture up here if you want to put your mind at rest.

the_lock_man · Oct 21, 2011

There's only one that shows even a faint tinge of green, and that is the first one (tank, no flash). But I deffo agree with Tizer that they're all showing 0ppm.

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Should I Give Up?

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i need to stop buying plants....

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