Ammonia Again!

Alright now I am annoyed! 2 weeks ago I had an ammonia problem and I did the water changes and used some of the best ammonia medications. At first it went down completely then a couple days later it goes right back up to .2ppm and slowly rising. I really need some help with how you guys take care of ammonia problems. Also additional details: My pH is 7.6, and I only have 2 fish in my 29 gallon.<br class="Apple-interchange-newline">

I don't know your history, but it sounds as though this is a new tank with an immature filter.

What I do, and in fact what we ALL do, is to grow colonies of bacteria in our filter, which process the ammonia, via nitrite, into nitrate. Ammonia is a waste product of fish, just like urine is a waste product of humans. They continually produce ammonia, and it is dealt with by the bacteria. Ammonia "medications" are only a temporary solution.

It takes quite a while, often months, to grow enough bacteria in the filter to successfully process ammonia, such that you can go a week without changing any water. In the meantime, you need to be testing every day, and changing water when you see the ammonia and/or nitrite levels approaching 0.25ppm.

There is a link at the top of this forum to the Beginners Resource Centre, in there is an article called "Fish-In Cycling". It sounds like you haven't read it, so please do. If you have already, then it sounds like you haven't understood it, so please re-read it!

William Hlas said:

Alright now I am annoyed! 2 weeks ago I had an ammonia problem and I did the water changes and used some of the best ammonia medications. At first it went down completely then a couple days later it goes right back up to .2ppm and slowly rising. I really need some help with how you guys take care of ammonia problems. Also additional details: My pH is 7.6, and I only have 2 fish in my 29 gallon.

Click to expand...

I'm interested in what this "ammonia medication" is...


If it is a product like ammo-lock, amquel, etc., then the reason the ammonia went back up is that these products are temporary fixes. It would seem that your filter is not cycled. Your bacteria colony is not yet capable of handling all the waste produced by the fish.


You are going to have to keep doing the water changes. This process can last up to 6 weeks or longer sometimes. Your pH being high actually is both good and bad news. Good news: the bacteria like that level of pH and so they will multiply quicker. Bad news: the ammonia tends to stay in the more toxic form, harming the fish more.

Have a read through the fish-in cycle thread and don't get discouraged. It will happen. It just takes time and lots of water changes. It truly is the only way to go at this point. You will get there.

eaglesaquarium said:

William Hlas said:

Alright now I am annoyed! 2 weeks ago I had an ammonia problem and I did the water changes and used some of the best ammonia medications. At first it went down completely then a couple days later it goes right back up to .2ppm and slowly rising. I really need some help with how you guys take care of ammonia problems. Also additional details: My pH is 7.6, and I only have 2 fish in my 29 gallon.

Click to expand...

I'm interested in what this "ammonia medication" is...

Click to expand...

Me too..

If this is indeed an immature tank, you have all you need to fix it above.

...And stop wasting your money on bottles of expensive coloured water......