Ammonia and Nitrite on the Battlefield

[edgar]

Alright, newbie's got a tank sitch. I got a 20 gallon high as a x'mas gift and it's been going for about a month and a half now. The first fish I got was a Betta and he's still there going strong. Since his intro, I've had 4 guppies placed 2 at a time over a couple weeks. They've all passed away.
I've been monitoring my water and my ammonia and nitrite levels, after treatments, will go down, but won't stay down. My treatments are Cycle, Amquel, Tank Buddies (Ammonia), and a Penguin Powerhead for increased aeration. I have a feeling that, because it was a package deal from Petsmart, my air filter is inadequate. It's their Top Fin brand for up to 20 gallon aquariums. My next move is to purchase a name brand, quality filter that's good for at least 30 gallons. Does anyone else have any suggestions? I would DIE if my Betta did. DIE, I tell you.

 

[gadazobe]

Has you tank cycled yet,? If not that could be why you're getting amonia and nitrite spikes. Bettas are suprisingly hardy fish and as long as the levels dont go too high, he should be ok. Don't get any more fish until your tank stablises. Are you sure that there are no decaying bodies or old food in it that could be causing the spikes? If things get really bad, try ammolock or zeolite - they may help to reduce the effect the ammonia and nitrite have on your betta.

 

[semper fi]

sorry, maybe i missed something here. is the powerhead the only means of filtration in the tank. if so you might want to add a sponge to the end of the powerhead and get a small filter like a whisper or a box filter that you could add carbon to to help rid the tank of toxins. carbon only has an effectiveness for three weeks in the aquarium. then it can leach the harmful toxins back into the tank, so make sure if you do decide to add carbon to change it every other week or so.

maggie

 

[belle]

Do you consistently add chemicals to nix any and all ammonia?
If so, that will keep your tank from completing the "cycle"--
From what I've read, the ammonia NEEDS to get to a really high level so that the bacteria colony can grow to a size sufficient to "eat" up all the ammonia, turn it to nitrite, and then on to nitrate...
I read one article where a guy tracked his water chemistry REALLY closely thru the initial cycling, and describes how he just watched the ammonia levels go up and up until he thought everything was going to die, but then like magic, the next day it started to get better as the bacteria started to go to work.

Maybe you should put your betta in a different tank, get some danios or some other super hardy fish that you wont be as heart broken about if they don't make it and wait 2-3 weeks, just doing small water changes, but no chemical treatment (except dechlorination), and see what happens?
Or there's "fishless cycling" that I've read about too?

 

[edgar]

I haven't actually added any chemicals. The treatments I've used add bacteria and are supposed to aid the biological filter media (Cycle, for instance). The exception might be the Tank Buddies, but I seem to recall that product not being harmful to existing bacterial colonies. I could be wrong, though. I'm going to try getting a better external power filter. The Top Fin brand is a little suspect, although I think it is made by the same company that manufactures Whisper filters. Nevertheless, I think the size may be inadequate for my tank. It's supposed to be good for up to 20 gallon tanks, but I've heard you should buy at least a size bigger (30 gallons, in my case). Hagen fans anyone? Thanks for the all the good info and help, by the way. I appreciate it.

 

[semper fi]

you can not overfilter your water. water filtration only slows the degradation of water quality it does not stop it. the more your water is churned the more the gasses are realeased and the more oxygen rich your water will become. very beneficial for the fish.

sf