Ammonia level won’t go down. Please help

[CaptainBarnicles]

Wrong post!! my bad...just put kids to bed and my eyes are looking at each other by this point! need more wine

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

He was talking to me lol

Yes I was, sorry

The more water OP can change the better, 80% is ample

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

Yes I was, sorry

The more water OP can change the better, 80% is ample

And that's MRS CaptainBarnicles to you bud

 

[Rocky998]

Wrong post!! my bad...just put kids to bed and my eyes are looking at each other by this point! need more wine

Yes I was, sorry

The more water OP can change the better, 80% is ample

Lol. Its fine

 

[xxBarneyxx]

I do not see where I have done anything differently from all other water changes. The only change I made was switched water conditioner from top fin brand to API. Used same buckets.same faucet water. Poured water in small amounts before adding what’s left at bottom of 5 gallon bucket. I have pretty much done all of what I’ve been told to do

To be honest it's not the water change that was the problem. It's the toxic levels of ammonia they have been living in.

Think of it this way. If you shoot someone and they stub their toe at the same time what killed them. The gunshot or stubbing their toe?

The ammonia is the gunshot, the water changes are stubbing the toe.

It may not feel like it but the ammonia levels are dropping, it's going in the right direction.

 

[Rocky998]

And that's MRS CaptainBarnicles to you bud

You realized you quoted yourself, right?

 

[Tenaj]

To be honest it's not the water change that was the problem. It's the toxic levels of ammonia they have been living in.

Think of it this way. If you shoot someone and they stub their toe at the same time what killed them. The gunshot or stubbing their toe?

The ammonia is the gunshot, the water changes are stubbing the toe.

It may not feel like it but the ammonia levels are dropping, it's going in the right direction.

All but 3 I killed
Im Sure they are going too
Now it seems I will have to start over. If the last three die, i Will need to figure out how to finish the cycle with no fish in it.

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

You realized you quoted yourself, right?

told you, need more wine!

Casualties are expected living in those high levels unfortunately, I'm surprised you haven't lost more fish to be honest...it sucks but we've all been there at one stage or another. Learn from this experience and hopefully it will never happen again

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

All but 3 I killed
Im Sure they are going too
Now it seems I will have to start over. If the last three die, i Will need to figure out how to finish the cycle with no fish in it.

If they all die then you'll continue your cycle with bottled ammonia

 

[xxBarneyxx]

All but 3 I killed
Im Sure they are going too
Now it seems I will have to start over. If the last three die, i Will need to figure out how to finish the cycle with no fish in it.

As hard as it is this may be the case. Its a hard lesson but still with what you know now the next run will be better.

 

[Tenaj]

If they all die then you'll continue your cycle with bottled ammonia

Bottled ammonia? Where do I get that? Will I need to pour out all 36 gallons of tank water and start over with new water too?

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

Bottled ammonia? Where do I get that? Will I need to pour out all 36 gallons of tank water and start over with new water too?

Someone can send you a Web link of the stuff they use, I've never used it so I can't help there...if there's no fish in the tank then there'd be no need for the water changes...your water changes at the moment are to dilute the ammonia present in your tank at the moment to safeguard your livestock

 

[Rocky998]

Bottled ammonia? Where do I get that? Will I need to pour out all 36 gallons of tank water and start over with new water too?

Do you have an ace hardware near you?

 

[Rocky998]

Do you have an ace hardware near you?

If you dont have an ace near you then get the Dr. Tims ammonium. Ive heard good things about that stuff. But ace's 10% ammonia is way cheaper and you can use the aquarium calculator to see how much you should use...

 

[Essjay]

You don't need to do a water change unless ammonia is more than 3ppm.
If the last fish die, test for ammonia before doing anything else. For cycling without fish, you need to start at 3 ppm ammonia. If the level is that high, you don't need to add any more for a while, but if it's lower than that you need to add enough to get it up to 3 ppm. And if it's more then 3, do a water change to get it down to 3.
Then follow this method

Cycling Your New Fresh Water Tank: Read This First!

Cycling Your First Fresh Water Tank What is Cycling and Why is it Important? Fish waste, and especially fish breathing, plus uneaten food and other organic matter breaking down in a tank all produce Ammonia. This can quickly become toxic to fish if it is allowed to build up to any measurable...

www.fishforums.net

Since you will have grown some ammonia eaters, just not enough, it should go quicker than usual.