ammonia levels ...

[lonelyneon]

I read the posts made for the ammoina levels of "bear" and it kinda looks like we're in the same situation. When I started my tank the store didn't tell me anything about ammonia levels and all that. Then my fish started to get Ich and I didnt know what it was at the time but when I found out i treated it asap. Now my tank is left with 3 fish out of 15 and last night i lost my snail as well. I purchaced the same ammo-lock and used it for a while. Someone mentioned that it nutralizes ammonia but on the bottle it says that after 7 days if you get a positive test its your fault... lol.. Well I stopped using that after awhile because it obviously wasnt helping and I have been doing water changes ever since but that isnt working much either. My tank has a golden gourami, red wagtail platy and a white skirt tetra. My sister started out with 3 black skirt tetras and a week later added a tinfoil barb and her tank is fine.. (btw shes 3!!!!) And I don't regularly change her water as I do mine. What shall I do? This is a terrible blurry pic.. the best I can get with my camera.. of my gourami

 

[Bear]

How long has the tank been set up and what are your levels (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates)?

If you read my other post, you'll see that the AMMO-LOCK was giving us a false reading, which we suspected. Sounds like you are probably having the same problem....

 

[Cheese Specialist]

Hiya lonelyneon!

That's a very nice gourami you have there, is it a golden one?

Anyway, I am not sure to how to help you with your amonia problems. I suppose small regular water changes are the best you can do. Is your tank cycling? Maybe you coudl get something to help it along. You can buy bottles of good bacteria that will help you establish a cycle. There's another post in this forum about it.

I have used Stress Zyme and I think there's one called Bio something or other. I am sure you will be able to find something.

In the meantime, continue with your water changes and try to feed as little as possible and remove uneated food, to keep the waste levels down. How often do you feed?

Good luck.

 

[lonelyneon]

Yeah I read your post but I was just saying that ammo-lock is advertizing falsely. Anyways I just checked the ammonia levels today and ut us at 5.0mg/l. It doesnt seem to want to move from there. I dont have a nitrate/nitrite test as yet so I cant tell you that. Ive had this tank a little over a month now and lost all but 3 as I said.

 

[phoenix]

Did you cycle the tank before adding the 15 fish?? If not that may be the reason for all the fish loss.

 

[lonelyneon]

Hiya lonelyneon!

That's a very nice gourami you have there, is it a golden one?

Anyway, I am not sure to how to help you with your amonia problems. I suppose small regular water changes are the best you can do. Is your tank cycling? Maybe you coudl get something to help it along. You can buy bottles of good bacteria that will help you establish a cycle. There's another post in this forum about it.

I have used Stress Zyme and I think there's one called Bio something or other. I am sure you will be able to find something.

In the meantime, continue with your water changes and try to feed as little as possible and remove uneated food, to keep the waste levels down. How often do you feed?

Good luck.

Yes its golden. What do you mean by cycling exatly? I have a filter in there. I change the water as much as I can.... I do have school and all and very limited resources as I dont have much money and I am not able to go to the store on my own and my mother is always tired. I havent changed the filter since I put it in cause I read that the bactria lives there as well and removing the filter could cause somewhat of a relapse. How often should I change the fiter because this is something that I havent figured out yet. I will try my best to get out to the bigger pet store other than the one in the strip mall up the street that has basically nothing including the fact that they dont sell fish >.<. The next best thing is petsmart so I will try.

 

[lonelyneon]

No I didnt cycle the tank before adding them because I had no clue about all of that. Sadly ) I bought the fish from a walmart and they told me nothing. I bought the fish the same day I bought the tank and put them in about a hour of setting it up. I wasnt until my fish contracted ich about a week later that I went online and found another forum (thats now closed) and some online information about keeping fish. I had no clue it was so complicated. Because my sister is 3 I basically take care of her tank as well and she started off with 3 added a 4th a week later and her tank is ok but could be better. None of them died and the ammonia levels are at a constant level but could be lower. I change her water about ever other day or whenever I remember because I want her level lower as well.

 

[Bear]

Beginner Questions

Here is a link to beginner questions - it should help you to begin understand cycling, and it's pretty easy to understand.

I just found it yesterday - wish I had read it before starting!

 

[lonelyneon]

I've read that before at another forum...... that did help some...
... how often are you supposed to change the filter?

 

[Cheese Specialist]

Hi,

Don't change the filter media until it is seriously falling apart. And then before you do change it put the new stuff in with it for as long as possible before hand.

By the way, when cleaning your filter do it in a jug of aquarium water and try not to do it at the same time as a gravel clean and water change. If you clean it in tap water the chlorine kills of the same bacteria as you are ttrying to encourage. While you are cycling I don't think you should do it (but I am not sure).

 

[phoenix]

Well since you didnt cycle I would guess the reason for the fish loss is that you overloaded your biosystem and had a spike of some kind. I believe its explained in the cycling article.

Basically there was too many fish in the tank to soon and they poisioned themselves with body waste.

Sorry for the loss of the fish BTW you might be okay from this point on with several water changes a week and no more fish added for a few weeks till all the tank reading are where they should be and holding steady.

 

[lonelyneon]

I figured that it was having 15 fish. So far they look ok and I am changing the water everyday but it still wont go down.
Is there a way that fins that suffered fin rot will grow back on their own or do I need to put something in there so that it will grow??
My gourami seemed to have attacked my white skirt tetra and it seems to be growing back slowly and not spreading. I read somewhere that gouramis would generally attack their own kind if it is 2 of them and they wouldnt as much if it were 3 of them... but why did he attack my tetra??

 

[lonelyneon]

I just tested my sister's tank and her ammonia level is about 3.0mg/l. She has a 10 gallon tank as well.

 

[maestro]

hi lovelyneon, try not to worry ur learning now and didnt know before but what u need to do is this.

do a water change everyday or if thats too much then every other day, but please do not change the filter media because then the bacteria u need wont grow.

But probably most importantly please do not feed them for a few days or a week untill the ammonia goes down, they wont suffer at all and will thank u for sorting out their tank, u see the more u feed them the most waste they make and the higher the ammonia will be.

hope this helps a bit

keep us informed

 

[lonelyneon]

Ok i will not feed them for a while but I thought I had to cause the container said twice a day and my gourami starts attacking my tetra when hes hungry... most of the reason why the white skirt tetra has no back fin.. -.-