Ammonia Nightmare!

[naomiaustin]

I'm at my wits end & really don't know what to do!!
To put you in the picture - my Juwel 180 tank has been set up & running for 10 weeks. It went through 4 week fishless cycle then had 3 clown loaches, 2 black mollies & 4 platy's added. All fine, CL's got white spot but recovered very well! 3 weeks ago 1 platy died in my hospital tank regardless of treatment for finrot caused by nipping. 2wks ago I added a plec & 2 chameleon mollies to main tank. After 3 days ammonia levels shot up to 5.0!!!
I added ammo loc & stopped feeding fish for 2 days (felt truly evil doing this!) - ammo stayed the same. Did 35% water change 7 days ago & cleaned filters in old tank water. Ammo stayed the same!! One chameleon molly was just found dead on sunday morning with no warning - all other fish were fine Did 50% water change & cleaned filters again 4 days ago as well as adding ammonia remover & Stresszyme - fish weren't fed & ammo didn't go down at all!!!
During both water changes gravel was properly siphoned & turned over!! There was no food on the bottom of the tank!!!
Nitrite 0 & nitrate level is minimal, pH is 7.2.
I've been doing 20% water changes every night this week & adding Stresszyme and Aquasafe as I did this.
Fish have been fine until tonight...
I did the usual 20% change when I got in but because I noticed one of my platy's has got a fungus like white growth on his side (could this be caused by ammonia?!) I added Anti Fungus Finrot (by interpet) treatment - only half the dose recommended though because of my clown loaches.
Anyway, about an hour after the change 2 mollies have been at the top of the water constantly - not gasping, just kind of floating.
The 3 clown loaches have gone into a tree stump & haven't come out for an hour - they're normally dashing around.
Another Molly & Platy are hiding under filter and barely moving although their gills look normal - I thought these two looked pregnant - very round!
Gregory Plec looks sort of normal but isn't moving as much. They all seem to have gone very still - the ammonia is now at 4.0 - it was 5.0, but still so high... I'm so frustrated and scared - I'm doing everything I've been told to but nothing appears to work.
I also have 6 vallis plants that look dreadful as they've been stripped by the fish because I've barely fed them this week. I haven't touched gravel or filter (taken carbon out for finrot treatment only)
I really can't lose any of them after all this time!
What is happening to my tank?!
Request Help

Tank size: Juwel 180 Vision with internal filter (one moonlight tube, one daylight - on from 6pm until midnight - tank in dark corner of room)
pH: 7.2
ammonia: 4.0
nitrite: 0
nitrate: less than 5
kH:
gH:
tank temp: 27degrees (80f)

Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior): have been fine until tonight even though ammonia has been high for over a week - very quiet and still - mollies at top of water, loaches hiding

Volume and Frequency of water changes: 35% 7days ago, 50% 4 days ago, 20% each day since

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank: Aquastart (chlorine remover) added to new tank water, Stresszyme added at same time - anti fungus treatment added tonight - carbon has been removed - all other filter media fine

Tank inhabitants: 2 black mollies, 1 chameleon molly, 3 clown loaches, 3 platys, 1 sailfin plec (all been in tank for 4 weeks apart from one molly & plec)

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration):chameleon molly & plec - one hollow resin log, one resin 'cave' - both quite small

Exposure to chemicals:none other than those mentioned above

6 real vallis plants - were healthy until fish started stripping them when not fed as much - look very green, just straggly.

Decorations: one large bridge resin rock formation thing with bonsai tree attached, one large plastic plant, one large tree stump (hollow resin), resin cave (small), resin hollow tree log (small), 3 inches of gravel

I need help as I'm close to tears & really thought the ammonia would have dropped with all the water changes I've done!

I'm in Gateshead in the UK by the way

 

[WILDER]

How big are the cllown loaches as the tank not really big enough for them.
Can we take a look a at your tap nitrate reading.
You added to many fish after the tank had cycled and the benefical bacteria couldn't keep up.
Juwel fitlers are not the best I run two filters in my juwel tanks.
I think your filter might not be coping.
You should never touch the sponges in a new established tank.
The fish have columnaris if the patches of white are fluffy.
That interpet anti fungus is not that great on columnaris even though it says it treats it.
You really want mycazin and pimafix.
http/article.discusnews.com/cat-02/columnaries.shtml

 

[naomiaustin]

How big are the cllown loaches as the tank not really big enough for them.Can we take a look a at your tap nitrate reading.You added to many fish after the tank had cycled and the benefical bacteria couldn't keep up.Juwel fitlers are not the best I run two filters in my juwel tanks.I think your filter might not be coping.You should never touch the sponges in a new established tank.The fish have columnaris if the patches of white are fluffy.That interpet anti fungus is not that great on columnaris even though it says it treats it.You really want mycazin and pimafix.

thanks for replying... the loaches are only approx 3cms long each - I may upgrade to a larger tank when (if!) they get bigger!What's my tap nitrate reading? Do you mean straight out of the tap?I had my tank cycling without fish for 4wks then added the first 9, then waited for 2 wks before adding next 3 - I was advised that this was ok on a different forum. I would have done a fishless cycle for a few more weeks but was told that if I didn't add fish soon I'd be waiting forever for tank to cycle!!!I only took out the carbon when the loaches were recovering from white spot but didn't touch the other sponges - hoped that was ok!The white patches look like peeling skin a bit! Only one platy has it - he's always been shy!Where do I get mycazin & pimafix in UK? My local store is Pets at HomeThank you!p.s mollies have just come down to middle of tank - bit more active but not like normal! Just wish ammonia level would drop! I have a large amount of oxygen bubbles coming from an airline which is approx 12inches long - will this help the fish?

 

[WILDER]

The reason why we want to look at your tap nitrate reading as it will give us a clue if the tanks cycled.
You added to many fish to fast that was quite alot of fish for a just cycled tank, should of only added 4 at the most.
You can get myxazin and pimafix at most lfs, or buy online.

 

[naomiaustin]

thanks to all who replied!
It seems that my daily water changes for the past 6 days have worked!!
My ammonia level is reading 0 - I can't quite believe it!
I think for some reason my tank decided to go through a cycle again because the tank went really cloudy yesterday.
The only thing I can think of which caused this is that I cleaned the ornaments about 2 weeks after I added the fish. The ammonia levels rose shockingly when I added the plec & 2 mollies.
Anyway, they seem fine now. Everyone's swimming round the tank quite happily!! I am *SO* relieved!
P.S Still not sure what the difference is between a nitrate reading and a tap nitrate reading?!?!?

 

[Angel_Queen]

Nitrate reading = taking the reading of the nitrate in your tank
Tap nitrate reading = taking the reading of the nitrate straight from your tap (as you would for the tank water)

Some people's tap water show levels of nitrAte already, so what Wilder wanted to see was whether you had nitrAte in the water you have been using from your tap for the water changes. You were only showing less than 5ppm for NitrAte and this could have come from the tap water as opposed to being due to nitrIte break down.

Make sense?