Ammonia Spiking!

[corvettz0624]

Hey all. So im new to fish tanks and currently am running a 29 gallon tank with a fluval 307 canister filter and boy am I having issues! I have had the tank for about 2 months and have done many water changes but nothing is working! My ammonia keeps spiking and killing my fish. I do have sand in the tank brand Super Natural premium substrate.... I have ammonia remover and ammonia remover pads in the canister filter for about 3 weeks and nothing has helped. Im using api ammonia lock, api tap water condition and quick start also during my water changes. Also recently ran into that there is a white film on the surface of the water.

 

[flowman]

I can't tell whether that's dark green or dark purple (nitrite), but it's bad either way. A 50% water change should cut it the ammonia/nitrite/nitrate levels in half--I'd recommend at least a 50% WC every day for the next several days. Be sure the temp and ph of the new water matches the existing tank water, and dechlorinate before adding it to the tank--your fish are under enough stress already.

You said that you've had this tank for a few months, but you don't mention whether you actually cycled it (grew the colonies of beneficial bacteria that convert ammonia to nitrite, and nitrite to nitrate (the latter is the only form safe for fish, and you still don't want that building up). If you haven't purposefully cycled (which is best done before adding fish), it's possible that those bacterial colonies (they live on surfaces like glass, gravell and filter mesh) have never gotten established. Until they are, any ammonia generated by your fish will build up quickly and endanger the health of your fish. Also, if you've lost fish and don't find and remove every corpse that will quickly spike the ammonia levels.

Also, the denitrifying bacteria need ammonia to grow and establish--I'd remove all the artificial ammonia remover pads and media--they're preventing the beneficial bacteria from getting established. Please read this link carefully, keep changing the water until you get the ammonia back down, and let us know if you have any questions--you've got to get those beneficial bacteria colonies established before you can safely add fish--you're fish are in extreme danger at present. It's not hard, and we can explain anything that's unclear, but it's not optional, and it takes time--I've been waiting since Sep 1st for my tank to cycle, and it's only now getting close.

 

[Myraan]

If there are fish in the tank you need to do a massive water change now, perhaps 3 in a row. Cutting that ammonia level by just 50% will not help, as it looks off the scale, you will need to do serial dilutions until you measure ammonia at nearly zero.

How often do you water change and by how much?

The ammonia remover in your filter may well be just biological media; I think seachem advertises tubs of stones as that. If it is a chemical media perhaps @flowman is correct and it is holding back the establishment of BB. Even if the chemical media is a good idea - I am guessing it is "full" and would need to be replaced anyway (or recharged.... or is it it just purigen that can be?)

If all the fish are already dead, you need to read through the link in post #2 and start again, not necessarily a bad thing, if you been set up for months I am sure at least something useful has already happened.

edit: have you checked the ammonia in the tap water just in case that was source of your problem?

 

[itiwhetu]

What is the pH of your tank, please.

 

[NannaLou]

Get some fast growing live plants in there as well…doesn’t matter if they don’t look pretty, you can take them out after they’ve helped absorb some of the ammonia.

 

[corvettz0624]

If there are fish in the tank you need to do a massive water change now, perhaps 3 in a row. Cutting that ammonia level by just 50% will not help, as it looks off the scale, you will need to do serial dilutions until you measure ammonia at nearly zero.

How often do you water change and by how much?

The ammonia remover in your filter may well be just biological media; I think seachem advertises tubs of stones as that. If it is a chemical media perhaps @flowman is correct and it is holding back the establishment of BB. Even if the chemical media is a good idea - I am guessing it is "full" and would need to be replaced anyway (or recharged.... or is it it just purigen that can be?)

If all the fish are already dead, you need to read through the link in post #2 and start again, not necessarily a bad thing, if you been set up for months I am sure at least something useful has already happened.

edit: have you checked the ammonia in the tap water just in case that was source of your problem?

All my fish have died at this point...

I have been doing 50% weekly water changes trying to get it down.

I will reach through the link in post two.

Yeah, its well water and its coming out high which is why the water changes arent fully helping

 

[corvettz0624]

What is the pH of your tank, please.

My Ph is 7.2 with a high Ph of 7.6

 

[Rocky998]

I know others have asked but there has been no answer... Was the tank cycled @corvettz0624?

 

[Myraan]

What is the ppm of ammonia in the water? You may have seen on youtube that people with wells do not need to worry about dechlorinator. In your case you will need prime (or equivalent) to temporarily detoxify the ammonia in any water added to the tank until the plants or the beneficial can deal with it.

Weekly water changes are what we do when ammonia and nitrite is consistently zero in order to dilute nitrates (and other pollutants we do not measure) and perhaps to replenish kH as it sometimes reduces during the course of the week.

If you are testing ammonia or nitrite above zero after 24 hrs you need to do 50% plus water changes every day if there are fish present.

Hopefully when you read the stickies - you will have some ideas of where to go fore-ward from here.

 

[itiwhetu]

Fill your tank with live plants and drift wood. Try and get your pH down to under seven, so do less water changes (only 25%). Have you can get your tank to be acidic your Ammonia spikes will disappear.

 

[Essjay]

Ammonia will still appear regardless of the pH if the tank is not cycled or something has happened to kill the bacteria. All a low pH means is that more of the ammonia is in the less toxic form. But even the less toxic form is not non-toxic.

 

[itiwhetu]

Unless there is some organic material put in this tank it is just going to sit there doing the same thing. It needs live plants.