Ammonia

[RedShark]

I just recently bought a product called ammo lock from the lfs. I am currently trying to reduce the amount of ammonia in my tank. After cycling the tank now for about 3 weeks i did a water test, it showed i just had an ammonia spike. I didnt think it be anything too big to fuss about b/c i just did a 25% water change two days ago. Plus the Bacter Vital i used told me that the test results would show more ammonia than what is really there. Today i was observing the fish, i noticed they were all stressed to the max. i tried another water change, but the same results occured. SO taking my fish into consideration i rushed to the store awhile ago and purchased this product. I took my filter out b/c the direstions told me too since i have a carbon filter. How long does iot stay out? when can i put it back in?

 

[tttnjfttt]

Exactly what are your water test results? That will help quite a bit. If the fish seemed stressed, go ahead and do another water change, making sure you use dechlorinator when you add new water.

 

[rdd1952]

First off, you need to put your filter back immediately. That is where the vast majority of your bacteria colonize. If the filter is out of water for any time at all, you will lose all your bacteria and your tank will be completely uncycled again. If you need to take the carbon out, simply dump it out and put the filter back in. Most people don't use carbon anyway so it isn't absolutely necessary for it to be in there. You may need to put more back in though to get the chemicals back out of your tank.

The problem with Ammo Lock (or any pf the similar products) is that is doesn't help your tank cycle. It simply converts the ammonia into a non-toxic form. Your test results will still show ammonia because there is a form of it present. Once you start using these products, you are stuck with them for life as your tank will never cycle. You should stop using them as soon as possible and begin the process of actually cycling your tank. That will be more difficult because you already have fish. What size is your tank, what kind and how many fish do you have in it? Also, do you have any live plants (they aid in the cycling process)?

 

[mrV]

First off, you need to put your filter back immediately. That is where the vast majority of your bacteria colonize. If the filter is out of water for any time at all, you will lose all your bacteria and your tank will be completely uncycled again.

Any articles, webpages... to support this?

Have you read this one: http/www.janrigter.nl/mattenfilter/ ?

 

[Def]

I'm not even reading that huge article. If the bacteria in your filter media are without a source of ammonia and nitrite or oxygen for a period of time (4-8 hours) they will begin to die off and the media will soon become useless.

 

[rdd1952]

Any articles, webpages... to support this?

Have you read this one: http/www.janrigter.nl/mattenfilter/ ?

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I don't need to read that to know that bacteria, just like fish, can't live out of water or without food and that a tank has to have bacteria to process ammonia and nitrite. If there aren't any bacteria present to process waste, your tank isn't cycled and you have major problems.

 

[mrV]

Well, I was more interested in this sentence:

"That is where the vast majority of your bacteria colonize."

I don't need to read that

Please, read it still and you understand my question

 

[IMCL85]

Dont use medicine to remove ammonia they do more harm then good. Rather do alot of water change like daily 15-25% changes.

 

[rdd1952]

Well, I was more interested in this sentence:

"That is where the vast majority of your bacteria colonize."

I don't need to read that

Please, read it still and you understand my question

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Here is a line from that article that pretty much answers the question. It is from the "Filter Media" paragraph

"The most important part of the filter is the medium. This is where the bacteria should do their work. That is why we need to provide them with a material they can colonize and which is in a permanent flow of the water that needs filtering."

There are indeed bacteria on everything in the tank including the substrate but the majority of the bacteria are in the filter where they have water flow and an abundance of food (waste) to eat. Since he said he removed the filter, I can only assume it is a HOB type filter and he has actually removed the filter cartridge/pack. Those are basically both the mechanical (the actual filter pack) and biological (the carbon and the fibers of the pack) filters in one unit. You don't have one without the other.

 

[RedShark]

thanks for the feedback guys, am i really stuck with these products forever? M tank will never cycle? really??? Oh NOOOO! Oh bloody hell then should i get plants to try and help the cycling.

Its a 30 gallon, with 1 rainbowshark

5 fancy tail cherry barbs

PLease tell me everything will be okay.

SOme feedback from the night i was having the dilemma:

After i put the ammo lock in, i also used some bacteria in a bottle (Cycle) the bottle said it reduces fish loss. I feel like such a fish noob buying a bottle that sais "Reduces fish loss".
The fish arent pale anymore, but still seem stressed with all of there hiding and swimming back and forth.
I did two water changes in two days that equal out to about 50%
Im thinkng od doing another today.

 

[RedShark]

its not an established tank, its a new tank thats been running since july 5th.

 

[rdd1952]

You can still cycle your tank but it will just take time and patience. You will have to do daily (maybe twice daily) water changes to keep the ammonia and nitrite levels down. From my experience and from what I have read, Cycle is pretty much useless. It is stored in hot (100 degrees plus) warehouses, shipped on very hot trucks and stocked on shelves. In other words, it has never been refrigerated so the bacteria are long since dead. Bio Spira (if it has been properly handled and refrigerated) is the only product that I have ever heard of that works. It supposedly gives you an almost instantly cycled tank. That might be an option to help you get your tank cycled. Here is a place that is supposed to be a good source of Bio Spira but I don't have any first hand experience with them. One other option is to find someone (even the store where you got the fish) that can give you a filter or something from an established tank so you will have bacteria to seed the tank with.

 

[RedShark]

Hmm, i just noticed that my rainbow shark is pooping out little white poops, not balls and not stringy. normal looking poops, just not brown. What is that?

 

[RedShark]

2 of my cherry barbs are now swimming back and forth across the tank erradically. The oher fish look fine though. I did a water 30% water change today but still the two barbs seem to be going crazy in there. MY Ammonia level was at 1.5 b4 te water change. Anyone know wha this could be?

 

[RabidChild]

If your tank is showing amonia it is not cycled. I would stop adding chemicals because it won't fix anything just mask the problem and stress the fish more in the end because of the wildly fluxuating conditions.

Keep up with 50% daily water changes and test the water. If you get big amonia spikes do more water changes.

Like rdd said if you can find a LFS that carries Biospira and want to spend the money it should almost instantly cycle the tank. Otherwise if you are cycling with fish in the tank you need to do a lot of water tests/changes.