Ammonia

[jredouard25]

Whatever I do my ammonia nvr goes down. Its been a whole month since my cycle and I have a 20g simple planted tank. All my other readings are good (my nitrate is5.0ppm) I have tried every thing to get it down except chemical treatments. So what do I do? Upgrade?


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[fluttermoth]

Welcome to the forum

I'm afraid we'll need some more information before we can get to the root of your issue.

How did you cycle the tank? Exactly what fish do you have? Do you have live plants? What test kits are you using, and what are the exact numbers you're getting? What dechlorinator are you using? How often, and how large, are your water changes?

Sorry for all the questions!

 

[Colin_T]

Hi and welcome to the forum

Besides what Fluttermoth has said, what sort of filter do you have and have you cleaned it?
If you have cleaned it how did you do that?

Brand new filters should not be cleaned for the first 6 weeks otherwise you can wash the bacteria off the filter media. Once the filter is more than 6 weeks old you can clean filter materials in a bucket of tank water.

If you are replacing filter materials, then stop. If you throw filter materials away you also get rid of the filter bacteria and you can cause the tank to cycle again.

Some filter media can be replaced, carbon (black granulated substance) is the main one to replace. However, you don't normally need carbon and most people leave it out. If you have sponges or filter pads, you wash them in a bucket of tank water and put them back in the filter. You only replace filter materials if they start to fall apart.

 

[Byron]

Another thing to pin down is possible ammonia in/from the source water if it is tap water and municipal. Test the tap water on its own for ammonia. And, is your municipality using chloramine as well (or in place of) chlorine? Chloramine is ammonia-based.

 

[jredouard25]

I have a bumblebee cichlid,African cichlid , 3 tiger barbs , 3 Cory catfish , a betta , and a Gourami. They are all pretty young and small. I have 4 anubias congensis plants large. and I haven’t cleaned my filter during the cycle period. I put slot of bacteria. I put fluval cycle and api stress zhyme.


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[Colin_T]

What is the actual ammonia reading and do you use a liquid test kit or a dry paper test strip?

You could take a sample of your tank water to a pet shop and get them to test it. Take your test kit too and test the same water at the same time. If the pet shop gets different results to your test kit, then one of the kits is faulty and needs replacing.

--------------------
If you are testing the water after feeding the ammonia could be from that. try testing in the morning before feeding the fish.

How often are you feeding the fish?

Have you done any water changes on the tank and if so, how much water do you change and how often do you change it?

Have you gravel cleaned the tank?
If there is uneaten food in the gravel it will produce ammonia.

 

[jredouard25]

What is the actual ammonia reading and do you use a liquid test kit or a dry paper test strip?

You could take a sample of your tank water to a pet shop and get them to test it. Take your test kit too and test the same water at the same time. If the pet shop gets different results to your test kit, then one of the kits is faulty and needs replacing.

--------------------
If you are testing the water after feeding the ammonia could be from that. try testing in the morning before feeding the fish.

How often are you feeding the fish?

Have you done any water changes on the tank and if so, how much water do you change and how often do you change it?

Have you gravel cleaned the tank?
If there is uneaten food in the gravel it will produce ammonia.

I use liquid testing and I change 20% every week. I have a fluvial C2 my Ammonia is dark green. Yes I vaccum. I use prime as a conditioner. My tap has no ammonia. Api rest master test kit


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[Colin_T]

Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate each day until the ammonia is 0.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the tank.

 

[Byron]

I have a bumblebee cichlid,African cichlid , 3 tiger barbs , 3 Cory catfish , a betta , and a Gourami. They are all pretty young and small. I have 4 anubias congensis plants large. and I haven’t cleaned my filter during the cycle period. I put slot of bacteria. I put fluval cycle and api stress zhyme.

I am afraid you have some very serious issues with this combination of fish, in a 20 gallon tank. It is likely part of the ammonia problem too. I will just mention the issues, but please work towards resolving them. The fish are not going to bee healthy unless things change.

The Tiger Barbs must go, as they need at least 8 and this requires a 30 gallon tank just for them. They are notorious fin nippers, and in this small a group they will be stressed and get very aggressive as their frustration rises.

A betta is not compatible with any of the other fish. He will be stressed, and likely feel threatened too.

The gourami might be OK but not with the Betta, barbs or cichlids.

Neither cichlid will work together, or in this tank, or with the other fish.

And before you say it, if the fish "appear" to be getting along, that is deceptive. The above is causing them stress, guaranteed, and this will heighten until something snaps. I am sure you want them to be happy and healthy, so changes must be made very soon. If other tanks are not possible, the store may take them when they know the problems.

 

[jredouard25]

I am afraid you have some very serious issues with this combination of fish, in a 20 gallon tank. It is likely part of the ammonia problem too. I will just mention the issues, but please work towards resolving them. The fish are not going to bee healthy unless things change.

The Tiger Barbs must go, as they need at least 8 and this requires a 30 gallon tank just for them. They are notorious fin nippers, and in this small a group they will be stressed and get very aggressive as their frustration rises.

A betta is not compatible with any of the other fish. He will be stressed, and likely feel threatened too.

The gourami might be OK but not with the Betta, barbs or cichlids.

Neither cichlid will work together, or in this tank, or with the other fish.

And before you say it, if the fish "appear" to be getting along, that is deceptive. The above is causing them stress, guaranteed, and this will heighten until something snaps. I am sure you want them to be happy and healthy, so changes must be made very soon. If other tanks are not possible, the store may take them when they know the problems.

My tank is perfectly fine and the tiger barbs are doing good and don’t bite. The thing with the barbs is such a myth. My cichlid are very small and get along im upgrading the tank once they get big.


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[Byron]

There is not much benefit in asking for advice/help and then refusing to take it when it is solid knowledgeable advice from biologists. I'm sorry, for your fish. This situation is going to worsen, guaranteed. Have a nice day.

 

[jredouard25]

There is not much benefit in asking for advice/help and then refusing to take it when it is solid knowledgeable advice from biologists. I'm sorry, for your fish. This situation is going to worsen, guaranteed. Have a nice day.

Im asking about my Ammonia not how many fish I have in my tank. I know I have a lot of fish its mad obvs. Being mad rude won’t help.


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[jredouard25]

And I just said I’m upgrading. In the future. My Ammonia is fine now and so are all my fish so.


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[jredouard25]

Some plp have perfect readings with overstocked 20g so just bcuz your some “biologist” doesn’t mean u perfectly know everything there is about bio. Everything changes and your wrong just deal with it.


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[Byron]

Im asking about my Ammonia not how many fish I have in my tank. I know I have a lot of fish its mad obvs. Being mad rude won’t help.

This comment proves just how little you really understand this issue. There could have been a connection, may still be, between the problem ammonia and the unsuitable combination and numbers of fish. If you had a better grasp of fish biology you would at least be able to accept well-intentioned and knowledgeable suggestions.

And I am glad you changed your original "douche" [the email of your post contained this] to "mad rude" though it comes down to the same thing: I'm sorry you can only name call someone who offers honest knowledgeable advice in the best interest of your poor fish.

Some of us prefer to learn from those who clearly know more, rather than subject our fish to inappropriate care.