Can't Get Rid Of Ammonia!

[jenjamin]

I have a 20 gallon tank, fairly new, waited 3 weeks before adding fish, added 3 guppies, waited another 2 weeks and then added 2 gouramis...it's been at least a month since any fish were added...unfortunately I haven't been keeping up with water changes, and now both of the gouramis are dead. conditions currently in the tank are 7.8 ph (I know this is a little high, it comes out of my sink that high, and I've always been told it is better to keep the ph constant than at a specific number so I don't mess with it) 0 nitrite, 5ppm nitrate, and .5ppm ammonia...I did a 50% water change yesterday, and a 20% water change today and the ammonia has not changed at all. how can I get the ammonia down to zero?

 

[phocoena]

what are the ammonia/nitrite/nitrate levels coming out the tap.

 

[fivestarsellers1]

Do you have algae growth in the tank or have u at all?

 

[Fishy friend2]

Try a 75-90 percent water change then check the test results again

 

[This Old Spouse]

Do an immediate 85-90% water change, leaving just enough water for the fish to swim upright. Replace with temperature-matched dechlorinated water. Use Seachem Prime or StressCoat+ to dechlor.

You should be doing a 50% water change per week at least until this tank is fully matured. What did you do while you waited for the 3 weeks before adding fish? Were you cycling the tank with ammonia?

 

[jenjamin]

didn't think about checking the ammonia/nitrite/nitrate from the tap water...ammonia and nitrite are both zero, however I'm getting the same reading for the nitrite as I did in the tank (5ppm)
there is no algae growth, and have not seen any since I set the tank up this time
I did not add any ammonia during the 3 weeks, didn't realize I needed to, would that be why I'm having problems now? It's also been a couple months since the fish have gone in, so shouldn't it have cycled by now anyways? I'm still pretty new to the whole fish thing, and am very grateful for the quick replies!

 

[jenjamin]

didn't think about checking the ammonia/nitrite/nitrate from the tap water...ammonia and nitrite are both zero, however I'm getting the same reading for the nitrite as I did in the tank (5ppm)
there is no algae growth, and have not seen any since I set the tank up this time
I did not add any ammonia during the 3 weeks, didn't realize I needed to, would that be why I'm having problems now? It's also been a couple months since the fish have gone in, so shouldn't it have cycled by now anyways? I'm still pretty new to the whole fish thing, and am very grateful for the quick replies!

 

[This Old Spouse]

It's possible the filter would have cycled by now, but it depends on what you've done between the time you set up the tank and now. How often do you change the water, how much, and what kind of dechlorinator do you use? How do you clean the filters?

If you had dwarf gouramis that died, they don't like tanks that haven't been long established, plus many are prone to dwarf gourami disease which is thought to be caused by all the inbreeding.

 

[TropicalJuwel]

Yes the ammonia would have helped as that would have acted as though there was fish in the tank. Ammonia is created by food you feed the fish and the waste they produce by eating it, that is now in the water column which then gets sucked into the filter where the good bacteria lives which eats ( breaks down ) the ammonia, the problem is your fish are creating waste by eating but there isnt enough good bacteria in your filter to break it down.

Using ammonia before adding fish is called a fishless cycle, what your doing is a fish in cycle. Its alot of hard work but can still be done, you have to just stick in the with the water changes and as the bacteria builds in your filter your ammonia will drop. Be careful at that stage as your not completely clear as your nitrite may then go up but it may not, just something to keep testing for.

As said above change as much water a possible, by doing this you are basically diluting the ammonia by adding water that hasnt got ammonia in it as long as your tap water hasnt and keep doing it everyday ( I know ) but eventually your filter will be strong enough to break the waste down. If you have a friend with a tank ask them for some of there filter media, sponges, bio stones anything they can give you will speed things up.

Dont add anymore fish until readings are under control. Gouramis arent that hardy so its nots suprising they died, guppies are hardier so lets hope they hang in there. Good luck, any problems or not sure on something just post it on here, I sure someone will help you FAST.

 

[jenjamin]

I've been horrible with my water changes lately, which I'm sure at least contributed to the problem, if not caused it...it's been about once every 2 weeks, and I've always done about 20%. I use api tap water conditioner in it. the lady at the fish store I've been going to instructed me to take the filter apart and rinse it to clean it every couple weeks, so that is what I do...at least, I'm pretty sure that is what she was telling me...I'm an american military spouse and we just moved to Italy, so it tends to get interesting communicating here.
I'm almost positive they were dwarf gouramis, I had one back when I was in the states (didn't have much luck with them then either) and these looked the same. I really like the way they look, and would love to get some again, but I will definitely wait until the tank is WELL established this time before buying them again

 

[This Old Spouse]

Please get yourself on a regular schedule of water changes if you're serious about keeping fish. There's just not a good excuse IMO for not keeping up. If you're too busy, then please find another hobby, as it's not fair to these beautiful living creatures. I don't want to sound mean, but I've heard too many times about this happening.

Get some Seachem Prime dechlorinator, or StressCoat+ as they neutralize some of the bad things in your tap water. Do at least a 50% water change once a week. Rinse out the filter floss in the old tank water and put it back in the filter. Don't throw away this media or you'll be starting all over again.

Then, read up on starting your new tank by clicking on the link below my signature photo.

Glad you're here and getting the right information to keep your tank clean and healthy.

 

[TropicalJuwel]

I love dwarf gouramis to, the colour of them are so nice and look great but they all seem to have the same out come, dwarf gourami disease. Yes up your water changes and I am sure things will be fine as at the moment once every two weeks isnt enough. Some people say once every two weeks when established but I am more on the cautious side and do mine every week. I would not worry about cleaning the filter out every 2 weeks, try to let things settle down but if you do want to clear it out make sure you use the tank water that you have just taken out not tap water as this will kill all your benifical bacteria.

 

[jenjamin]

thanks so much for all the help, I will definitely make sure I stay up on the water changes from now on...the tap water conditioner I'm using says it detoxifies heavy metals, removes chlorine, and breaks the chloramine bond. Do the ones you mentioned do more? Will I be fine using what I currently have?

 

[balajake]

Like previous posters stated. Always rinse your filter pads in the water you have taken out of your tank, never do it in tap water as it kills the good bacteria that helps to neutralise ammonia and nitrites. you should dechlorinate the water before you put it in the tank. water changes should be done weekly and usually 30% to 50% of your tank water. i use a gravel cleaner/syphon weekly to get right in because you find alot of fish poo get stuck in the gravel.

 

[TropicalJuwel]

I personally use stress coat but I just think there the best at what there meant to do, you can get the larger bottles quite cheap as well. One of the key things with fish keeping is if you keep the water in good condition the fish will look after them selves, that is all you need to do.