high amonia

[Boggnials]

i have high amonia it is almost off the chart. my fish havent died. their is no cloud the water is clear. i tried water changes but nothing seeems to work. i only feed the fish once a day now. i dont want to use any chemicals but if i have to and that is the only way then i will.

 

[Alien Anna]

I think this is an emergency situation and reluctant as I am to use chemicals, I think this is a situation where I might consider it.

Alternatively, get some really cheap, fast growing plants like hornwort or elodea and stick them in - they will carry some beneficial bacteria on the roots and plants can directly soak up ammonia.

Don't feed your fish again until the ammonia readings are down and do a 10-15% water change twice a day if necessary.

 

[smb]

What are your ammonia readings? How often and what percentage water changes did you do? Did you clean the gravel at the same time?

We need to find out why this is happening to prevent it in the future.

 

[Alien Anna]

What are your ammonia readings? How often and what percentage water changes did you do? Did you clean the gravel at the same time?

We need to find out why this is happening to prevent it in the future.

It's a brand new tank and his ammonia levels are off the charts - typical case of New Tank Syndrome, unfortunately.

One of these days I'm going to do violence to some stupid LFS employees! The distress and suffering they cause...

 

[smb]

It's a brand new tank and his ammonia levels are off the charts - typical case of New Tank Syndrome, unfortunately.

Oh ok, Thank you Alien Anna.

He must have posted in another thread about it then. You have a really good memory as you always remember that stuff.

Boggnials, NM my last post then as it's a moot point now that Alien Anna explained the problem to me.

One of these days I'm going to do violence to some stupid LFS employees! The distress and suffering they cause...

Let me know because I'll join ya!

I don't understand why lfs's are like that. I know it's all about the $$$ but if I worked at a store there's no way I could sell a fish if I thought it would die or suffer like so many do from lfs's. Really gets to me.

 

[SnowQueen]

When that happened to me, I did a 50% water change and I used ammo lock2 in the water. Ammo Lock2 detoxifies ammonia (does not remove) and also can be used as a water conditioner. I did daily partial water changes of about 10 to 15%until the level dropped down. I am convinced that Ammo Lock2 saved my fish (along with the water changes) from getting ammonia poison. This is just my experience and opinion and I am not a fish expert. My ammonia level was almost off the charts.

Alien Anna, I love the plant idea. What is your opinon of using the ammo lock and the plants. I know that you don't like to use chemicals, but what about in an emergency?

 

[Alien Anna]

Alien Anna, I love the plant idea. What is your opinon of using the ammo lock and the plants. I know that you don't like to use chemicals, but what about in an emergency?

In an emergency you do what works. However, you have to be aware of the downsides: chemicals like Ammo-lock will mess up your water parameter readings (they will read as ammonia zero, when in fact it isn't really). As the fish are still producing ammonia, the point will come when the amount of ammonia exceeds the abilities of Ammo-lock to "lock" it and you'll get a sudden, unpredictable "spike" in ammonia levels.

Another problem is that although the ammonia is toxic, the nitrifying bacteria actually need it to grow, so if you effectively remove all the ammonia from them, they can't grow. The net effect is that cycling takes longer, but if the choice is between that and losing fish... well, needs must.

Using green plants is a much better solution: green plants can actually directly convert ammonia into new plant growth and at the same time, they act as a great substrate for the beneficial bacteria to grow on. So they don't slow down cycling but do remove the ammonia - win:win.

If you don't want live plants, or you have fish that will eat plants, you can get elodea or hornwort dirt cheap. Neither plant actually looks terribly attractive in a tropical aquarium IMHO (both get rather straggly) but they'll grow like wildfire!

 

[Boggnials]

like i said before the fish havent died. i am partical to getting live plants. this is my first tank i am not sure if i can handle plants and fish. but what kind of plants do you reccomend. i was wondering how snails would affect the tank thumbs up or thumbs down. well thanks any and all help is graetly accepted.

 

[Alien Anna]

Plants are not tricky at all - in fact if anything they're easier. I've got silk/plastic plants in one tank that didn't have a light until recently and the live plants haven't grown sufficiently yet. I have so much trouble with algae on those fake plants, they cost a fortune and don't look half so good, plus the nitrate levels in that tank were dreadful (75ppm and rising).

I'm a terrible gardener (I seem to kill things) but even I've had success with Java fern, dwarf anubias, giant vallis, dwarf vallis and crypts. Crypts are particularly brilliant as you can get small varieties and they just grow like dandelions in my garden (ie. very well). Giant vallis requires a lot of maintenance because it grows so fast you have to constantly cut it back.

Everyone tells me that Amazon swords are unkillable, but they said the Titanic was unsinkable

If you have anubias or Java fern definitely get some bogwood to tie it to - that Mopani wood is particularly good but don't believe the stuff on the label about "just rinse and add to your aquarium" - the wretched stuff stains the water for weeks! I also has the side effect of softening hard water and slightly reducing pH, if that's an issue for you.

As for snails, I have Golden Apple Snails. Very nice beasties - rather like squids in shells (they jet propel themselves around the tank). Suitable with most fish except clown loaches and a mad psychopathic betta I used to have.

 

[Starry]

Hi Anna!

I have high ammonia also. Well, it has gone down but it is still high enough for me to do daily water changes about 10% or so.
I am considering using plants, however, the lighting where I live is very low. (I need to get brighter lights, but the natural light is very minimal) Is there a plant I can use that would be fine with that? If not, do you have any suggestions of what I can do? The water changes do not seem to be helping lower the ammonia.
thanks in advance!!

 

[Alien Anna]

Java fern and anubias are usually recommended for low light situations but they aren't terribly fast growers, particularly without light. My suggestion for elodea was intended as a temporary fix - you chuck it when the tank's cycled. However, I'm not sure how elodea would grow in very low light, or whether it would just rot, making the whole situation worse.

Is there anyway you could temporarily put the tank in a window or something?

 

[Starry]

Hi Alien Anna

I can't move the tank anywhere. I have no room. I plan to move in December but right now, I have no option to move the tank. I am at a loss of what to do. The constant water changes do not help. I have even tried to use the gravel vac to get some of the waste out, but nothing is helping. My ammonia level is almost 2ppm. Do you have any other thoughts of what I can do? I feel like my tank will never finish cycling.