Urgent Help Needed - Ammonia Remover?

[Melava87]

Hey all

Started up my new tank over the past week and have lost 2 guppies - returned to the pet shop with water sample and turns out I got fish from a bad batch - guy was very apologetic and refunded me immediately.

The water sample gave a 0.25 ammonia reading and the shop have me a free bottle of interpret ammonia remover.

My question is can I use this whilst the fish are in the tank?

I have a dalmation Molly and a honey gourami who seem to be doing really well and I don't want to endanger them by doing something wrong.

The instructions on the bottle don't tell me if fish in treatment is ok.

Thanks in advance

Melissa

 

[lrhodes]

You could do some water changes first to see if that helps.... instead of going straight for chemicals.

 

[PrairieSunflower]

Did you cycle your tank before adding the fish?  (If so, how did you do that?)
 
I am guessing that likely this tank isn't cycled and these might be your first fish.  The best way to keep ammonia in check is to do water changes to remove it, even if that means every day if you have fish in an uncycled tank.  Changing the water frequently to rid ammonia is the very best thing you could do for your fish... also buy a test kit so you can monitor the ammonia to protect the health of your fish.
 
As far as I know, products to remove ammonia only work for a short time and the ammonia will return... also your fish will continue to produce it.
 
Have you visited this section?   http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/421488-cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first/

 

[Melava87]

The man in the shop advised a water change so early (tank is only on day 6) is not really necessary with a reading of 0.25 as it just means it is cycling however he told me to follow instructions to treat the tank and I now know how much to use but what I'm not sure of is if it can be added straight to the tank whilst the fish are still in it?
They seem very settled dont want to disturb them unless 100% necessary.

M x
I cycled with products from the pet shop for 3 days which was advised ok tank instructions and by pet shop however I now know this should probably have been left much longer before adding fish.

Can't do much about this now though so just need up know how to maintain what I already have.

M x

 

[PrairieSunflower]

Unfortunately, pet shops are notorious for giving bad advice... and most of us, including me, have made the mistake in trusting their advice... you will learn eventually that a pet store clerk that gives you great advice is a rare find.
 
In a brand new tank your ammonia will build up quickly... slowed based on the size of the tank.  What size is your tank?
 
Doing a cycle with fish in the tank will take you a lot longer than having done one before hand.  A fishless cycle can take 4-6 weeks, a fish-in-cycle can take a couple of months or more.
 
You are going to want to follow the link on fish-in cycling for how best to proceed.   http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/224306-fish-in-cycling/

 

[Melava87]

The tank is a 46l fluval edge. I have added the appropriate heater, an air pump and live plants and dechlorinated the tank and used the 'cycle' chemicals for 3 full days before adding the fish. I now have 2 in there.

I know what you mean about pet store clerks as most do r have a clue but this guy has a good rep and relevant certificates on the wall etc so hope he knows what he's talking about.

I have been offered some good bacteria from a friend who has a large established tank and hope to get this tomorrow.

Will this help speed things up?

So can I add the ammonia remover straight to the tank with fish in or is it best to be avoided since the ammonia level is so low?

M x

 

[lrhodes]

I would just keep an eye on it. And keep doing water changes every so often.

 

[Blondielovesfish]

Do you know your pH?
 
What test kit was he using to test the water?
 
Waterchanges, with dechlorinater, are the best ammonia remover.  Do a 50% water change as soon as you can.
 
To answer your question, ammonia removers can be added to the tank while fish are in it. 
The ammonia remover is only a short term fix (you'd be better off doing water changes, they're more effective and cheaper).
 
The best thing for you to do right now is get a liquid test kit that measures ammonia and nitrite, a good one is API freshwater master test kit, which measure ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH and high range pH.
 
Follow THIS link about fish in cycling (PrairieSunflower also linked this).

 

[eaglesaquarium]

The tank is a 46l fluval edge. I have added the appropriate heater, an air pump and live plants and dechlorinated the tank and used the 'cycle' chemicals for 3 full days before adding the fish. I now have 2 in there.
I know what you mean about pet store clerks as most do r have a clue but this guy has a good rep and relevant certificates on the wall etc so hope he knows what he's talking about.
I have been offered some good bacteria from a friend who has a large established tank and hope to get this tomorrow.
Will this help speed things up?
x

Yes, much so.

I'm not a fan of chemicals like that. The bac from your friend's tank will do far more and far quicker, completely and efficiently.

 

[PrairieSunflower]

Is your friend giving you filter media from his/her filter?  (half a sponge or filter floss, etc)  If so, then adding that to your filter will help a great deal.

 

[DrRob]

Just to clarify completely, true ammonia removers (usually rock based things like zeolite) are actually very bad for a cycle. They are quite effective are removing the ammonia, however this then has the effect of starving the filter bacteria so the colony declines. Until the remover is full, at which point is stops working, usually quite suddenly, leaving you with a tank that doesn't have the filter capacity to cope with the ammonia load. They're great for temporary set ups, but not for long term tanks unless you're changing them religiously, which gets expensive. Stuff in a bottle is often bacteria boosting stuff, or ammonia binding agents. The first doesn't appear to do any harm, but is probably of limited use, the second helps temporarily, but doesn't really give you any long term relief.
 
As said above, what you need is a good load of filter bacteria, good media from a friend that's been kept damp will give a good starting infusion of the correct bacteria, and is by far the best way to go. While the colony builds, you want to keep up the good sized water changes. The bacteria you want will feed of very low levels of ammonia (that's what you're aiming for them to do in the long run anyway) so a detectable level is always too high.

 

[Melava87]

Thanks all - my friend brought her smelly old filter sponge round this morning and I rinsed my filter through with it and squeezed the raminibg pulp into my tank water. My fish seem to have had an almost immediate energy boost!! Both are as happy as could be.
How long will it take to stabilise my tank and cycle completely for me adding a few new critters?

The spong came from her 350 l corner tank which is well established - she has 4 tanks plus does some breeding so pretty sure the bacteria is good stuff

M x
*remaining - sorry - darn disabled thumbs

 

[eaglesaquarium]

It will have a drastic impact in a very short period of time.  The level your ammonia/nitrite was at before you added the sponge will determine how long it will take to finish the job, but from the sound of it, it won't be very long now.
 
 
When you said "rinsed my filter through" what do you mean?

 

[Melava87]

The ammonia yesterday was 0.25.

Her filter spong would not fit in my filter unit so squeezed all of the water/pulp onto my filter media and sponge and then rinsed her spong through thoroughly in my tank so as not to waste any.

Is this the correct way to do it?

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Normally the best way is to remove some of your media to make room, and place the old sponge into the new filter.