CraigyD

I have a 25 gallon with 2 corys, 4 neon tetras, 1 guppy and a common plec(he will be getting his own bigger tank rather soon he is just a baby at the moment). I have just added 5 more guppys, 4 platys and a bulldog plec. My ammonia level has gone up past 4.0. Just wondering if this is normal after adding new fish or if i have overcrowded to much and if i should hold off feeding them till it has settled. I plan to by another tank soon to put my gibbiceps pleco in what size do u think should be adaquate?

Thanks

capekate

Hello Craig and welcome to fishlore!
Your ammonia spike is due to adding too many fish to your tank at once. You really should only add one or two at a time, wait for the beneficial bacteria to grow and be able to handle the added ammonia ( fish waste, food etc)
But now that you do have the spike.. I would really recommend asap a good water change to try and lower that ammonia reading. Keep doing water changes til your readings are back to normal.
It is my opinion that your tank is overcrowded.

Lucy

Welcome to Fish Lore!

Kate's got ya covered.

Your pleco is a pretty fish, I just looked it up.

Their profile says they can get over 50 cm (Over 1') and need at least a 250 L (66+gallon) tank.

COBettaCouple

Welcome to Fishlore!

You'll want to do daily water changes of at least 30%, preferrably 50%. Use Prime to condition your water and you should see the ammonia come down. The Prime will help the fish while it does.

A gibbiceps can get even bigger than a common. I'd recommend at least 75-90g for plecos of that size range.

goggles

yes you tank does sound over stocked especialy since you have all those livebearers in there they will breed and if they all get pregnant around the same time ,which is probable,you will have a big problem to deal with.