4ppm Ammonia - 10 Litre Cherry Shrimp Tank

I was testing my aquariums' water and found my 10 litre tank to have 4ppm of ammonia! Its been set up for about a year - has a few baby pond and ramshorn snails in it. I assume this has spiked recently but not quite sure why. I added 3 cherry shrimp a few weeks ago and a new aquarium decoration - is there any chance that the decoration could release ammonia? Now I've realised I keep doing about 30% water changes but levels don't seem to be coming down. I'm quite amazed that the cherry's are alive at the moment with the ammonia so high. I've got a new 27 litre tank for the shrimp that's about 3 weeks into cycling. Ammonia is 1ppm. Is it best to keep them in the 10 litre with lots of water changes and hope the situation resolves or put them in the cycling 27 litre knowing that nitrite levels will probably spike soon?

 

Do you have Seachem Prime to keep them safe during spikes? Although, it only works up to 1ppm I believe. I would put them in the tank with the lowest ammonia possible immediately. I would also perform a 50% water change on the tank they are going in. Make sure to use a good water conditioner such as Prime like I mentioned.

 

Is there a reason you're only changing 30% water?
Do some back to back 50% changes or even more and your ammonia has to drop.

 

I wonder if a snail passed away, maybe where you can't see it.

 

Thanks for your replies. I use King British De-chlorinator. Don't currently have anything to detoxify the ammonia. I'm trying to do as close to 50% changes as I can but its a small, planted tank and I'm using a jug to get the water out so its awkward to get the water level much lower before adding the new water. I've looked for sources of ammonia - seen a few empty shells so any dead snails have been eaten!

 

You should definitely order a bottle of the product I recommended. Perhaps a small gravel vac would help.

 

My local pet shops don't seem to stock prime but they have similar products that detoxify ammonia. Just wondering why the level has spiked though? I just tested for nitrite and the test strip said zero but I know they're not as accurate as liquid kits. I'd like to put them in the cycling 27 litre tank but I'm concerned the nitrite levels could spike and kill them - I don't think the products that detoxify ammonia do anything to nitrites?

 

Any number of things could've caused the spike. It could be a dead shrimp, overfeeding, pockets of detritus that need to be vacuumed ect, or something happened to you bacteria.

 

Are you sure that's correct? I feel like they'd have been dead long before now, shrimp do not tolerate ammonia. However if your ph is under 7 it could be in its less toxic form of ammonium. If you do large back to back water changes, make sure the new water matches the old in ph and TDS (if you have a TDS meter), shrimp don't tolerate shock either.

 

I have a gravel vac which I use for the 45 litre tank but I'm scared to use it in this one in case I hurt one of the shrimp - one is almost black and against black gravel, he can be very hard to spot. There are quite a few empty baby snail shells (the actual snail part has been eaten) - I've heard that you should leave them in the tank so the calcium can be used by the other snails/shrimp but I've taken them out now in case they are releasing any ammonia if some of the snail is still there. Partial water changes got the level down to just under 0.5ppm last night and the level was 0.5ppm this morning. I've taken out the ornament I wasn't sure about - is there any chance of this releasing ammonia? I thought the test must be wrong too because of the shrimp but checked twice and compared it to the 45 litre tank water which is zero (would move them in there but have a paradise fish in it).

 

If you have any spare air tubing lying around, that works great as a mini-vac in smaller planted containers! I have a ~2 gallon vase, and that's how I do my water changes.
Give it a shot - I think you'll be pleased. Good luck figuring out your problem!