AMMONIA again

I know you guys have covered this before but I need you thoughts , ARE tank as been up and running for 22 days the ammonia level is 1.5 - 2.00   my nitrate level is 0 and my nitrite level is 0 my Ph is off the charts and we do have hard water but I don't have a reading for that yet, I no I put to many fish in to fast and we had finished cycling 11 cichlids and 1 plecotomus , but the fish seem fine I have been doing 20% water changes but can't get that ammonia level to 0 should I use ammo lock 2 to get it under control or what should I do.   Brent

 

Continue with the water changes to try and get the ammonia down, and up the percentage of water to 30%.  If it's not happening, then try the ammo lock or amquel plus.  If you are using a 1 part ammonia test with a color card that goes from yellow to orange, then the ammo lock and/or amquel plus will skew the reading, and it will still show ammonia in your test.  If you use either of those products, you must have a 2 part ammonia test that goes from yellow to green for an accurate reading.  Also, you don't want to get your ammonia down to zero, or there will be no ammonia for the bacteria to feed and grow on. It sounds like you are at the beginning of your cycle. You should be showing nitrites very soon as well, and that level needs to stay below 1.

 

Gunnie -

I've read in the AP test kit that using Ammo-lock will detoxify the ammonia making it safe for fish, but not eliiminate it. According to the booklet, the remaining ammonia will convert naturally without skewing the numbers. I would think that this is a benefit to the monitoring of your chemical numbers during the cycling period. As mentioned in other threads, my ammonia is continues to spike and fall, etc. but according to bad advice from other sources we'd already added fish too soon. In order to avoid losing fish, I added the ammo-lock and continue to perform water changes weekly.

Does this make sense to you?

Thanks.

 

Re: AMMONIA again???

very very frequent water changes, and advice by gunnie'..she help'd me a lot ;D

 

Sounds like a plan. Keep us posted!

 

Thanks for responding, yes my test kit goes yellow to green .

 

Feb 7 th, now and still can't get ammonia down ive been doing water changes daily water is crystal clear we still have no nitrates or nitrites I tested my water for k h and it is 17 ammonia just won't go down and no nitres to be seen fish are very health looking very busy moving gravel, why can't I get this tank to cycle I have been cleaning the gravel when I change the water ,also have really cut back on food for last 2 weeks scared I'm not giving enough now.please help

 

Seems to me with a reading of zero nitrites and nitrates with that high of Ammonia your tank never cycled in the first place, and your frequent water changes are preventing the neccesary bacteria from building up. However, if you go through the neccesary process your fish will stress and possibly parish. However, I do know a case of cichlids doing okay during the process. I would wait until you get more info, but my opinion is you hold off on the water changes until your amonia/nitrites actually go away without the use of chemicals and cheats - then water changes should eliminate your nitrates after you've developed the bacteria your missing.

 

so I should hold off on water changes and watch that my ammonia levels don't go to crazyand if they do should I use ammo lock or do a water change. I have never regiserd a nitrite reading or a nitrate reading yet day39 clear water no smell. thanks brent

 

Brentn - I know you're reading the other post "Cycle" as well, It sounds like you are aware of your stage and are willing to fix it. It sounds like leaving the water until your nitrites spike is a good idea. Eventually as you know Nitrates develop and then Ammonia and Nitrites are converted. Once your Ammonia drops to 0 without water changes or chemicals, do a PWC. It will not be long until your Nitrates rise and your Nitrites go away naturally as well. My guess is 7-10 more days for you. As mentioned I know a case of Cichlids surviving this process, however perhaps returning them to the fish store for that time, or lending them to a friend is an option. If not, keep an eye on them, keep feeding your tank ammonia and once your tank has completed this process - rejoyce, it's always a trying time. Good luck.

 

Oh BTW - if your Ammonia does go "crazy" I suggest leaving it. I'm unsure of Ammo-lock, but I have heard it does lower your Ammonia without killing the beneficial bacteria - if this is the case I would consider it. But hold off on the PWC until they fall on their own to zero. Expect Ammonia to rise as high as 5ppm in the next 3-4 days before crashing as nitrites spike.

 

When you do your water changes, don't vacuum the gravel for awhile. This may be part of the problem. The absolute most ammonia you should have in your tank is 2.0 and that is taking a chance on losing your fish. Over 2 will almost definitely kill them. Keep doing water changes until you get it down. Continuing to use the ammo lock will probably help also. I don't know if there is much of a difference, but I have had the same problem as you using the ammo lock. You may want to try amquel plus instead which is supposed to be very similar to ammo lock, but when I use amquel plus after a water change, I had no problems getting ammonia or nitrites down.