Ammonia high even with water change

I’m pretty new to this hobby and just started 3 months ago. My readings for ammonia show .50 to 1.0 even after a water change and this has happened multiple times now. I did a test on my water source and it registered .25. Prior to water change I use a water conditioner specifically Prime. I also have Topfin. In between water changes I use Ammo lock since the ammonia doesn’t seem to go down. Water changes are done weekly and my nitrites and nitrates are all 0. I use Ray Squad test strip for testing all other parameters. pH is 6.8 while alkalinity is close to always 0. Not sure how accurate this strip is but thinking of changing to api master kit.

Main questions would be:

how do I reduce the ammonia to 0? I’m speculating that the low pH can be a cause for high ammonia or nitrifying bacteria might not be present since I also have 0 nitrites/nitrates. I might be wrong here so please advise.

my tank is still cloudy even after a 70% water change. Is this due to gravel? I currently have 3 guppies and 1 catfish on a 10gal tank. I was thinking of rinsing half the gravel one at a time so as not to destroy the bacteria (if there’s even any) but not sure if this would solve the problem. Prior to the cloudy tank I fed my fish some brine shrimp but wasn’t expecting it to still b cloudy even after a water change. Desperate for any help!

Thanks in advance for your advices!

 

Don't fight it. Let it happen.

Get the ammo lock out of there as it is starving the process.

Ammonia is food for the bacteria. Don't fear it. It's food.

Just keep ammonia below about 2.0 via water changes and the fish will be fine.

Cloudy is good. Soon it will clear.

Takes about a month to cycle a new tank. Using Ammo lock stalls it and it takes forever.

Prime is only a de-chlorinator. Use it if you have chlorine.

Good vigorous aeration is very helpful for cycling a tank since it increases oxygen.

 

Don't fight it. Let it happen.

Get the ammo lock out of there as it is starving the process.

Ammonia is food for the bacteria. Don't fear it. It's food.

Just keep ammonia below about 2.0 via water changes and the fish will be fine.

Cloudy is good. Soon it will clear.

Takes about a month to cycle a new tank. Using Ammo lock stalls it and it takes forever.

Prime is only a de-chlorinator. Use it if you have chlorine.

Good vigorous aeration is very helpful for cycling a tank since it increases oxygen.

Thanks this is a very helpful advice. I have a stone bubbler but it’s only on one side of the aquarium near the filter. Do you think it would benefit if both sides of the aquarium have aeration? Right side I would say is vigorous aeration but left side of the tank is stagnant.

 

I have to disagree. I would not keep fish in 2ppm ammonia. Keep it below 0.5. You must protect your fish.

I agree. Get rid of the AmmoLock

At pH6.8 your nitrifiers are fine. They do slow down and even become dormant at lower pH, but that is more like 6.2ish. At that pH (6.2), the ammonia is essentially nontoxic.

One bubbler in a 10g is plenty for aeration.
What are you using as a filter?

You may have chloramine in your water instead of chlorine. When you add the dechlorinater, it will break up the chloramine and neutralize the resulting chlorine, but the ammonia is released. That is probably the source of the positive ammonia test on your tap water. A cycled tank will handle the added ammonia, but a new tank may struggle to keep up.

How big are your water changes?

So before the water change, you have about 1ppm ammonia? Then, after the water change, there is no difference. Is that correct?

If you rinse your gravel in tank water, it will not hurt the bacteria. It would be easier to use a tank vac than to remove the gravel from the tank.

What else is in the tank? plants, wood, rocks etc.

Cloudiness can be caused by debris in the water as well as bacterial blooms.

 

I have to disagree. I would not keep fish in 2ppm ammonia. Keep it below 0.5. You must protect your fish.

I agree. Get rid of the AmmoLock

At pH6.8 your nitrifiers are fine. They do slow down and even become dormant at lower pH, but that is more like 6.2ish. At that pH (6.2), the ammonia is essentially nontoxic.

One bubbler in a 10g is plenty for aeration.
What are you using as a filter?

You may have chloramine in your water instead of chlorine. When you add the dechlorinater, it will break up the chloramine and neutralize the resulting chlorine, but the ammonia is released. That is probably the source of the positive ammonia test on your tap water. A cycled tank will handle the added ammonia, but a new tank may struggle to keep up.

How big are your water changes?

So before the water change, you have about 1ppm ammonia? Then, after the water change, there is no difference. Is that correct?

If you rinse your gravel in tank water, it will not hurt the bacteria. It would be easier to use a tank vac than to remove the gravel from the tank.

What else is in the tank? plants, wood, rocks etc.

Cloudiness can be caused by debris in the water as well as bacterial blooms.

The aquarium was a complete set from PetSmart so the filter is the Topfin basic filter. Would you recommend I change the filter? I'm not sure how good the filter is. My water change is usually 50% weekly but recently it was about 75% coz it was very cloudy/brown looking. I thought it would solve the issue but it seems the color remains the same after a few days. Unfortunately I don't have any live plants yet, artificial plants, some decorations (not sure what material its made of but its definitely not wood).

For the ammonia reading, prior to adding the water conditioner it registered as 0.25 on my tap water, after adding it remains the same. But when I do the change, after a few days it goes up to .50 despite weekly water change.

Photo of my aquarium set up:

 

Toxicity of ammonia vs pH

http://www.blueridgekoi.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/pH-and-Ammonia.pdf


This is based on science and experimentation for aquaculture.

 

Toxicity of ammonia vs pH

http://www.blueridgekoi.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/pH-and-Ammonia.pdf


This is based on science and experimentation for aquaculture.

Thanks for this info! Will print this out!

 

Toxicity of ammonia vs pH

http://www.blueridgekoi.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/pH-and-Ammonia.pdf


This is based on science and experimentation for aquaculture.

Thanks for posting that, and I bookmarked it. I see the research for this paper was on koi and goldfish. Do you know if the numbers are approximately the same for tropical fish, or if similar research has been done with commonly kept tropical fish?

 

You don't need to change your filter. Those TopFin filters work just fine.

I've had one running in a tank for 2 and a half years with no problems.

 

Thanks for posting that, and I bookmarked it. I see the research for this paper was on koi and goldfish. Do you know if the numbers are approximately the same for tropical fish, or if similar research has been done with commonly kept tropical fish?

It's applicable to fish hailing from soft waters. Fish from hard waters have a few adaptations to deal with ammonia at high pH.

 

Thanks this is a very helpful advice. I have a stone bubbler but it’s only on one side of the aquarium near the filter. Do you think it would benefit if both sides of the aquarium have aeration? Right side I would say is vigorous aeration but left side of the tank is stagnant.

What the stone bubbler actually does is it creates vertical flow of water. Water from the bottom flows up to the top so you get circulation. And the ripples on the surface provide increased area for gas exchange. Keep the filter running with good flow and adjust the output so it stirs up the surface. If you see dead spots, move the bubbler and redirect the filter output until you get flow everywhere in the tank.

You can drop in some food and see if it finds a dead spot. Make little adjustments to remove dead spots.

 

Toxicity of ammonia vs pH

http://www.blueridgekoi.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/pH-and-Ammonia.pdf


This is based on science and experimentation for aquaculture.

Yes, I have a few versions of this chart. It's proven science. I just find it difficult to encourage 2ppm ammonia to anyone (unscientific knee jerk reaction I guess)

Ammonia at the levels the OP is having will indeed be nontoxic at his current pH. But the question remains, why is a 3 month old tank with ammonia added still not cycled.

 

My opinion based on the info given.

Are you changing the filter cartridge in that topfin filter completely as the instructions recommend? If you are doing that, it will never finish cycling and you'll throw out the majority of your bacteria colony every time you change the filter cartridge.
these manufacturers recommend things that keep you buying products like filter cartridges, and as a result you'll battle ammonia and not finish cycling and need to buy tests, and dechlorinator and ammonia reducers, and you see where it goes, just buying products to fix a problem that doesn't need to be a problem.

when you do a water change you'd rinse out the filter cartridge with old tank water you took out and put it back. maintaining the bacteria colony. if you just throw it out each water change or every month the cycling will never finish.,

I'd also recommend adding a small sponge filter with an airline/pump to it this will give you surface agitation, and bottom up flow, and another home in tank for a bacteria colony and give your better stability then you can change out those filter cartridges as needed and use that one for polishing while the sponge holds your bacteria colony. sponge filter and airline and pump are a cheap solution. .

I've just got a feeling those filter cartridges are being changed and it's not finishing cycling and has you locked into a perpetual ammonia phase with not nitrites to build the next step off of. Maybe I'm wrong, but just an opinion.

 

Yes, I have a few versions of this chart. It's proven science. I just find it difficult to encourage 2ppm ammonia to anyone (unscientific knee jerk reaction I guess)

Ammonia at the levels the OP is having will indeed be nontoxic at his current pH. But the question remains, why is a 3 month old tank with ammonia added still not cycled.

This is the biggest question that I have until now. I do weekly water changes, I have never replaced my filter just swished it into a bucket of the old water aquarium. I vacuum the gravel weekly during water change as well. So somewhere in between I must be doing something wrong. I also add prime bacteria whenever I do a water change.

My opinion based on the info given.

Are you changing the filter cartridge in that topfin filter completely as the instructions recommend? If you are doing that, it will never finish cycling and you'll throw out the majority of your bacteria colony every time you change the filter cartridge.
these manufacturers recommend things that keep you buying products like filter cartridges, and as a result you'll battle ammonia and not finish cycling and need to buy tests, and dechlorinator and ammonia reducers, and you see where it goes, just buying products to fix a problem that doesn't need to be a problem.

when you do a water change you'd rinse out the filter cartridge with old tank water you took out and put it back. maintaining the bacteria colony. if you just throw it out each water change or every month the cycling will never finish.,

I'd also recommend adding a small sponge filter with an airline/pump to it this will give you surface agitation, and bottom up flow, and another home in tank for a bacteria colony and give your better stability then you can change out those filter cartridges as needed and use that one for polishing while the sponge holds your bacteria colony. sponge filter and airline and pump are a cheap solution. .

I've just got a feeling those filter cartridges are being changed and it's not finishing cycling and has you locked into a perpetual ammonia phase with not nitrites to build the next step off of. Maybe I'm wrong, but just an opinion.

Hi I will look into the sponge filter suggestion, thanks! As for the filter I don’t replace it what i did was just to rinse/swish it inside a bucket of the old water aquarium. I did some research before that replacing it will kill the good bacteria. During weekly water change I also vacuum the gravel and add water conditioner. I’m not sure why the cycle has stalled tbh.

 

The rise and fall of different bacteria colonies induced by chemicals, zombie bacteria, cleaning, oxygen depletion. Not to mention, inaccuracy of test strips.

If you leave a tank with water alone, nature will apply its own detox system that fits the tank and water. It has been working like this for 3.7 bilion years. I think it will be no different this year

Stop cleaning or playing around with bottles for a month or so and allow the right bacteria species to colonise your tank. It is that simple.

 

Toxicity of ammonia vs pH

http://www.blueridgekoi.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/pH-and-Ammonia.pdf


This is based on science and experimentation for aquaculture.

It's still very risky to give that advice to beginners who are working with live animals. Good information when applied incorrectly gives the same results as bad information.

The OP says their pH is 6.8. But that is one data point. Is that measurement the stable baseline pH of the tank? Or is it the bottom of a pH crash? What if they are advised by someone else to add crushed coral to stabilize their alkalinity, and they don't realize that it will also raise their pH?

If for whatever reason their pH changes, and we know that sometimes it does change, then they are in trouble.

This is sort of like telling a person they can touch a live wire as long as they aren't grounded. Its scientifically sound advice. But its also advice that will get an amateur electrocuted. Its better just to tell them to switch off the breaker and remove the risk entirely.

This is the biggest question that I have until now. I do weekly water changes, I have never replaced my filter just swished it into a bucket of the old water aquarium. I vacuum the gravel weekly during water change as well. So somewhere in between I must be doing something wrong. I also add prime bacteria whenever I do a water change.

Hi I will look into the sponge filter suggestion, thanks! As for the filter I don’t replace it what i did was just to rinse/swish it inside a bucket of the old water aquarium. I did some research before that replacing it will kill the good bacteria. During weekly water change I also vacuum the gravel and add water conditioner. I’m not sure why the cycle has stalled tbh.

A sponge filter will not solve the problem you are having. I like sponge filters. I just don't want you to think that you need to buy one to solve your problem.

 

We tend to stress the new fishkeepers out too much with ammonia worries. .5 leads to unnecessary stress for humans. The human is also part of the ecosystem.

Worry over ammonia has caused him to use Ammonia block which has stalled his cycle. It's a vicious circle.

 

We tend to stress the new fishkeepers out too much with ammonia worries. .5 leads to unnecessary stress for humans. The human is also part of the ecosystem.

Worry over ammonia has caused him to use Ammonia block which has stalled his cycle. It's a vicious circle.

Stalled the cycle..... or the combination of additives used has corrupted the testing method giving false readings..... not sure which.

Can we rule out a misstep with water changing? Does the op treat the water before or after adding it to the tank? Before the water is added is safe to do, even dosing the tank and then filling it with a hose works, I do it.
But if done after the water is added it can kill off the cycles bacteria until the dechlorinator is added to neutralize the chlorine.

Could also test the source water to rule out chloramine in it as a cause of the ammonia reading after dechlorination....


All I can think of currently.

 

OP I think you need more fish. You basically have an ecosystem that has not really started yet. You need more living things in your aquarium. Don't be timid. Get a bunch more fish that you like and get them in there. Change water to keep ammonia below 2.0 and soon you will have an aquarium. Life needs life.

Cloudy water is good when starting out. It means that you are starting to grow things.

Your fish look happy. They just need more friends.

 

OP I think you need more fish. You basically have an ecosystem that has not really started yet. You need more living things in your aquarium. Don't be timid. Get a bunch more fish that you like and get them in there. Change water to keep ammonia below 2.0 and soon you will have an aquarium. Life needs life.

Cloudy water is good when starting out. It means that you are starting to grow things.

Your fish look happy. They just need more friends.

When I started I actually had a community fish (1 betta, 3 guppies, 3 Cory catfish) - followed the 1 inch rule per gal. There were 3 guppies in total 1 died so I’ve added 3 more but they were so aggressive to the old ones that the other old 2 ended dying with nipped tails. One of the catfish I got survived for 2 days only since PetSmart gave me a bent spine catfish. Only one left now for the catfish - the only longest fish that has survived since the beginning. My betta fish also ended up dying in the community tank (caused a lot stress and worry). Im to blame since im a beginner and we tested the betta if he can get along with others and he did but ended up having fin rot 3 weeks ago. This caused me a lot of anxiety and worry coz the betta fish was a good one very lively and interactive. I bought an isolation tank for the betta and even medication but it still ended up dying. I guess I’m just being more careful now coz I try to avoid having more fish deaths.

FYI me and my betta when he was still alive

Stalled the cycle..... or the combination of additives used has corrupted the testing method giving false readings..... not sure which.

Can we rule out a misstep with water changing? Does the op treat the water before or after adding it to the tank? Before the water is added is safe to do, even dosing the tank and then filling it with a hose works, I do it.
But if done after the water is added it can kill off the cycles bacteria until the dechlorinator is added to neutralize the chlorine.

Could also test the source water to rule out chloramine in it as a cause of the ammonia reading after dechlorination....


All I can think of currently.

What i do is I treat the water with water conditioner and nitrifying bacteria in a separate storage container a day before the water change. I’ve tested the water source and it registered a 0.25 in ammonia. I will probably retest again this week and upload values here if it helps. Thanks!

 

I know it can be confusing to get conflicting advice. But I disagree with adding more fish until your tank sorts itself out. Especially given the troubles you've already had. 3 guppies and a catfish is certainly not starving a 10g tank of life.

In a situation like this its tempting to keep doing things to help. When the solution might actually be to do nothing and be patient.

If I were you, I'd stop adding the ammo lock and the nitrifying bacteria. I'd keep up with your water changes, and just give the tank the time it needs to settle in. See what happens after a couple weeks of that. Then reassess.

 

. . . But if done after the water is added it can kill off the cycles bacteria until the dechlorinator is added to neutralize the chlorine.

Could also test the source water to rule out chloramine in it as a cause of the ammonia reading after dechlorination....


All I can think of currently.

I doubt that, since you can rinse the sponge from an established tank in tap water without significantly harming the cycle (see below).

 

OP, I just noticed that you report alkalinity as 0 on your test strips.

Very often on Fishlore when we have someone with a tank that doesn't want to cycle, the culprit is 0 KH. This is carbonate hardness. I have cured many stalled cycles by increasing KH up from zero. Getting alkalinity up to the range of 3 degrees (which is equivalent to about 50 ppm) is a good goal to get the cycle going. Some test report degrees, and others show ppm. The conversion factor is 1 degree of hardness = 18 ppm.

This is chemistry.

Your test strips are telling us that you may have 0 KH.

Zero KH happens for people like us that have very soft water from the tap. My water is 0 KH like yours. I have to add some powders that increase my KH to make it fish ready. This is called buffering your water.

This is geology and has to do with the minerals (or lack of minerals) in the rocks where your water comes from. You can start to learn about the rock formations in your area. Mine are quartz crystalline rock with no dissolved minerals.

If indeed you have 0 KH, then you will not be able to get a cycle going. You will need to buffer your water.

This is as simple as adding a pinch of baking soda. But not too much. You don't want to raise your pH too high.

You can add the baking soda in your pre-treatment barrels to get it set so that your alkalinity test strips show 50 ppm.

You will add about half teaspoon of baking soda to 10 gallons of water to raise the KH to about 50 ppm. But use your strips to confirm.

Some folks will begin to panic now that I am asking you to do 'advanced' methods. But I can tell that you are fully capable, and I believe in you! Plus, its really simple and just not that hard.

Some folks may tell you to add crushed coral. But the problem is that for those of us with very soft water the crushed coral is often not able to dissolve fast enough to raise the KH up.

So get your KH up above 0. Your cycle will restart, and then get more fish!

 

Be aware that raising your kH will also raise your pH, which will affect how toxic the ammonia is.

 

I doubt that, since you can rinse the sponge from an established tank in tap water without significantly harming the cycle (see below).

I'd just say, yes, works for him, in his location, may not be the same chlorine concentration or the same water sanitation processes in everyones location. and it's a heck of a gamble if you don't know exactly what you are dealing with.

What he says is plausible by the science, but you kind of have to know what you are dealing with, We've all seen the situation where the city has decided to hyperchlorinate to 6 or 8 or higher mg/liter and smell it and feel it in the shower, and we've all heard the stories of a tank of fish dead after missing the notice of it happening.

Maybe it's fine, maybe it's not, I personally wouldn't gamble on it or take it for granted that it's always fine in every case though. I can rinse my prefilter sponge in tap water from the sink, and put it right back but I'm not worried about it because it's a prefilter sponge and only a small part of the total filter on the tank.
I'd be apprehensive if I did it with the entire filtration on the aquarium though every time.

 

Its like I said before. There are plenty of things that are technically safe under the right circumstances.

But that doesn't make them best practices.

 

I know it can be confusing to get conflicting advice. But I disagree with adding more fish until your tank sorts itself out. Especially given the troubles you've already had. 3 guppies and a catfish is certainly not starving a 10g tank of life.

In a situation like this its tempting to keep doing things to help. When the solution might actually be to do nothing and be patient.

If I were you, I'd stop adding the ammo lock and the nitrifying bacteria. I'd keep up with your water changes, and just give the tank the time it needs to settle in. See what happens after a couple weeks of that. Then reassess.

I agree with this, i have stopped the ammo and will just continue with the water changes. Until my tank is fully cycled, I'm not that confident to add more fish.

OP, I just noticed that you report alkalinity as 0 on your test strips.

Very often on Fishlore when we have someone with a tank that doesn't want to cycle, the culprit is 0 KH. This is carbonate hardness. I have cured many stalled cycles by increasing KH up from zero. Getting alkalinity up to the range of 3 degrees (which is equivalent to about 50 ppm) is a good goal to get the cycle going. Some test report degrees, and others show ppm. The conversion factor is 1 degree of hardness = 18 ppm.

This is chemistry.

Your test strips are telling us that you may have 0 KH.

Zero KH happens for people like us that have very soft water from the tap. My water is 0 KH like yours. I have to add some powders that increase my KH to make it fish ready. This is called buffering your water.

This is geology and has to do with the minerals (or lack of minerals) in the rocks where your water comes from. You can start to learn about the rock formations in your area. Mine are quartz crystalline rock with no dissolved minerals.

If indeed you have 0 KH, then you will not be able to get a cycle going. You will need to buffer your water.

This is as simple as adding a pinch of baking soda. But not too much. You don't want to raise your pH too high.

You can add the baking soda in your pre-treatment barrels to get it set so that your alkalinity test strips show 50 ppm.

You will add about half teaspoon of baking soda to 10 gallons of water to raise the KH to about 50 ppm. But use your strips to confirm.

Some folks will begin to panic now that I am asking you to do 'advanced' methods. But I can tell that you are fully capable, and I believe in you! Plus, its really simple and just not that hard.

Some folks may tell you to add crushed coral. But the problem is that for those of us with very soft water the crushed coral is often not able to dissolve fast enough to raise the KH up.

So get your KH up above 0. Your cycle will restart, and then get more fish!

Good thing you mentioned this, I actually bought Tetra correct Ph and used a tablet once. Didn't notice any improvement so I was so unsure on whether to continue with that or not. Will this work?

Be aware that raising your kH will also raise your pH, which will affect how toxic the ammonia is.

that's another issue I noticed upon checking the ammonia chart. So the question is whether to correct the pH or leave things as is.

 

how do I reduce the ammonia to 0? I’m speculating that the low pH can be a cause for high ammonia or nitrifying bacteria might not be present since I also have 0 nitrites/nitrates. I might be wrong here so please advise.

You are correct. The cycle needs some KH (or alkalinity) to get going. When you increase KH up to 3 with baking soda, the pH will go a up little bit too.

Good thing you mentioned this, I actually bought Tetra correct Ph and used a tablet once. Didn't notice any improvement so I was so unsure on whether to continue with that or not. Will this work?

No this will not help you. The Tetra correct pH says does not contain any Carbonate Hardness. You don't want this. As you noticed, it had no effect on your cycle.
As soon as you raise your KH up above zero your cycle will magically restart.

It's not magic actually, the cycle literally requires carbonates to work. It's chemistry.

I see this all the time. Many newbies get stuck here and give up. You got this!!

 

You are correct. The cycle needs some KH (or alkalinity) to get going. When you increase KH up to 3 with baking soda, the pH will go a up little bit too.

No this will not help you. The Tetra correct pH says does not contain any Carbonate Hardness. You don't want this. As you noticed, it had no effect on your cycle.
As soon as you raise your KH up above zero your cycle will magically restart.

It's not magic actually, the cycle literally requires carbonates to work. It's chemistry.

I see this all the time. Many newbies get stuck here and give up. You got this!!

I have a question, somewhere here the ammonia chart shows that once the pH goes up the ammonia also becomes toxic. How do we counteract this?

 

I have a question, somewhere here the ammonia chart shows that once the pH goes up the ammonia also becomes toxic. How do we counteract this?

By doing water changes often enough and large enough to keep the ammonia (and nitrites) low. Don't try to do it with chemicals.

 

I have a question, somewhere here the ammonia chart shows that once the pH goes up the ammonia also becomes toxic. How do we counteract this?

No need.

Since you are getting up to 1.0 ppm ammonia levels due to a stalled cycle, we see that in the chart, you are OK with ammonia levels of 1.0 ppm up to a pH of about 8.0. You wont be any where near that.

So when you add the buffer (baking soda) and only go up to alkalinity of 3 degs, that will restart your cycle. But the pH will not go up very much at all. You can test it and see that the pH is less than 8.0.

I know this from doing this thousands of time. It is hard when you start out since you don't have the experience with these things. But you are learning to be a fish keeper now.


If the ammonia spikes up further into the toxic zone, just change the water! But it won't.

 

No need.

Since you are getting up to 1.0 ppm ammonia levels due to a stalled cycle, we see that in the chart, you are OK with ammonia levels of 1.0 ppm up to a pH of about 8.0. You wont be any where near that.

So when you add the buffer (baking soda) and only go up to alkalinity of 3 degs, that will restart your cycle. But the pH will not go up very much at all. You can test it and see that the pH is less than 8.0.

I know this from doing this thousands of time. It is hard when you start out since you don't have the experience with these things. But you are learning to be a fish keeper now.


If the ammonia spikes up further into the toxic zone, just change the water! But it won't.

i will try the baking soda solution. i appreciate all the advice here, thanks!

 

You are correct. The cycle needs some KH (or alkalinity) to get going. When you increase KH up to 3 with baking soda, the pH will go a up little bit too.

No this will not help you. The Tetra correct pH says does not contain any Carbonate Hardness. You don't want this. As you noticed, it had no effect on your cycle.
As soon as you raise your KH up above zero your cycle will magically restart.

It's not magic actually, the cycle literally requires carbonates to work. It's chemistry.

I see this all the time. Many newbies get stuck here and give up. You got this!!

Holy moly you are a genius! I didn't know whether to give you the the agree finger or the wow face "like" so I wnt with "WOW".

made me slap my forehead and everything!

no carbonnates, no KH consumption that happens when ammonia converts to nitrites then nitrates, hence no bacteria or cycle movement. The KH consumption is a necessary component in the conversion process by the bacteria.

Just amazing!.

 

Ok just to update everyone I did some strip and ammonia test just now. I’m in a bit of a panic mode since the ammonia reading is so very high!

should I just do a quick water change in less than 24 hours with conditioners and the baking soda solution? Will a 50% water change or 75% change help?

Attaching the readings:

 

You probably don't want to bump your pH up during an ammonia spike. Especially since you don't have any experience doing that.

I'd do a large water change with no baking soda. Get the ammonia down to a safe level first.

Then you can experiment with your water chemistry after, when its safer and you're not in a panic.

 

You have food and waste in the tank which is going to be generating ammonia.

If I were you I would remove the fish to a clean bucket and air stone, and start buffering the water in the tank to get this cycle going. You have had this tank going for 3 month so there is lots of waste and fish poop in there. The cycle does not need the fish anymore to get going now. But it does need KH.

Currently the tank is a toilet. All that ammonia is food for your cycle now though so use it to your advantage.

 

I have another 5 ga

You have food and waste in the tank which is going to be generating ammonia.

If I were you I would remove the fish to a clean bucket and air stone, and start buffering the water in the tank to get this cycle going. You have had this tank going for 3 month so there is lots of waste and fish poop in there. The cycle does not need the fish anymore to get going now. But it does need KH.

Currently the tank is a toilet. All that ammonia is food for your cycle now though so use it to your advantage.

l have another 5 gallon isolation tank that I can transfer the fish into. Is this a better alternative while I’m cycling the original tank?

 

I have another 5 ga

l have another 5 gallon isolation tank that I can transfer the fish into. Is this a better alternative while I’m cycling the original tank?

Yes. It will go faster since you can adjust the KH without worrying about the fish. You need to get this tank cycled. That is your priority.

I fear you will change the water and the ammonia will spike back up and you will be stuck because there is too much waste in this tank.

Let the waste be the food for your cycle. Don't change the water. Use the ammonia to cycle.

 

Yes. It will go faster since you can adjust the KH without worrying about the fish. You need to get this tank cycled. That is your priority.

I fear you will change the water and the ammonia will spike back up and you will be stuck because there is too much waste in this tank.

Let the waste be the food for your cycle. Don't change the water. Use the ammonia to cycle.

Ok got it so no water change in the original tank. Just let the cycle happen. Sorry I have loads of questions. For the isolation tank though I have a couple of questions:

can this be entirely 100% new water change or do I get 25% of the old water so the fish won’t be in shock?

is it ok to use new gravel and new filter for the isolation tank?

 

Use the water from your storage tank that has sat and aerated for a day before. The fish will love that fresh water and will be fine.

Don't put any of the polluted water from your tank in with the fish.

Yes fresh gravel and new filter is fine. Just keep the water moving in your holding tank and change it out to keep it good for the fish while your main tank cycles.

Don't waste your fish ready water on the main tank.