Ammonia is at 8

hI I have tank for 3 weeks now have guppies platys and some neons they have all been very happy we noticed last night 1 of the guppies was a bit thin and its tail was not as fanned out as it usually was, when we got up this morning the guppie was gone we assume the other fish has eaten it we tested water and the ammonia was 8 which we know is high we have done a partial water change any suggestions what we can do to keep the ammonia down

 

Have you tested the nitrites and nitrates? It sounds like your tank either hasn't finished its first cycle, or is in a mini-cycle for some reason.

For an immediate fix, you might want to run to your local fish store and pick up some AmQual Plus -- it does a pretty good job of neutralizing the ammonia, nitrites and nitrates in the tank in a hurry. It's only a temporary fix, so you should test your water first and see where your tank is in the cycle.

 

Re: ammonia is at 8 my fish are dying

lost another guppie during the night and another one is dying did a water test this morning nitrite was 2.0 ammonia 4.0 nitrate 5.0 ph 7.6 I don't know what to do next I did a partial water change yesterday do I do another 1 today

 

HI Skinny. You can cycle with fish, don't worry. There are ways to control the situation. What you need to do is:
1/ Condition the new water that you put back in from the tab with ammonia-locking conditionner (e.g. Prime or Amquel + if you can get a hold of either)
2/ Test the water every day for a'nia, n'ite, n'ate. If a'ia > 0.5; n'ite > 0.5 or n'ate > 25, do a huge water change (up to 75%). These are my own ballpark figures, other members may be more or less cautious with their 'alarm' thresholds.
3/ Watch your fish like a hawk for signs of waste poisoning (darkened gills - purple-looking), gasping for air, hanging around close to the water surface. The second you see signs, do another water change.

You'll have to go through this for 3 weeks or so (I hope no more, although some cycles last way longer, but let's not imagine the worst yet).

Your remaining fish can be OK, don't worry.

 

hI there lost another guppie this dinner time so I am only left with 3 now, I did my water test this morning and the water test kit that I am using is the apI and the readings are down from yesterday ammonia was 4.0 nitrite 2.0 nitrate 5.0 and ph 7.6 could you tell me if that is bad because everyone keeps telling me different, a guy who has bred fish for 30 years just told me to do a water test each day and than if it is still bad do a water change saturday because he said if we keep taking too much water out we are taking the good bacteria out also the fish we are losing are the first fish we put in the tank and they were male guppies he said that they could be pining for females would be grateful for anymore suggestions thanks I felt so sad when my little guppies died

 

Hi
well it does sound like your tank has not finished its cycle yet. The ammonia readings are too high along with the nitrite and more than likely that is why your fish are dying.
As far as that fellow telling you not to change your water because you would be loosing your good bacteria is baloney! The bacteria you need to cycle your tank is not in the water, it grows on the filter, gravel and decorations. When your readings are that high you can not afford to wait til saturday to change your water, your fish will be dead by then. Please consider doing a 50% water change asap! get the tap water conditioned with a water primer, such as prime if you have it or use whatever water conditioner you have that you have been putting in the tap water to treat it. Also get the water temperature as close to possible as the tank water, so not to shock them.
Good luck with your tank.. let it cycle, in the meantime do those water changes and do not rinse out your filter media.
~ kate

 

HI Skinny. That guy was right, but didn't tell you the full story. Here's some answers:

Ammonia is very poisonous. After a while, it quickly gets transformed into nitrites, which are also poisonous. In an established tank, nitrites get transformed into nitrates, and that, the fish can manage up to certain quantities.

Ammonia -> n'ite -> n'ate takes a long time to happen for the first time in a new tank, and a tnak is said to be fully cycled when all a'nia and n'ites are immediately transformed into n'ates, so that you can detect only nitrates in your water. This has obviously not happened to your tank yet, and can take a few weeks.

So, any quantity of ammonia or nitrite is dangerous to the fish, so you need to indeed change a lot of your water everyday that you get a positive reading for a'nia or n'ite in your tank.

Oh, and most good bacteria (the ones that do the Ammonia -> n'ite -> n'ate transformation), live in your filter medium and in your gravel, so doing water changes won't affect your bacteria so much. What does affect your cycle with water changes is that your tank takes longer to learn hwo to cycle a'nia and n'ites, as the water is kept quite clean always. But that's OK, as your fish' lives are worth having to wait a little longer before you can stop doing daily readings and daily water changes\

hI there lost another guppie this dinner time so I am only left with 3 now, I did my water test this morning and the water test kit that I am using is the apI and the readings are down from yesterday ammonia was 4.0 nitrite 2.0 nitrate 5.0 and ph 7.6 could you tell me if that is bad because everyone keeps telling me different, a guy who has bred fish for 30 years just told me to do a water test each day and than if it is still bad do a water change saturday because he said if we keep taking too much water out we are taking the good bacteria out also the fish we are losing are the first fish we put in the tank and they were male guppies he said that they could be pining for females would be grateful for anymore suggestions thanks I felt so sad when my little guppies died

 

hI thanks for advice will do a water change tonight could you give me thoughts on my decorations in my tank I have a piece of coral and 2 shells what my husband got when he was snorkelling in bulgaria we boilt them for 7 hours before we put them in the tank 1 fish breeder says they are fine and another says no should I take them out thanks

 

Coral and shells can have a lot of calcium in them that leaches out into the water and plays havoc with the pH. And unstable pH affects the ammonia levels, so you may want to do a pH test, and also check the coral and shells to see if they're leaching calcium. The easiest way to test them is to put a drop of vinegar on them -- if it fizzes, don't put them back in your tank.

 

thanks for that, also could you tell me if I should put some ammolock in the fresh water when I do it in the next 10 mins thanks

I forgot to say I put some in yesterday when I did a partial water change

 

New aquarium person here. After receiving extremely poor advice at pet store I am in a bad situation with my tank and my poor fish that are still alive in it! My ammonia is at 8.0 and I can't seem to get it to drop...someone help!

 

You need to do a huge water change asap. How big is the tank

 

Welcome to the forum

What test kit are you using? What size tank and what fish do you have in it? I agree that you're going to have to a few large back to back water changes (at least 50%) to get that ammonia down as close to 0 as possible. Do you have a water conditioner that detoxifies ammonia and nitrite like Seachem Prime? If not, I would get it for your water changes.

 

New aquarium person here. After receiving extremely poor advice at pet store I am in a bad situation with my tank and my poor fish that are still alive in it! My ammonia is at 8.0 and I can't seem to get it to drop...someone help!

I have a 55 gallon tank with about 25 fish left in it...I know that's probably too many but again poor advice from the pet store! They are mostly guppies, tetras, 3 gouramis and 3 catfish...also 2 African dwarf frogs even though one is missing...I have no idea how long the ammonia has been so high because I didn't have an ammonia kit just a regular strip kind and everything was coming out perfect on it but my fish were dying...I finally found out it was the ammonia when it was too late for a lot of the fish...I did 3 10 gallon water changes in the last 3 days and no changes in the ammonia level...I ordered smart start and prime and they should be here Tuesday but I honestly don't know how they work...I am just very upset the fish have to be going through that right now and can't fix it!

I now have the API freshwater master test kit

 

Use the start smart as it is indicated on the bottle. I have only used stability by seachem. It's a similar product. Do 50%water changes 2 days in a row then start the bio treatment. I do 30%weakly changes and treat with prime to the amount in the tank not only how much you change. Put in enough for the whole 55 gallons every water change regardless of how much you change. It is safe to over treat 5 times with prime. If you're restating your cycle you will see that ammonia turn into nitrites and then it will turn to nitrates. The only way to get rid of the nitrates is with water changes. Plants will take a small amount out but never enough to eliminate water changes. Once it is cycling properly you shouldn't see that ever. It does all of it constantly.

 

How long have you had the tank? I agree that you are going to have to do multiple back to back water changes ASAP. Are you sure it is at 8 ppm? Either way if it is green something needs to be done. Can you return some or all of the fish while you are getting the tank cycled?

 

I would do a bit more than 50%. even with a 4ppm you'll still have a lot of problems stressing the fish. you might wana go closer to 75-80% water change. this should leave you to about 2 ppm. you'll stress the fish both ways but you save them on nitro burn.

 

The frogs will never find food in a tank with catfish....move them! Don't ever listen to those people at big box pet stores either!

Hope you get things right! Do you have a nicer pet store nearby? You might find help there.

 

For about a month...yes still 8ppm...I doubt I can return them...not in good standing with the store at the moment...also kind of attached to the fish...just want to save them

So I change 50% of the water first and then use the start smart? Right after the water change? And when do I use the prime? I'm sorry I just want to make sure I get this right

 

Change that water ASAP. You have got to get that ammonia down!

Prime is a water conditioner, it will replace whatever you're using to dechlorinate the water now. You will treat the water that you're putting into the tank with the Prime, and they're telling you to use enough Prime for the volume of your entire tank. Prime binds the chlorine and cloramines so they don't harm your fish, but it also helps neutralize ammonia. It's super important. There is a paragraph in the instructions about dosing extra Prime in case of emergency, I think that might apply in your case.

I'm not familiar with Smart Start, but if it's like Seachem Stability then I would add that after the Prime.

 

I just did a 60% water change...ammonia down to 2.0...I tested immediately after the water change. Is that ok to do that? Definitely better than 8.0! Will be receiving the prime on Tuesday and will do another large water change and then the prime. Thank u to all who helped! Appreciate it highly...got the tank for my daughter and to lower my blood pressure and seems to be doing the opposite! Will get back on Tuesday when the products come in. Again thank u all

 

Do two 75% changes back to back. That ammonia is crazy high.

What is your pH? Nitrites? Nitrates?

What's your source water parameters?

 

The prime is best mixed with the water before it goes in the tank but if you just use a hose than I would put it in right before you put the new water in. Use the start smart right after its full. I did half of my bio treatment straight into my filter box and the rest into the tank water since most of your bio is housed in your filters. The rest is in your substrate and decor. Only like 3%is in the water itself.

 

I just did a 60% water change...ammonia down to 2.0...I tested immediately after the water change. Is that ok to do that? Definitely better than 8.0! Will be receiving the prime on Tuesday and will do another large water change and then the prime. Thank u to all who helped! Appreciate it highly...got the tank for my daughter and to lower my blood pressure and seems to be doing the opposite! Will get back on Tuesday when the products come in. Again thank u all

2ppm is better, but I think you want it lower than that as soon as you can. As far as I know it's fine to test after a water change, right now you're trying to get your ammonia down to a safe number and you need info. I'm fairly new, too, but don't panic, there's a lot of help on this forum.

What the people who are trying to help will want you to do is to test ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates in your tank, but ALSO test ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates in the water straight from your tank as well. That will help you to know if you need to correct for problems that are coming from your tap water. Knowing the pH of both tank and tap water will help, too.

Prime and bottled bacteria can help you keep your fish alive through the cycling process, but until then, you've got to keep the ammonia down. I might be wrong, but I think it needs to be below 1ppm.

 

Mothercrow - it is dependant on his pH how much ammonia he can get to before needing to worry. The test kits will register ammonium and ammonia, ammonia being toxic. Low pH allows more ammonium to be produced, lessening the risk for ammonia poisoning.

 

As of this morning my tank ammonia is 4.0, nitrites and nitrates both 0 and PH 7.2
Tested my tap water ammonia 0, nitrates and nitrites 0 and PH 6.8
Gonna do another large water change now...should the PH be lowered as well?

 

Don't do anything to lower pH. You'll risk a pH crash which is far worse to deal with in a timely manner.

Just complete a large water change, preferably 75%, then test your ammonia again.

Edit: it seems like you're far from being cycled. I would recommend a product like stability to get you cycled faster and prime for emergencies. Water changes are going to be required almost daily to keep your ammonia and nitrites in check.

 

I have a bacteria supplement petsmart brand...I usually put that in with my water changes but read that it was bad...I haven't used it last 2 water changes..any insight on that?

 

I usually trust Seachem for water supplies. I used Tetra safe start, but that's for initial, low stock setup. Seachem Stability is designed for startup, but usable every water change to establish a proper cycle.

How is your petsmart brand bacteria bad to use?

 

I have read so much I honestly forgot the reasoning behind the person saying not to use it...I have better products coming in the mail tomorrow...just did a 75% water change...ammonia down to 1.0...getting there!

 

Keep your ammonia no higher than 2 ppm and when nitrites begin, nitrites no higher than 1 ppm.

Without prime, water changes are your only option to mitigate the nitrogen compounds effects on fish

 

How long has this tank been set up? How are you rinsing the filter media? Have you replaced it at all?

The fact that your ammonia has doubled over night could also mean you are overstocked and/or over feeding.

How many guppies, tetras (what kind?) do you have? Do you know what kind of gouramis and catfish you have?

 

El337 is most likely onto something. I'd cut your feeding by half and every other day at that.

Do you vacuum the stuff off the bottom of the tank?

 

I set my tank up on June 5th. I filled it with water and the dechlorinator and bacterial supplement recommended by the pet store and let it filter for a week before introducing any fish. I didn't check the water because at the time I didn't know about the whole nitrogen cycle...I know now that I started the tank with too many fish...after 10 fish died and multiple visits to the pet store I finally found out about the ammonia problem...they checked my water many times and told me it was good so I had no idea...they are not very helpful to new tank owners...I would have never bought so many fish at once....anyway...I haven't rinsed any filter media I did however change to a more powerful filter with fresh cartridges about 2 weeks in...I have cut the feeding down to once a day and very sparingly...I vacumn the tank quite often...I still probably have too many fish even though it doesn't seem that way for a 55 gallon...again I am new at this...I have at the moment 3 catfish ( 2 corys and 1 peppered Cory), 1 otocinclus, 5 baby neons, 5 baby guppies, 4 glo tetras, 3 glo fish, 3 zebra danios, 2 buenos Aires tetras, 3 male dwarf gouramis, 3 grown guppies and 4 silver tipped tetras...waiting to get yelled at from you guys! Haha but please take pity just want to save these guys

 

Do you happen to know what the pH was when your ammonia was at 8 ppm? And I would get rid of the Buenos Aires tetras, they aren't really compatible with the rest of your stock.

 

Oh really? In what way are they not compatible? And I didn't check the PH when the ammonia was 8.0 I was just panicking to get it down

 

The Buenos Aires will get quite a bit larger than the rest of your fish. They top at 4"-4.5" and will harass to death the ones they can't eat.

 

Oh no...that's not good...I suppose I could get a smaller tank for just them when the time comes

 

Welcome to the forum! Sorry the tank is so stressful right now. In good news you have already learned the effective power of water changes.

I think goal #1 is to get your water parameters basically under control Then worry about stocking - and by my estimation (I am still pretty new at this) you have several stocking issues. Primarily with schooling fish being in too small numbers.

I disagree with the above poster who said to take action when ammonia reaches 2.0, even with Seachem Prime you won't well control that level if ammonia. Cycling tank water chemistry local guru here if fishlore (CindiL) usually recommends if ammonia # plus nitrite number > or = 1.0 do a large water change, dose the tank with Prime and recheck in24 hours. If the sum of the ammonia + nitrites is less than 1.0, dose with Prime (always for the full volume of the tank) and retest in 24 hours.

When you started your new filter you basically reset your nitrogen cycle clock to zero.

Read about fish in cycling. It is going to be difficult because you have so many fish, but with frequent water changes (invest in a Puthon water changer or similar product - closest to a promotional plug I will make).

Welcome again. At least on this forum we atent trying to sell you anything.

 

I set my tank up on June 5th. I filled it with water and the dechlorinator and bacterial supplement recommended by the pet store and let it filter for a week before introducing any fish. I didn't check the water because at the time I didn't know about the whole nitrogen cycle...I know now that I started the tank with too many fish...after 10 fish died and multiple visits to the pet store I finally found out about the ammonia problem...they checked my water many times and told me it was good so I had no idea...they are not very helpful to new tank owners...I would have never bought so many fish at once....anyway...I haven't rinsed any filter media I did however change to a more powerful filter with fresh cartridges about 2 weeks in...I have cut the feeding down to once a day and very sparingly...I vacumn the tank quite often...I still probably have too many fish even though it doesn't seem that way for a 55 gallon...again I am new at this...I have at the moment 3 catfish ( 2 corys and 1 peppered Cory), 1 otocinclus, 5 baby neons, 5 baby guppies, 4 glo tetras, 3 glo fish, 3 zebra danios, 2 buenos Aires tetras, 3 male dwarf gouramis, 3 grown guppies and 4 silver tipped tetras...waiting to get yelled at from you guys! Haha but please take pity just want to save these guys

I agree that you do have too many schooling fish in small numbers. Schooling/shoaling fish are best kept in groups of 6+ of their own species. However, since you would be overstocking your tank even more by filling out those schools, I think it's better to return some fish first to lessen the bioload. The fact that your ammonia is doubling overnight is going to be harder on your biofilter to cycle this tank and possibly result in more fish deaths which is why I think you should rehome some fish to help cycle the tank faster. Could you also test your pH out of your tap and tank?

As far as which fish should be rehomed, I think the buenos aires tetras should be rehomed as mentioned by slayer5590. If they get around 4 inches, a smaller tank than the one you have wouldn't be appropriate.

Do you know what the other 2 cory species are? If not, can you post a pic? I would pick one species and rehome the other. You could then up the shoal once the cycle is complete. I would also pick 2 schooling species to keep out of all the tetras and danios and rehome the rest. I think the silver tipped tetras also need much warmer temps than the rest of your fish. You may also want to rehome 2 of the male gouramis as having all males will likely result in fighting/death.

Sorry you've been given such bad advice from the store.

 

el337 - poster already mentioned 6.8 tap and 7.2 tank
Mom2some - her bioload is very high, but luckily, her pH is low enough to aid in ammonium production. Her fish are safe from the toxic effects a little past 2 ppm. Nitrite is far more toxic and will rise quickly when they take off, so even having a larger margin to work with, it's still going to be very tight and difficult to control. Adding a restriction of 1 ppm NH3+NO2 is even harder to maintain with that load

 

Thanks Grimund. Missed that.

 

Thanks Grimund. Missed that.

No problem. I've been following, trying to aid in helping, losing fish bites

 

This news is very upsetting to me! I am attached to all these fish...I suppose I sound crazy...there is no way to keep them? They seem to get along so well...also can someone tell me how to post pictures here? I'm on the mobile version does that make a difference?

 

Tap the [^] button in the quick reply box, then tap the first button on the left

 

I can't answer the stocking question, but to post a photo from the mobile app, look to the left side of the reply box. There's a little up arrow, when you tap on it, it will give you more options.

 

Battling the nitrogen cycle can be scary, especially when you start losing fish. One of my tanks just had a complete freak out and it has just recovered.

Be very diligent with vac/water changes and testing. Keep a record either by writing it down in a notebook or in an app. This will help you recall what has happened and let you see trends.

As hard as it is to return some of the fish, it's much better than watching them die because they are incompatible in some way. Maybe they can refund or give store credit towards upping your schools later.

These folks really know what they are talking about ... Seachem is your friend. Be patient and diligent in care and it will all settle soon.

Oh and no more changing filter cartridges. If they get clogged, swish in old tank water and put back in filter. This is where your beneficial bacteria live.

Good luck!!

 

This news is very upsetting to me! I am attached to all these fish...I suppose I sound crazy...there is no way to keep them? They seem to get along so well...also can someone tell me how to post pictures here? I'm on the mobile version does that make a difference?

I know, I'm sorry. I'm sure it doesn't feel good to read this and I'm sure you don't want to part with any of the fish.

The biggest issue with the stocking is that you have 6 different schooling fish occupying the mid level. They are the happiest when you put them in their proper numbers, however, if you do that you'll really be overstocked and it would be difficult keeping the water parameters stable. You'll run into overcrowding and aggression as these fish start to fight for space.

If you wanted to keep them, the only thing I could think of is to get another tank - at least a 40 gallon breeder or another 55g.

 

Love the master test kit , need to syphon out 50% of water toget ammonia down , mine was high also , I have been topping mine with filtered water , city water is so bad , make sure u use conditioner when u do water change

Was told prime would help clear tank in five minutes and didn't , took maybe 2 wks to clear up

 

Was told prime would help clear tank in five minutes and didn't , took maybe 2 wks to clear up

I'm not sure where you got that info but Seachem Prime is a water conditioner and not any kind of water clarifier.