Ammonia levels- too high need help

[vanessmilo1]

Hey everyone,

I made a really foolish mistake, and I'm at a loss for what to do now. I have a 65-litre tank housing 9 tetras, 1 dwarf gourami, 1 bristlenose pleco, and 2 platys.

When I bought the dwarf gourami, bristlenose pleco, and platys, I completely forgot to check the water parameters. Unfortunately, I discovered that the ammonia levels were at 0.25ppm, while the pH, nitrites, and nitrates were all great with it being 0pmm. To address this issue, I quickly performed a water change with the tetras already in the tank. I then introduced the three new fish gradually, adding small amounts of water from the tank to their bag every 10 minutes. So far, all the fish seem to be doing fine, but it's only been two days. Despite using ammo lock for the past two days, the ammonia levels remain at 0.25ppm, leaving me uncertain about my next course of action. Should I perform another water change, even though I did one just two days ago? I'm really in need of assistance, and I'm incredibly frustrated with myself.

 

[Littlebudda]

That’s a very high stocking level for a 15 gal tank that’s going to be a on going problem. Water changes are the only real options to get the ammonia levels down, if you are trying to build a stable tank ammo lock will not help with growth of beneficial bacteria as soon as the ammo lock is full you will get another spike. Filters and bigger tank are the only real option to solve the problem.

 

[kuhlkid]

I would prioritize rehoming the pleco-- they're very high waste producers, and need a bigger tank long-term. You say that nitrates are at 0, is the tank cycled?

 

[Azedenkae]

Firstly, it is very hard for 0.25ppm (total) ammonia to be too high. In most cases, 0.25ppm is perfectly fine. It’s only when pH and/or temperature is really high that it is an issue.

Secondly, it is very common for the API test (Imma wager you are using that) to register 0.25ppm ammonia when effectively it is zero.

Between these two factors, you don’t need to worry at all unless your ammonia actually goes above 0.25ppm.