High ammonia, nitrite and nitrates

I am leaving to go home this weekend from school tomorrow and had a bad ammonia spike earlier in the week. I skyrocketted from 0 ppm after treating with prime to 2 ppm and couldn't get it down for more than 8 hours without it going back up to 2 ppm. I dosed more TSS+ today after waiting 24 hours past a 70% water change with the new water treated with prime. I also had 0 nitrite and nitrate until today also and he was stress swimming.

My tank parameters are below:
Ammonia 4 ppm
Nitrite 1 ppm
Nitrate 20 ppm

The only fish in the tank is a male betta. He has since been moved to his old 3 gallon tank with clean water and the heater is with him. The old filter is in his main tank. He will also most likely be fasted this weekend since I don't trust my roommate.

My questions are:
1. Would he be okay in the 3 gallon this weekend with just a heater and no filter?

2. If I did have to put him back in his main tank, would the high levels kill him? I had no idea it went from 2 to 4 ppm of ammonia until right now let alone 1ppm nitrite and 20 ppm nitrate.

3. Should I risk taking him home on the bus so I could monitor him if he were to pass from stress? I know I wouldn't find out his fate until noon Monday but the water change alone might kill him

edit: main tank is 5.5 gallons and filter is a Marina S15 and it has 2 of the stock cartridges and some extra sponge and ceramic rings

I also used my turkey baster twice now to reagitate the gravel and turned the filter flow up to max since he's not in it anymore and waited until the water "was clear" but I know it's not really clear but i'm afraid to water change

 

I would take him home and put him in a container that holds just the water you're able to transport him in. If you change any water at home just change a little each day so there's not so much of a shock.

I'm not sure what to do about that 4ppm ammonia or whether it has anything to do with the fact that you added TSS+. CindiL might know!

 

Sounds good I was thinking of packing him in a container with air that has black sides (so it'll be darker) with towels holding the container steady and bubble wrap on top. It's pretty cold here so hopefully he'll be okay for a little bit before he gets home (the trip will be about 2 and a half hours but he will be in the cup for about 3 and a half hours).

The little 3 gallon and heater will return home with me then. Should I put some fish food in the main tank before I leave or is 4 ppm of ammonia enough?

 

Hopefully CindiL will get here soon, I don't want to make that call since you've added TSS+ to that tank! It could have made the ammonia appear higher than it is and a water change at this point could kill off your bacteria. On the other hand, the fact that nitrates have reappeared could mean that your old bacteria have reasserted themselves and just need a little TLC and water changes to get back on track. No idea how long that would take though.

 

Would the 20 ppm stall the cycle at all if it were to sit until wednesday? It's never been that high even when I thought it was cycled

 

No, the nitrates won't stall the cycle, and 20 isn't all that high believe me! Ammonia and nitrites however can affect your cycle. That's why I'm tempted to say do a couple of large water changes in spite of the fact that you've added TSS+ but I would still wait for a the final say from CindiL, she knows what she's talking about

 

Sounds good. I did agitate the gravel quite a bit (going to do it in a few again) to get the water cloudy for the stuff I missed but the filter seems to be running smoothly with the high flow now and the water has ran crystal clear each time. I added a spare piece of sponge also for the bacteria to colonize on and I will go buy carbon when i'm home to bring back.

He seems much happier now in the 3 gallon so that's good. Maybe a little stressed from being in the smaller tank but i'm sure it's much better on him. The ammonia definitely was making him sick

 

Yeah, anything you stirred up from the gravel could definitely have added to the numbers you're getting!

 

I did come across one piece of uneaten food I missed but that was it everything else was just cloudy maybe from the biofilm sinking when I upped the filter output.

Will he be okay for 3 hours in the container? Like will I need to open it and give him fresh air at all for a period of time? I was going to put the container in a box and seal it so he didn't get stressed from sudden light from time to time

 

sorry double post but need to notify: I just noticed he is not using his left pectoral fin to swim and it's also white and clamped in.....

should I risk moving him? Now i'm scared he's sick

 

Have you dosed Prime in his temporary tank?

He should be fine in the container for 3 hours. There's not going to be much gas exchange without surface movement so the oxygen that's dissolved in his water should be enough to see him to the end of his journey. Just don't heat the water because that will lower its gas-holding capacity

 

Yes I dosed the prime after all water was in and it settled while he was acclimating. Now i'm wondering if the net hurt him since I can't remember if he was clamping it earlier. I feel like I would have saw the white earlier

edit: looking at it closer it almost looks more grey than white so maybe I nicked him with the net and he's bruised?

ughh..I have a lot to learn soon. I'm almost tempted tomorrow to go to petsmart and buy what I need for my 20 long I have in storage and set him up in that and just leave him home so I can't stress over him all the time. I'd be so devastated if something happened to this little guy

 

It's possible he wrenched it somehow during the transfer but his adrenaline helped him to ignore the pain until he'd settled down again Just watch him for further symptoms!

 

Definitely will I just updated my post thinking I nicked him by accident since it's more silver looking than ich looking. He definitely looks like he's in pain though....I feel awful

 

It happens, try not to beat yourself up over it. It's likely a minor injury and he'll heal quickly

 

He just sprinted away from me like a rocket as I came over to sit again.....greatttt hopefully he will forget this soon. I didn't break it I hope? Thanks hopefully I'll feel better when he's home safe tomorrow but now him having trouble swimming makes me scared

 

He should be fine for a few days without food in a 3 gallon tank. May want to do a 100% water change in your problem tank while it has no fish in it.

 

He just sprinted away from me like a rocket as I came over to sit again.....greatttt hopefully he will forget this soon. I didn't break it I hope? Thanks hopefully I'll feel better when he's home safe tomorrow but now him having trouble swimming makes me scared

If he sprinted away from you there can't be too much wrong with his fin And remember, food is the quickest way to a fish's heart!

He should be fine for a few days without food in a 3 gallon tank. May want to do a 100% water change in your problem tank while it has no fish in it.

She added TSS+ to the problem tank, not sure if a water change is advisable right now or not!

 

Not sure if he used his fin though? It was really jerky like he like jumped and was everywhere around the tank like he got burned? I'm not sure like a pain reaction...i'm afraid to feed him right now because of the ammonia in the cup but he'll get a nice snack once he's settled in tomorrow! He loves to eat which is why I originally assumed he was taking food from someone else

edit: yeah after looking now with a flashlgiht and the lights off (hopefully I didn't shock him) I see he definitely lost some scales from the net since it looks silver underneath him now...he also is breathing pretty heavy but he's sleeping on the leaf hammock so at least he's close to the surface....

 

Update: Okay this morning he is now using both of his fins fine and I don't see as much of the silver he presumably got from the net. My mom's friend used to own a LFS and he is telling me that it's safe to change the tank water with the prime and leave him here for the weekend but i'm really really hesitant to take that advice

 

I would be too! Prime only lasts 24 hours and TSS+ doesn't play well with Prime.

I'm glad he's looking better though!
TexasDomer, any thoughts?

 

I'm honestly thinking they want to make it less stressful on me bringing him home but he will die if I leave him here in his old tank especially since I can't do anything with the nitrate building up and the ammonia nearly doubled. It's just not ideal right now. I have 3 hours to get him packed up but most likely he's coming with me just because that tank is too toxic. I'm going to test the water now in the old tank to see if it even improved.

12 hours since last test and I tested ammonia twice:
pH: 8.2 up from the usual 7.4
Ammonia: 2 ppm
Nitrite *turned to 0.5 within the first 30 seconds : 2 ppm
Nitrate: 10-20 ppm

ALSO: He said I should dump all the water out and start over and let him pee and it'll recycle and he doesn't believe in chemicals which makes me extremely extremely nervous.

I'm not keeping him here no way it's way too dangerous. When I get back should I just keep him in the 3 gallon with daily water changes until Wednesday when I can clean the tank super good?

 

I think that the old tank has enough of an ammonia source, whatever it is, to be left on its own for a few days. Take your baby with you and keep him safe

 

Thank you i'm honestly like in shock right now that that guy apparently had over 100 tanks and doesn't believe in using the chemicals to cycle them or anything...like there's no way the boy could have made 2 ppm of ammonia let alone another 2 more in 9 hours...

Should I leave some flakes floating in there also since the ammonia did come down to 2 on it's own overnight?

 

Sure. It won't hurt and may help. You're going to be doing a big clean out when you get back anyway!

 

Like is a pinch or 2 good enough to leave in there? I'm not sure if I should do the whole top or not haha. Also is it okay if I have the filter flow on high when i'm gone but lower it when he's back in his tank? Like the bacteria won't be bothered by the sudden change?

Lastly (and sorry for the questions you've been a big help and i'm feeling much more relieved!) when I return should I just keep him in the 3 gallon until I can clean the 5 gallon really well on Wednesday after class? I plan on doing 2 70% water changes if not 1 100 and another 70

 

Having it on high might increase the speed at which the ammonia gets dealt with and bring oxygenated water to the bacteria so yes, turn it up. Unless the noise is going to bother your roommates. Though considering that this is their fault it might be deserved

A pinch should be fine!

I think your Betta will be fine in the 3 gallon until you can deal with the old tank. You may need to feed the old tank again though in that time

 

Sounds good and yeah she sleeps on the ground where as I have my bed lofted so it's nice and cozy underneath so she can deal w the noise. I'm honestly not sure as to what the spike was but i'm thinking her friend fed him too much haha.

I plan on doing 70% changes on the 3 gallon everyday since there's no filter (except tomorrow I'll only do 50 so the new water doesn't stress him out). Hopefully he does okay today on 2 buses and then a car so it'll definitely be interesting to say the least. I'll post a picture when were home safely

 

So sorry I missed all of this, busy morning at work and out last night. I think you're smart to take him home, just put some holes in the lid of his cup if they aren't already there. Do you have a hand or foot warmer (the kind that is air activated) you can put under his cup to keep it warm? Maybe with a papertowel in between? He'll be alright without it for a few hours though. Leave a little breathing room at the top so he can get air.

Just acclimate him like you would a new fish to the water at your house.

This whole thing going on with your 5 gallon tank makes zero sense. Its like its being messed with. Don't want to make you paranoid!!! But a cycled tank just doesn't become uncycled once, twice, ? and so on. I already know you don't rinse anything in the tap water and you always use prime with your water changes.

Anyways, a problem for another time. I would just leave it until you get back on Monday and then test it and see where its at with ammonia and nitrites if they're gone. TSS+ does give an ammonia reading though 2ppm seems a bit higher than you should see unless you used a larger than normal bottle? But even so, I wouldn't expect nitrite readings.

Have a good weekend home and try and not overly worry!

 

Methinks it's time for a nanny cam!

 

This is what I put him in. It's not full to the top and it's domed so there's room for air. The container has towels taped all around it and 2 on top to make it extra dark. The bottom of the cardboard box he is in had bubble wrap on the bottom and he is now on my lap waiting for the bus to move. At most he had 40 degree air on him for 20 minutes while I walked through the city but I made sure I wore 2 sweatshirts and a heavy winter coat so i'd emit as much heat as possible for underneath the box. The tank and other accessories are in my carry on bag

Should I leave him home and just worry about his 5 gallon when I get back? I can see if my mom will let me put him in the 20 long I have stored away for right now. I have no idea what on earth happened to the tank. I am taking all the food home thinking they were feeding him yet I'm still having issues and it even doubled..should I maybe just buy more TSS+ and just start all over again?

How much would a security camera cost me? I'm not comfortable accusing my roommate of anything when it could be my friend but he knows how much the fish means to me so I doubt he'd do anything.

 

You'd be amazed what people get up to in dorms

If you did go for the nanny cam idea I would look around. They're really cheap online. I've seen tiny ones on eBay for a few dollars that you can hide anywhere. You can also get a clock radio with a camera in it, Sony makes one. I'm in Canada, they're expensive here, but should be cheaper for you

 

I just ordered one off amazon it'll be here monday. Ran me about $15. I have a spot on my bed where I can hide it behind! I'm literally so confused as to why she would mess withh it. Theres no chance of something else being a factor?

 

Nah, don't accuse her but it does make me wonder....sort of kidding, sort of not!
Like I said, the TSS+ will increase initial ammonia readings but not nitrite and I wouldn't expect it would give you an ammonia reading over 1.0 unless you used a couple bottles or larger sizes. Someone should test it right out of the bottle for ammonia...I've never thought of doing that before!

I think it will cycle while you're gone for the most part with the TSS+ in there and no fish but plenty of ammonia for the next number of days. You won't need to start over. I don't think I ever saw ammonia readings with my betta, and the amount you feed him really shouldn't put out what you're seeing all around.

Up to you whether or not you want to leave him at home with your parents and if they mind taking care of him. How often are you home? If it costs you a lot of stress at school then something to think about though.

Edit: Oh you ordered one. I think a lot of them only run when there is movement. You could just face it towards the tank.

 

Agreed, it might not be your roommate. It could be someone else though! Whether by accident or design.

I once had to stop some new students from feeding milk to the horses when I was visiting a ritzy private school. The mentors were nowhere to be found and the students just didn't know any better. It could be something like that

 

I have a bookshelf looking thing above my desk I can place it on and hide it somewhat behind my bed leg if that makes sense. Clearly it occured when I was out for the weekend with my friend while she had her friend over so they must have got the idea in their heads then.

She did do fine feeding him first week in October though and I had no issues then.

He actually helps me destress at school watching him but I hate seeing him in pain like yeaterday the ammonia was really getting to him and he almost looked dead last night from it all. I think I hit him with the net.

I might have a friend who is still in high school look after him if her mom is interested. She actually named him and knew about him before my mom even did hahaha. I'll teach her everything. I just am concerned that my roommate is the one tampering with it or maybe her other friend is. There's no reason why it got so out of hand.

 

Just an update:
He made it safe and sound! He's all set up in my kitchen right now and mom said she'd watch him for me. I'm going to make sure she has everything she needs to know before I leave and how to change the water. I'm so proud of him!

 

Glad to hear it! Now hopefully you can get to the bottom of the issue with his other tank without worrying about his safety

 

Yes for sure, i'm honestly thinking my roommate or her friend either fed him or tampered with his tank. It was literally fine until the weekend she came so something happened...idk. I'm glad. He seems happier now

 

Just updating this thread also:

I bought him a 10 gallon tank and an Aquaclear 20 filter. My mom will be watching him when I leave and I wanted to make it easier on her so she didn't have to change the water every day. I also bought a small bottle of TSS+ to try to cycle this tank also since the Aquaclear will eventually be moved over to the 20 long when I set it up and he will use his Marina that is at school.

He seems much happier today and much less stressed and his colors are coming back. Being moved so much in a small time frame must have stressed him out pretty bad along with the ammonia burns.

I also received an offer to move to a 4 bedroom/4 person apartment across campus with upperclassmen and I would have my own room there. I am just waiting to hear if I am able to lock my bedroom door when i'm not in there, if i'm able to lock my room and the roommates are a good fit for my personal habits, I will be moving. I hope they will respect my fish hobby and keep away from his tank (or just not mention it period and keep my room locked). Clearly my current roommate does not.