High Ammonia?!

Hello! So I had my water tested yesterday, they told me my ammonia was pretty high so I should do a 25% water change. I changed it as soon as I got home (around 9pm) with conditioned tap water. After getting home today I went to go test it again and it was higher?! What am I supposed to do now? Change more water?

It's a 5 gallon tank, here are the full specs:

4 Ammonia
0 Nitrate
0 Nitrite
75 Hardness
0 Chlorine
150 Alkalinity
7.8 pH

It has a heater and a filter with one live plant.

 

I would do back to back water changes until the ammonia goes down, that amount is very toxic. Is there ammonia in your tap water? Also, how long has the tank been set up and what are the inhabitants?

 

Test your tap water and see if you have ammonia in there.
and change more water if not.
what size tank and what fish are in there.

 

I have two tanks. A 10gal and a 5gal. They have one betta each. My 10gal is doing just fine as I also had it tested yesterday and again today for any discrepancies, so I don't think it's my tap...

The one with the high ammonia is the 5gal. They have both been set up for about 2 weeks now.

 

it's sounds like you need to cycle your tank :/

 

I have two tanks. A 10gal and a 5gal. They have one betta each. My 10gal is doing just fine as I also had it tested yesterday and again today for any discrepancies, so I don't think it's my tap...

The one with the high ammonia is the 5gal. They have both been set up for about 2 weeks now.

2 weeks isn't enough to cycle a tank. I'd say you should probably rehome any fish you have and work on getting your tanks cycled if they aren't. Little tanks at least in my experience become much more of a disaster if they have bad water parameters

 

Agreed that your tank is not cycled. Ammonia needs to be brought down to below 4ppm or it will stall the cycle. Have you read up on the nitrogen cycle?

 

I did read up on the cycle, I've had Picasso for almost a year now and had been doing well with it. I think I threw it off when I switched his tank and didn't monitor the cycle as closely as I should have. Thank you so much for your help! I'll work to establish the cycle again and take him outta there for now...

 

To get the ammonia level down you will need to do 2-75% water changes back to back. It takes a significant water change to truly affect chemistries. The first 75% water change will drop it to 1ppm, the second will get you to 0.25ppm.

 

I found when my ammonia weent up I did 25% water changes daily and 50% every 2 days in between. It is now at 0 but its 0 everything so its still trying to cycle. I don't know if 1 fish is producing enough bioload for the 3 gallon tank

 

2 weeks isn't enough to cycle a tank. I'd say you should probably rehome any fish you have and work on getting your tanks cycled if they aren't. Little tanks at least in my experience become much more of a disaster if they have bad water parameters

I disagree. If you are using a bottled bacteria you can be cycled in 2 weeks. I cycled 2 of my tanks in 12 days. So it does happen.

 

I have two tanks. A 10gal and a 5gal. They have one betta each. My 10gal is doing just fine as I also had it tested yesterday and again today for any discrepancies, so I don't think it's my tap...

The one with the high ammonia is the 5gal. They have both been set up for about 2 weeks now.

For any new/uncycled tank, you need to be doing a 25% water change every single day Really, more like 50%, with such a deadly level of ammonia. I recommend the water conditioner Seachem Prime, because it detoxifies up to 1ppm of ammonia for 48 hours.

 

I disagree. If you are using a bottled bacteria you can be cycled in 2 weeks. I cycled 2 of my tanks in 12 days. So it does happen.

well not everyone does that stuff. A normal cycle without extra Chemicals will take more than two weeks.

 

What about with fishless cycle? Still have to do water changes? I'm currently on day 2 of DrTims ammonia. It's got 3 aqueon 15 gallon filters, one in each compartment in my 20gl.

 

I've done a fishless cycle in ... 7 days (yeah, I was shocked). I used media from an established aquarium.
Another one took weeks, I got bored and added Tetra Safe Start after a week. It varies from tank to tank.

 

For any new/uncycled tank, you need to be doing a 25% water change every single day Really, more like 50%, with such a deadly level of ammonia. I recommend the water conditioner Seachem Prime, because it detoxifies up to 1ppm of ammonia for 48 hours.

Not true. It is better to limit water changes and only do them at strategic points. It will help the cycle establish. The less you mess with the tank the better.