Looking for some more advice :) Ammonia struggle

Hello Everyone! Thank you in advance for any assistance you can give me. My Tank has been running since May of 2015. I believe the start of my problem occurred the week of Jan 18.....I lost a Guppy so I brought my water to be tested. I was told that my Nitrate level was toxic, and to do water changes every 2-3 days. Well, I removed all but about 2 gallons so that the tank could be moved out into the open so it was easier to get too, I also realized that after I thought I had ICH a month prior I never put the regular filter back in the Quiet-flow 10.

So going forward, I purchased an apI test kit and have been monitering as best I can,even keeping a log of results I have a 15 gallon tank measuring 13.5 x 13.5 x 19....water temp is always at 78 degrees.....I also have a 6 in. air stone set on a medium air flow.....so here we go, sorry for the long post but I'm hoping that the big picture may help to get a better plan of action!!

Current Fish Friends:
3 x (adult) Black Skirt Tetra (Gymnocorymbus ternetzi)1 x 1inch Black Skirt Tetra (Gymnocorymbus ternetzi)

4 x (adult) Guppy (Poecilia reticulata) ( MALES)
3 x 1.5inch Peppered Cory (Corydoras paleatus)
1 x 1inch Bristlenose Pleco (Ancistrus sp.)

Tues Jan 26....pH- 7.6 Ammonia- .5 Nitrite- 2.0 Nitrate-10

Wed Jan 27..... Partial water change with vacuum from gravel approx 3-4 gallons, added 1 1/2 tsp. Tetra AquaSafe Plus....took out all plants and rinsed with hot tap water.....Upgraded filter from Aqueon Quiet Flow 10 to Marineland Bio-wheel Penguin 150 (inserted one carbon filter) (Hoping that longer intake would filter water better)

Sat Jan 30...... tried high pH- 7.4 Ammonia- .5 Nitrite- .5 Nitrate 10 (maybe 5 it was slightly lighter than 10) ......Partial water change with vacuum from gravel approx 3-4 gallons, added 1 1/2 tsp. Tetra AquaSafe Plus.....took out all plants and rinsed with hot tap water

Mon Feb 1....high pH- not on sheet Ammonia- 1 Nitrite- .5 Nitrate- 10 .....noticed one of the Tetras having redness below his gill, the adult ones are approx 6 yrs old (they needed a home

Tues Feb 2.....Lost the Tetra...took pics and brought to LFS concerned of a disease or parasite though everyone else looked good. Their answer was a type of ulcer, possibly due to Ammonia level......Partial water change with vacuum from gravel approx 3-4 gallons, added 1 1/2 tsp. Tetra AquaSafe Plus.....took out all plants and rinsed with hot tap water

Wed Feb 3......pH- 7.6 (just a little lighter though) Ammonia- 1 (just a touch lighter) Nitrite- 0 Nitrate-10 (little lighter) ......put in fresh penguin carbon filters

Thurs Feb 4....tested my tap water I had it showing ammonia .....went to LFS with both samples and they said that my pH was a little high and the hardness of water was on high end.....I didnt write down their #'s......Ammonia was at 1....was told to do a larger water change...... purchased a Eco-Bio Stone and got soaking overnight......Partial water change with vacuum from gravel approx 6-7 gallons, added 1 1/2 tsp. Tetra AquaSafe Plus.....took out all plants and rinsed with hot tap water...also took out 2 silk plants, noticed that they seemed to be collecting debris ....did this at 6 pm.....9 pm I tested Ammonia- .5

FrI Feb 5.....6 pm put in Eco-Bio Stone....9 pm tested Ammonia- .5 ( slightly darker but not quite 1)

Tues Feb 8.....10 pm Ammonia-1 ........Partial water change approx 9 gallons, did not take plant out this time, less of a deep clean on subtrate (internet research said not to deep clean with every water change)

Wed Feb 9......12:30 pm pH- 7.6 High range pH- lighter than 7.4 Ammonia- 1 (closer to 2, def darker than 1) Nitrite- 0 Nitrate- less than 5 ( yellow with an orange tint) Also tested pH of tap water 6.8

Current feeding is as follows, small amount of TetraMin tropical flakes in the morning......prior to bed I give them another small amount of the TetraMin and also 4-6 pellets of Wardley Shrimp Pellets for the cory catfish, after the tetras and guppys have ate, (though sometimes they all go after the pellets) every 2-3 days I put in one HikarI tropical algae wafer for "Tiny" the BristleNosed Pleco

Phew.....So what to do next is my main concern! I just want to be a good fish mom and for all my little friends to be happy and healthy I look forward to any suggestions anyone may have!!! arky

 

I believe your ammonia issue is due to being overstocked. You need to rehome the BN pleco for sure. As far as the rest, your three cories are probably okay, but either the tetras or guppies should be rehomed. 15 gallons is just not enough for your current stock. Overfeeding could be playing into your ammonia issue as well.


"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I ---I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference. " -Robert Frost

 

Thank you for your imput....I was afraid that my tank was overstocked. According toit is.....the LFS says its fine. I will be looking into rehoming options for sure

 

There are always exceptions, but most LFS workers don't have a clue what they are talking about, or are just worried about making a sale.


"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I ---I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference. " -Robert Frost

 

Agreed, I try to stick to the one I personally know....he has many tanks at his home and also is a vet tech.....Really happy about joining this forum and taking advice from more experienced people

 

ok.....4 Tetras have been rehomed Any ideas on next steps? Water changes...how much, how often? And any thoughts on the Eco-Bio stone?