Why Am I Seeing Ammonia?

I thought my tank was cycled as it was setup 7 weeks ago with fish-in-cycle with 4 male guppies. I went through the Nitrogen process with high ammonia then high nitrites and later nitrates. I was doing 50% water changes 2-3 times a week to keep fish safe. On Saturday last week, I did a 75% water change.

Since then I am with same water and my reading today is Ammonia approx. 0.5 ppm, 0 Nitrites and 25 Nitrates. There is a slight increase in Ammonia over these days but Nitrites (at 0) and Nitrates are constant. My tank water also has high Nitrates.

Please help!

 

Once cycled it isn't unheard of to see glitches as the cycle stabilizes.

Nitrates are constant. My tank water also has high Nitrates

I am not sure what you are saying here. Did you mean your source water has high nitrates?

Have you run the ammonia test on your source water? It is possible the ammonia reading it coming from there and it could be ammonium instead of ammonia. Ammonium isn't as dangerous to the fish but is also not good food for the bacteria. It will eventually go down but not as quickly as ammonia.

Have you added any new fish since your cycle completed?

 

I am not sure what you are saying here. Did you mean your source water has high

Yes, My source water contains ~30ppm Nitrates. But the tank water after few days do not read this high though!

Have you run the test on your source water?

Yes, 0 Ammonia in my tap water though it got ~0.2ppm of Nitrites

Have you added any new fish since your cycle completed?

No fish added since, I am planning to add more this weekend but I need a think now...


Do you think my tank cycled or not? Nitrite reading is constantly 0 from 6 days which look positive but scared of this Ammonia building up slowly.

I didn't changed my filter media since I started my tank close to 7 weeks.

 

Could be a host of reasons. Adding more fish, feeding too much, change in the water source, hiccup in the cycle, etc. I would check your water source, make sure you're not overfeeding and keep an eye on it. No worries, it happens.

 

Yes, My source water contains ~30ppm Nitrates. But the tank water after few days do not read this high though!

Do you have a lot of live plants in this tank or are you adding something that is supposed to remove nitrates. Nitrates don't normally go down on their own. They must be removed with water changes or lots of plants will use some of them for food.

Yes, 0 Ammonia in my tap water though it got ~0.2ppm of Nitrites

Nitrites that low in the source water shouldn't be a problem.

No fish added since, I am planning to add more this weekend but I need a think now...

That sound like a good idea. You want to be sure your tank is stable before adding more fish.

Do you think my tank cycled or not? Nitrite reading is constantly 0 from 6 days which look positive but scared of this Ammonia building up slowly.

I didn't changed my filter media since I started my tank close to 7 weeks.

Since you had an ammonia spike and then a nitrite spike I would have to think your cycle is complete but since you have nitrates in your source water we can't go by seeing nitrates as confirmation.

Have you at least rinsed out your filter media? It may need some attention. As long as you rinse it in some of the water you have removed from the tank after a water change you won't disrupt your cycle.

You really don't want to replace your filter media until it is actually worn out or water will no longer flow through it freely. When that time comes if you are using the cartridges that have a plastic frame on one side. fiber on the other and carbon in the middle just cut the fiber off the frame and put that fiber in the filter housing with a new cartridge and it will seed your new one with bacteria.

 

Do you have a lot of in this tank or are you adding something that is supposed to remove .

I Only have Java Fern at the moment but planning to add some fast growing plants today.

Have you at least rinsed out your filter media? It may need some attention. As long as you rinse it in some of the water you have removed from the tank after a water change you won't disrupt your cycle.

Should I do a water change today considering my above readings? I will rinse a bit on my next water change.

When that time comes if you are using the cartridges that have a plastic frame on one side. fiber on the other and carbon in the middle just cut the fiber off the frame and put that fiber in the filter housing with a new and it will seed your new one with bacteria.

This sounds interesting. I am using Tetratec Easy Crystal Filter Pack C250/300, so which colour should I cut and leave in the filter.

 

Sneaky cause for ammonia readings? Some water treatment products, like Prime, bind chloramines, and apparently that process creates a false ammonia reading. My 55 has been up for..... 7 years or so, and after it started smelling right (I know, weird) and I verified 0 nitrites and low nitrates, it has for every single water test ever since has shown .25 for ammonia. I did one last week on the 10 that's been up for about 6 weeks (cycled by using seeded media and other parameters are as they should be) as well as my 55, and they both show that .25 ammonia. Considering I have a BN that's been with me since after I cycled the thing still swimming around with no irritation or ill effects, I'm pretty sure that's the cause for my readings. May be yours, too. I'd give it more time, before stocking more fish to get a better idea of the likelihood.

 

I did not use any chemicals/treatment for my water other than de-chlorinator.

 

Prime is a dechlorinator, and I used that as an example. It may be the case with others, too.

 

I Only have Java Fern at the moment but planning to add some fast growing plants today.

Just the one plant shouldn't make the nitrate level drop. what kind of tests are you using? If using test strips it is said that they aren't as accurate as we need them to be. They start degrading once air gets to them and the older they are the less dependable they are.

Should I do a water change today considering my above readings? I will rinse a bit on my next water change.

You can wait until your next scheduled water change or you could mix up a bucket of dechlorinated water to clean the media. You just don't want to allow chlorine to kill off the bacteria you have worked so hard to grow.

This sounds interesting. I am using Tetratec Easy Crystal Filter Pack C250/300, so which colour should I cut and leave in the filter.

I don't know which color you need to use. As long as you use some of the fiber it should have enough bacteria on it to seed the new cartridge. Just toss the plastic frame if it has one and the carbon. What's left should fit in your filter housing. You will have to figure out the best way to put it in there. You do need to situate it where the water flows through it before the new cartridge.

 

My lfs suggesting Ammonia remover or Seachem Zeolite which goes in the filter media as an additional bag. Is this any good?

 

My lfs suggesting Ammonia remover or Seachem Zeolite which goes in the filter media as an additional bag. Is this any good?

I have read where folks do recommend adding Zeolite to their filters and some have had good luck with it but in a cycled tank I don't think it is necessary. Once there is enough ammonia eating bacteria you shouldn't need anything else to remove it.

 

OP, If I read correct, your ammonia is 0.5ppm , don't do anything until you see it move up

 

Can I do a water change if it reaches 1ppm or by tomorrow it will be one week so shall I do 50% water change.

 

Can I do a water change if it reaches 1ppm or by tomorrow it will be one week so shall I do 50% water change.

If it reaches 1 you definitely want to do a water change to get it down. A 50% water change should be about right.

If you don't already have it I highly recommend you get a bottle of Seachem Prime. It is first and foremost a water conditioner but has the added benefit of neutralizing low amounts of ammonia thus making it safer for the fish.

 

No sign of increase in Nitrates since 1 week and ammonia constantly at 0.5ppm, Nitrites is at 0.

Has my cycle gone back to step 1 again?

 

No sign of increase in Nitrates since 1 week and ammonia constantly at 0.5ppm, Nitrites is at 0.

Has my cycle gone back to step 1 again?

Please go to lfs and ask for tetra safe start or biodigest to kick start your process ...
I have tried biodigest it works best to start process of cycling ... And didnt changed water till nitrites starts showing up ... Because with water changes you also lose good becteria ...
And please don't take my words harsh but I have to say it ...
Stop being good ... You have to go through the pain of fish in cycle ... If you change your water frequently how would you stablize your becteria colony

 

Please go to lfs and ask for tetra safe start or biodigest to kick start your process ...
I have tried biodigest it works best to start process of cycling ... And didnt changed water till nitrites starts showing up ... Because with water changes you also lose good becteria ...
And please don't take my words harsh but I have to say it ...
Stop being good ... You have to go through the pain of fish in cycle ... If you change your water frequently how would you stablize your becteria colony

I don't want to be argumentative but water changes will not keep the bacteria from growing. In fact they are necessary when doing a fish in cycle to protect the fish.

The bacteria does not live in the water. It lives on the filter media and on every surface in the tank.

When doing my last fish in cycle I was doing water changes every other day and then every day when the nitrites spiked. My tank went from a dry tank to fully cycled and established in right at 6 weeks.

That was without the aid of any type of bottled bacteria. The best part of it was the fact that no fish were harmed during the cycling process because the ammonia level was kept so low the test didn't register any.

Folks come here not understanding why their cycle seems to be stalled. They have been told and are convinced that water changes will disrupt their cycle. Without water changes the tank is so far out of balance it can't process the over abundance of one bacteria or another. Once a water change brings it back into balance things move along fairly quick.

UBR No sign of increase in Nitrates since 1 week and ammonia constantly at 0.5ppm, Nitrites is at 0.

Has my cycle gone back to step 1 again?

I don't think so. You shouldn't be seeing nitrites. Once they have spiked and gone back to zero one time you should never see them again.

I know you said you use a water conditioner. Is it possible that you failed to add water conditioner during a water change. If you have chlorine in your source water the chlorine could be disrupting your cycle.

Please describe how you do your water changes. Knowing how you do it step by step may help us determine what is happening.

 

mattgirl I have the same opinion on water changes and I completely agree with you on this.

I did put dechlorinator on my water changes.

The only mistake I might have done is doing gravel vacuum during my water changes. I only did this aggressively on my last water change about 75%, a week ago. Or perhaps the bacteria did not grow fully to eat all the ammonia. I never seen 0 ammonia during the past 7 weeks but the lowest reading is 0.25ppm. I have seen nitrites spike dropped to 0.

From past week, after changing water, in few days ammonia settled at 0.75 ppm with 0 Nitrites and no spike in nitrates. I did a 50% water change today and ammonia reading is between 0.25ppm to 0.5 ppm.

I am not interested in adding ammonia remover or zeolite because this may stop bacteria growing and I might have to use this product rest of tank life.

As long as the cycle do not begin again from start that's a relief.

The other option I have is use Tetra safe start. Is this necessary at this stage?

 

It seems each tank I different so it is hard to determine exactly what is going on.

You could add some TSS but I am not sure it will accomplish anything at this point. I do know lots of folks swear by it but since I've never felt the need to use I can't say one way or another. In my humble opinion allowing a cycle to naturally grow makes for a stronger cycle. Others don't agree but that is the beauty of this forum. We can all agree to have differing opinions.

I wish I could come up with something to overcome the high nitrates you have in your source water but the only answer I can think of for that is to find another water source for your water changes.

the only advice I can give is just keep an eye on the numbers and do water changes either weekly or sooner if the ammonia keeps rising. And give it more time. Sorry, I know that isn't much help

The deep cleaning on the gravel could have caused the spike but since the bacteria will cling to the gravel vacuuming it shouldn't have removed the bacteria growing there.

 

One thing may be worth mentioning, when I complete my water change a week ago I found a bug in my tank, looks like a spider but it is not a spider. I am not sure how does it came in my tank, may be something that is grown in there.

By the time I got my phone to take a picture it disappeared. My guppies are swimming in that area so not sure if they have eaten it.

The bug is in grey colour very tiny legs/hair looks like a spider

 

One thing may be worth mentioning, when I complete my water change a week ago I found a bug in my tank, looks like a spider but it is not a spider. I am not sure how does it came in my tank, may be something that is grown in there.

By the time I got my phone to take a picture it disappeared. My guppies are swimming in that area so not sure if they have eaten it.

The bug is in grey colour very tiny legs/hair looks like a spider

It is amazing how many things show up in our tanks

 

If I do want to opt for Tetra Safe Start, how quickly I can start stocking my fish? Currently I have 4 male guppies in the tank.

 

If I do want to opt for Tetra Safe Start, how quickly I can start stocking my fish? Currently I have 4 male guppies in the tank.

Before I can answer that question about adding more fish......Are you still getting an ammonia reading? Is there any way you can get your tank water tested for nitrates with a liquid test? I have found that the test strips for it can be notoriously inaccurate.

It has been said that you add fish right away when adding TSS but since I've personally never used it someone else will have to answer that one. From everything I have read you should be able to do it though.

Sorry, I know that answer was talking around in circles

 

Ammonia did not go up beyond 0.5 for a week. I did my 50% water n Sunday and am monitoring ammonia closely. Zero Nitrites all the time.

I need to buy a liquid test kit (which I ordered) for nitrates but I know my tap water itself got 25ppm to 30ppm nitrates accourding to my water report.

If my ammonia stalls at 0.5ppm again then I am planning to add TSS.
I heard the same about TSS, adding fish right away. Does this apply for me as I have fish already in the tank?

 

Ammonia did not go up beyond 0.5 for a week. I did my 50% water n Sunday and am monitoring ammonia closely. Zero Nitrites all the time.

I need to buy a liquid test kit (which I ordered) for nitrates but I know my tap water itself got 25ppm to 30ppm nitrates accourding to my water report.

If my ammonia stalls at 0.5ppm again then I am planning to add TSS.
I heard the same about TSS, adding fish right away. Does this apply for me as I have fish already in the tank?

It should apply. It should add the extra bacteria necessary to process the extra ammonia the additional fish will be adding to the bio-load.

From what I understand about the TSS. It contains the actual bacteria we are growing in our tanks. It is possible that it will push your cycle right over the top and get it to finally finish.

The one other good thing about it. I don't think it will be detrimental in any way so if you have it you may want to go ahead and use it.

 

That a relief. I need to take this route to make kids happy. They are eagerly waiting ammonia readings to go down. Thank you

 

I don't want to be argumentative but water changes will not keep the bacteria from growing. In fact they are necessary when doing a fish in cycle to protect the fish.

The bacteria does not live in the water. It lives on the filter media and on every surface in the tank.

When doing my last fish in cycle I was doing water changes every other day and then every day when the nitrites spiked. My tank went from a dry tank to fully cycled and established in right at 6 weeks.

That was without the aid of any type of bottled bacteria. The best part of it was the fact that no fish were harmed during the cycling process because the ammonia level was kept so low the test didn't register any.

Folks come here not understanding why their cycle seems to be stalled. They have been told and are convinced that water changes will disrupt their cycle. Without water changes the tank is so far out of balance it can't process the over abundance of one bacteria or another. Once a water change brings it back into balance things move along fairly quick.


I don't think so. You shouldn't be seeing nitrites. Once they have spiked and gone back to zero one time you should never see them again.

I know you said you use a water conditioner. Is it possible that you failed to add water conditioner during a water change. If you have chlorine in your source water the chlorine could be disrupting your cycle.

Please describe how you do your water changes. Knowing how you do it step by step may help us determine what is happening.

To some extent you are right but matter of fact and what happens realisticlly syphon sucks beteria from sufaces of aquarium because it works as vacuum cleaner ... Think logically
Every tank is not as lucky as yours...
I have lost fishes by frequent water changes.
Because frequent water changes diturb the water chemistry and high amount of water changes you loose ammonia source ...

 

To some extent you are right but matter of fact and what happens realisticlly syphon sucks beteria from sufaces of aquarium because it works as vacuum cleaner ... Think logically
Every tank is not as lucky as yours...
I have lost fishes by frequent water changes.
Because frequent water changes diturb the water chemistry and high amount of water changes you loose ammonia source ...

I am a fairly logical thinker and siphoning the water out should not be strong enough to pull the bacteria from the surfaces in a tank.

Maybe not all tanks work like mine does but most of them do. The proof is in the many tanks here that have benefited from water changes to get them back on track.

I am sorry that you lost fish after a water change I wish I could helped you through that sad time.

 

To some extent you are right but matter of fact and what happens realisticlly syphon sucks beteria from sufaces of aquarium because it works as vacuum cleaner ... Think logically

Whoa, there, buddy. No need to be insulting and tell people to think logically.

Then again, if you really want to use that phrase, then you should apply it to yourself. Gravel vacuuming will remove a pretty small portion of the bacteria. Tiny, relatively speaking, because it's mostly on the hard surfaces, with a pretty good seal. If I had to guess, since I have insufficient data to do otherwise, there were other issues at play in your situation. That stinks, but correlation isn't causation.

 

Whoa, there, buddy. No need to be insulting and tell people to think logically.

Then again, if you really want to use that phrase, then you should apply it to yourself. Gravel vacuuming will remove a pretty small portion of the bacteria. Tiny, relatively speaking, because it's mostly on the hard surfaces, with a pretty good seal. If I had to guess, since I have insufficient data to do otherwise, there were other issues at play in your situation. That stinks, but correlation isn't causation.

I didn't insulted any one ... If it is so ... I am really Sorry ... without further responding to your post ...