# Little Confused Ammonia



## Vince302 (Sep 8, 2008)

I have do a big water change about 3 weeks ago and since I have ammonia ,I test it for the last 4-5 day and ammonia is climbing now about 5.0 + range









no nitrite and low nitrates , I have 3 red and one is in bad shape since the ammonia spike , but today he look really in difficulty, so do I need to wait for ammo to change in nitrite and nitrate or I can do a waterchange ???

i'm little lost and don't want to loose this one

thanks


----------



## 1rhom (Nov 6, 2009)

Do 50% water change and do not feed!!! Add some aquarium salt. How long has this tank been running? What kind of filtration do you have?


----------



## Guest (Nov 6, 2010)

You need to be doing water changes weekly (50%) and also vaccuum your gravel. I would do another water change immediately to help get your ammonia under control, then test you water again in 2 days and if ammonia shows again on your test kit do another water change.

You need to find out why you have ammonia. If you arent doing weekly water changes then that could be your issue. Do not leave food sitting in the tank, always remove it 20 minutes after feeding and what are you running for filtration??


----------



## Vince302 (Sep 8, 2008)

I do my 25% wc w/ gravel vac weekly but , like I said 3 weeks ago my tank as become cloudy after big wc and now I have ammonia , so I was tinking I went to a cycle ? I was thniking you have to wait to ammo to change in nitrite and nitrates before do a wc ?

so I havent do any wc in last 3 weeks .my filtration is a fluval 305 rated at 260gph , tank is running for 2 years ..

so you suggest me to do a 50% ?


----------



## Guest (Nov 6, 2010)

Yes water change immediately. Did you clean your filters when you did the big water change? If so how did you clean them? If you used tap water then you killed most of the beneficial bacteria and that would have thrown your tank into a cycle.


----------



## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

It sounds like you may of killed off some bacteria and/or you have uneaten food decaying. Id start with a 30% water change and gravel vac with conditioned water. You could do more but i wouldnt do too much if the fish are already really stressed. Id do another water change every day then eventually every other day untill you can control the ammonia. Ammonia is your main priority so worr about gettign the ammonia down first even if your tank is in a recycle. Getting ammonia down could slow down a recycle if you are having one but it could save your fish if ammonia is still rising.


----------



## Vince302 (Sep 8, 2008)

Ok thanks guys !!

I do a 30% right now !!

I don't clean my filter that time , and yes when I clean it I use water from the tank and don'clean every sponge at the same time .

it dosen't seen to have any left over food , so i think I went into a cycle


----------



## Guest (Nov 6, 2010)

A large water change will not put your tank into a cycle. The bacteria is in the filter media not the tanks water not the tanks substrate. Something else isnt working in your tank. whether it is left over foods or your filter isnt able to keep up with the bio load. I would continue multiple water changes and consider another filter.


----------



## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

ksls said:


> A large water change will not put your tank into a cycle. The bacteria is in the filter media not the tanks water not the tanks substrate. Something else isnt working in your tank. whether it is left over foods or your filter isnt able to keep up with the bio load. I would continue multiple water changes and consider another filter.


If you do a large water change with unconditioned water you can kill off some bb. Probably mroe of a minicycle but combine a minicycle with uneaten food an you get an ammonia spike.


----------



## I Can Mate (Apr 8, 2010)

ksls said:


> A large water change will not put your tank into a cycle. The bacteria is in the filter media not the tanks water not the tanks substrate. Something else isnt working in your tank. whether it is left over foods or your filter isnt able to keep up with the bio load. I would continue multiple water changes and consider another filter.


 x2 bc I do 50-60% wc on my tank every week and its fine.


----------



## Vince302 (Sep 8, 2008)

I do a 30-40% wc and test it 10 min after an still in the 4.0+ ammonia

what do you suggest ? another wc or wait tomorrow?


----------



## Guest (Nov 6, 2010)

Test your tap water and see what your results are. You could have a faulty test kit. If it is 0 ammonia out of the tap, then I suggest another 30% water change. Then test it tomorrow and proceed with another water change.


----------



## Vince302 (Sep 8, 2008)

good point ! my test kit is old (2 years)

but I test it and its at 0 so i will do another small one

thank you for the help


----------



## Vince302 (Sep 8, 2008)

mmm it don't surprise me if he die in a couple of hours , he act really bad swimming at 45degre head up and tail down ... 
what is strange is that the 2 others look fine ...


----------



## Guest (Nov 6, 2010)

I would just add some salt and keep the lights off. 1 teaspoon per 10G


----------



## Vince302 (Sep 8, 2008)

yeah i add about 4-5 tables spoon , light are off , I hope that he gonna make it..


----------



## Vince302 (Sep 8, 2008)

that's over

I talk to my friend and he ask me first if I have feed em goldfish , and I remember give them one of the goldfish 3-4 day ago. I bought it for cycling my new 55 , we are now 3 friends that as lost P's because feeding them goldfish from the same lfs, symptom are the same for the 3 , act really strange like he as no brain , and her body start to rotten

i'm sure my water don't kill this fish , the 2 other look totally normal.

that was not cool to see at all , I realize that even if its fish its about the same thing as a dog or ect..
I can't imagine losing a rhom for example like GG you grow super big for years and this happen ...









he was a bit over 7 "


----------



## 1rhom (Nov 6, 2009)

Sad! I hope you'll never feed another goldfish to your piranhas. Breed convicts for live feedings if you like but mostly give them food you've prepared ans supplement with vita chem or some other multi vit for fish.What are your water params at right now?


----------



## Vince302 (Sep 8, 2008)

that was the first and the last for sure









breeding convict is doable but i try it before and i think its to much trouble , i will stick with my usual feeding , shrimp , scallop , worms ,sole etc..

my water today is 2.0 ammo, 0 nitrites and about 20 nitrates, temp is 80-84, my digital temp says 80 and my sticker say 84, but it feel more like a 80 ..


----------



## FEEFA (Nov 19, 2007)

Sorry for your loss vince but I still would not rule out water quality being the cause.
It was only one feeder fish and if it looked ok in your cycling tank then it probly was. Also a bad feeder might take more than a couple days to kill your fish, but 3 weeks of high ammo would def do it.

If you havnt already I would do another 15-20% waterchange today and check your ammo levels again tomorrow. And yes I am aware that you already did a coule water waterchanges already 2 days ago.

Also I would trust your stick on gauge over the digi gauge, I made the same mistake and after comparing with three other gauges I realized that it was my digi gauge that was off byalmost 6deg, digi reads 80 when infact it was really at 86deg with the other three.

I would compare the reading with a mercury gauge if you can and odds are the mercury and stick on will be correct or very very close


----------



## Vince302 (Sep 8, 2008)

The problem is that the goldfish that i put in the tank was dead already , instead of just putting it in the toilet i don't think and give it to the P's , i was thinking in nature they certainly eat dead fish , but i think parasite can develop fast in a dead fish , if they are not there already . I'm certainly not an expert but i don't underestimate power of parasite.

I 'm not saying you aint right but what make me think its not the water is that the fish damage appear only 3-4 days before , and the 2 other look normal , what you think about the fact that the goldfish was dead ?

I will do another wc tomorrow to keep ammonia down.


----------



## 1rhom (Nov 6, 2009)

I would stop feeding till ammo is controlled(or feed every other day right before water changes,this way you remove any uneaten pieces right away).Do another w/c and keep doing water changes every other day till ammo is 0. Add some salt.It will go down. Did you piranha appear sick right after feeding the goldfish to him?


----------



## Vince302 (Sep 8, 2008)

ok but what's happening with my cylce if I change water till ammonia is 0 , I was thinking you have to wait till it change to nitrites and nitrates after?


----------



## 1rhom (Nov 6, 2009)

Vince302 said:


> ok but what's happening with my cylce if I change water till ammonia is 0 , I was thinking you have to wait till it change to nitrites and nitrates after?


It will still cycle.By changing the water every other day it will help your fish with the ammonia till it goes down.Once it goes down Nitrites will go up and then down and the same for nitrates.But some reason you're going through a "mini"cycle so you may not even see nitrites go up.


----------



## Vince302 (Sep 8, 2008)

ok thanks !


----------

