# Need a little help fixing my AMMOMIA PROBLEM!



## Fishman (Mar 1, 2003)

My problem is in my 125 gallon tank 72x18x22.
I have 8 reds in their various sizes check my sig. and I have had this tank up and running for like 3 months now.

Lately I have noticed a very minor Ammonia of .25 ppm.
I just checked over weekend and It was a 2ppm.
I did a 50% water change and siphoned bottom and now it has been at 1ppm for a couple days but is not going down!!

I have this tank over filtrated with 2 fluval 403's and 2 AC 500's. I cant understand how it spikes up like that!

Could I be overfeeding? Once daily and I scoop out uneaten food!
I do 30% water changes with siphon weekly but tank gravel always seems very dirty and I cant get Nitrates down to below 50ppm!
I have no nitrites so tank has to be cycled properly!
Ph at 6.5 temp 82, steady.
Also have to large common plecos !! All they do is shibby all the time!!

Sorry for long post !
Thanks all in advance!!


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## Croz (Jan 29, 2003)

well one thing you could do is get ammonya blockers for your ac500s instead of charcole that might help a bit. i dunno about your gravel always looking dirty mine always looks good and i do pritty much the same as you %20 a week and clean the gravel. and %50 monthly. anyway you can get chemicals that should bring the ammonya down but i don't like to use all that crap.


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## Fishman (Mar 1, 2003)

Yeah i run ammonia chips in my fluval just put new in and did not seem to phase it!
I dont like to add any more chemicals than I have too either!

Thanks


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## Croz (Jan 29, 2003)

hmmm , then my only other idea would be to take all the gravel out and clean it and do a 50% at the same time.


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## Fishman (Mar 1, 2003)

I dont have a lot of gravel in my tank maybe an inch or so.
so when I siphon it is right down to the glass and i clean it good but I dont see where this ammonia is coming from if the bottom is cleaned weekly!
I should have plenty of biological filtration to take care of a weeks worth of waste!! 
You would think so anyway!!!


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## Croz (Jan 29, 2003)

dunno man something must not be working so well.


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## RAZORTEETH (Feb 6, 2003)

ammo chips in your filter or ammo lock


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## Croz (Jan 29, 2003)

yea he already did that.


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## Fishman (Mar 1, 2003)

yep I did that! 
except the ammo lock that does not remove ammonia just makes it none toxic!!


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## Croz (Jan 29, 2003)

dunno what else to do than a %70 water with gravel cleaning


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## Fishman (Mar 1, 2003)

Thanks croz that is what I am going to do is the 70% water change and a very good vac job on friday!

Thanks for the help!!


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## RAZORTEETH (Feb 6, 2003)

got me then maybe u are changing your water to much not given it enough chance for the nitrates to do there job. for the longest time i had cloudy water so i figured i keep changing the water then one day i said the hell with it and just left it alone and now water is crystal clear and water parameters are fine.


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## Fishman (Mar 1, 2003)

? what do you mean "nitrates" to do there job!!
The nitrates are the end of the cycle what job do they do!
My water is not cloudy at all so my tank is cycled but ammonia does not go down, just up!!

Ammonia 1-2ppm++
Nitrites 0
Nitrates 40-50 ppm


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## Grosse Gurke (Jan 3, 2003)

I would check your tap water for ammonia. I have heard of that being a problem in some places. Other than that, you nitrates should not be that high doing 30% weekly water chances so this could also indicate ammonia in your tap water.


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## Fishman (Mar 1, 2003)

Grosse I checked tap water and it does not have any ammonia or nitrates!

What suggestion does anyone have for getting my tank back in line.

How do I eliminate the ammonia and nitrates? Water changes and siphon right!!
What is a good goal for nitrate level?


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## Raptor (Jan 3, 2003)

I have always used between 2 to 3 inches of gravel in my tanks. Maybe you are not getting enough bacteria build up? Do yo stagger change media in your fluvals? A dirt magnet filter will help build bacteria. Cheap and works. (slowly) It creates a place for baceteria to multiply.


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## Fishman (Mar 1, 2003)

Yeah I stager the media changes in my fluval and I use the bio media! Those little ceramic tubes that support bacteria. I use them in my fluvals and in the ac 500's on top of the foam block at the end of the filtering!

That is what I cant understand!
I think that I should have enough bacteria built up to take care of my waste from the p's!! With water changes and siphoning !

I dont know! 
I want to have the best water conditions for my fish but I cant get this tank figured out and it is really starting to








me off!!!


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## Fishman (Mar 1, 2003)

I possibly have figured out my problem with ammonia!
I called Thatfishplace.com a LFS in PA and they have on staff Marine Biologist to awnser questions about aquariums and told them my situation posted above.

She could not find any explanation for my ammonia to be rising with that much media and water changes performed! 
She also told a couple other people my problem their and they wondered about my PH. They wondered if it was always low. 6.0 or falling alot.
Mine does always fall and cannot keep it steady at 7.0! Always a 6.0 or lower!
She also inquired about driftwood! 
She said it will soften water therefore lowering your Ph constantly when it has been in the tank for a long time.
My diftwood is very old and get chewed by my plecos constantly and gives of brown dirt alot!

She said with soft water and a low ph bacteria is not as effective in breaking down ammonia and/or producing sufficent bacteria in the media.

Said said remove the driftwood and get a new piece and use a buffer to keep the ph at 7.0 or higher where the bacteria prospers and will eliminate my ammonia problem.

I'm going to give this a try!
Sorry so long but I thought that this is useful information on other factors concerning ammonia problems!!
Thanks again ALL!!


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## nitrofish (Jan 14, 2003)

Fishman said:


> My problem is in my 125 gallon tank 72x18x22.
> I have 8 reds in their various sizes check my sig. and I have had this tank up and running for like 3 months now.
> 
> Lately I have noticed a very minor Ammonia of .25 ppm.
> ...


 probley over feeding and food left in tank. the end product of ammonia is nitrates, therefore more food=more waste =more nitrates. and if the biological filter cant keep up more ammonia will be created than can be converted to nitrites.


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## nitrofish (Jan 14, 2003)

or the ph


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## Forked_Tongue (Feb 20, 2003)

is it possible that a feeder fish got sucked into the intake tube of one of your filters and is rotting?


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## Fishman (Mar 1, 2003)

I feed once daily and only feed frozen food(heart,smelt,shrip,krill) I do not use feeders as a food source and i have screens over all of my intake tubes how could a fish get sucked up!

I'm not over feeding if anything underfeeding!!


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