Major Ammonia Issue

[Priscilla]

I have a small 10 gall tank inside with 7 platy fry in it. I can not get the ammonia under control. Currently I am using ammo lock. And since I have started using that the ammonia seems to have gone off the charts.

I brought in some (just a few) lava rocks from the pond (after advice from betta) hoping to jump start the aquarium and get the ammonia under control, but no luck with that. I put the lava rocks in the filter, which is just the standard issue aqueon filter that comes with a 10 gall tank.

I'm about to catch the fry and put them back in the pond unless someone has any other suggestions on how to control this ammonia issue.

HELP!?!?!?!?!?!?

 

[Nepen]

did you feed the fry? You told me you feed your fish a lot so im wondering if you feed them too much. if so, try do big water change then stop feeding them/ feed them very very little or even just put plants in there they can eat off the plants.

 

[Priscilla]

I did feed them. But I didn't feed them yesterday or today. How long can they go without food? There are two plants in there. Still no help with the ammonia.

I've done two very big (50%) water changes. I'm getting the water from my well, its PH is 7.5, I don't think the temp is too different than the tank.

 

[Mmathis]

What is your source for water you use in the fry tank? You might want to check to see if there is ammonia in that, as well. Last year I had trouble with my QT, and come to find out that our city water contains chloramines -- I get an ammonia reading just from my tap water. For the pond, I have a filter attached to the outside faucet, but for inside I use the de-chlor solution -- just be sure it says on the bottle that it eliminates CHLORAMINES as well as chlorine.

Otherwise, same advice as already given: reduce feedings, water changes.

 

[Nepen]

Is there ammonia from the source water? You have a strip test, right? it might give you wrong reading?

babies dont eat much at all. they should be ok with just some algae from the plants for a while. one piece of flake food (the goldfish kind) was enough for 7 baby guppies I had each day for a few weeks. did you vacuume/net out the bottom?

 

[dieselplower]

A filter can take months to establish the bacteria that convert ammonia. What actual amount of ammonia are you seeing? Can you give us a ppm? As noted, check your water source for ammonia as well. And keep doing water changes. How big are these fry? You do need to feed baby fish a few times a day to keep them growing and healthy, but you do not need to feed a lot.

 

[callingcolleen1]

I use weedy angle hair stringy plants that grow out of control, leave light on for plants day and night, no ammonia in my tanks cause they are full of weedy plant life,

 

[Priscilla]

The fry are VERY small, like a few millimeters small. I was feeding them twice a day, just a few flakes crushed. But I have stopped now. The reading is like a 1 or 2. I'm not using strips, I'm using the testing kit I use for my pond.

I don't have time right now to check my well water, but I don't think that is the problem, as I use it to fill my pond with no issues at all.

I did vacuum the bottom of the tank twice now.

 

[Nepen]

that doesnt sounds like it could cause a whole lot of ammonia being super small. It could be that the food you gave were too much for them since they are super small and like I said my guppy babies live on 1 flake food a day for a while, but that amount should not cause your ammonia to spike.

My thought is with your source water.

 

[crsublette]

Sounds like everyone has a good grasp on it and is what I would do. I agree with everyone above me.

Yep, if the well water never created a big ammonia spike in your pond, then I am not for sure why it would create one for your tanks.

Two major 50% water changes is good. Reducing feeding would be a good move.

Ammo Lock is only a temporary fix. This product works my converting the ammonia into a formation of ammonium, which is safe to fish, except over time microorganisms can reverse this protection so they can feed on the ammonia and this interference from microorganisms is why Ammo Lock is a temporary fix and is how Ammo Lock creates a cumulative increase in ammonia. Remember, the fish are still producing ammonia; so, when the temporary fix of Ammo Lock releases, then your ammonia will become even higher.

Also, the API ammonia test kit, which is a 2 reagent liquid tester, that is a salicylate tester, will still register a small amount of the bound ammonia created by the Ammo Lock since the API test kit is a test for total ammonia.

See if you can obtain some aquarium Zeolite, that is in the granular form and not the powder. There are many different types of zeolite so look for the specific type that is a deodorizer, without any extra additives, or used in aquariums so to absorb ammonium.

Zeolite absorbs ammonium through ion displacement by exchanging a positively charged ion, such as sodium (Na+) for another positively charged ion, such as ammonium (NH4+), and vice verse. Zeolite can help by absorbing the positive charged formation of ammonia, that is ammonium (NH4+). Even at high pHs, that are closer to 8.3~8.4, where most of the ammonia is in the NH3 formation, there is still a presence of ammonium (NH4+), albeit small. Ammonia (NH3) and ammonium (NH4+) is always in balance with each other and this equilibrium occurs quite fast, even at high pHs. So, due to this fast equilibrium exchange, even at high pHs Zeolite is effective although it is even more effective at lower pHs.

 

[crsublette]

Personally, I would continue to do 50% water changes each day. Might have to do 70%. Since I doubt your underground well water would be treated with chloramine, still double check to make sure there is no ammonia coming from the well water.

For the tank, try to build a small trickle tower with the lava rocks from your pond so to start converting the ammonia into nitrates.

The API ammonia test kit will register some of the Ammo Lock, because remember Ammo Lock is temporary.

Try to get a small amount of zeolite and put it in the tank. Place it where moving water pushes through it, such as a small version of DIY'd water filter or put it in some panty hoses and let it soak in the water where maybe water can flow through it somehow. Remember, the zeolite will become "full" of ammonia so once a week or every 5 days I would recharge it by soaking it in a salt solution with a ratio of : 7 ounces Salt to 1 gallon water; soak it in this for a day and the Zeolite will be ready to absorb more ammonia.


That is what I do.

Don't give up yet Priscilla.

Try to hold out on putting them in the pond since the small guys might get eaten.

 

[crsublette]

Also, I forgot to mention...

Before initially using zeolite, it needs to be charged due to the impurities within the crystalline structure. So, be sure to charge the zeolite before using it, even for the first time. Be sure to use proper kind of salt, such as described in the thread, what kind of salt?

Simply soak it in 7 ounces of salt in 1 gallon of water for a day or so and it will be completely charged. Rinse it to remove any residual salt off the zeolite. Ready to go.

 

[Priscilla]

Thanks for all the tips. Tonight's ammonia reading was crazy!!!! 4ppm. I have not fed them in two days and I did a 50% water change today. I don't know if the ammonia lock is causing these readings .... ?? The water is really cloudy. I don't know what is causing the problem

I decided to put them back in the pond. Charles, they seem to do incredibly well in the pond, I have lots of hiding spots for fry around the pond, but most importantly, my other fish don't seem to eat them (at least in front of me), they all feed together and swim around, no problems (that I have seen). I had taken these from the pond so my youngest boy could have a few fish in his room, not because I was worried about them.

I will give the tank a full cleaning tomorrow and then what? How do I get a new tank to cycle and be ready for fish?

Again, thanks so much. I really don't know what I would do without all you offering ideas and support! My husband just isn't as fish crazy as I am, so having you pond/fish/water friends is really awesome! Lol!

 

[crsublette]

I didn't realize that platy fry and a tiny bit of flake food would cause so much ammonia in just a 10 gallon tank. It just seems odd... Like something else is going on that I don't know or is not known.


The white cloudy water is likely a bacterial bloom, which is a good thing. It is the nitrification microorganism populating quite fast to try to grow big enough colonies so to consume the ammonia. When this happens, then oxygen consumption goes fast so there needs to be a small air stone in the water.

I am surprised the ammonia was not reduced any, even after a 50% water change. Quite likely a 100% water change needed to be done then record how fast the ammonia builds up. Add a little ammo lock, which is only temporary. Add some zeolite, which is more permanent. Repeat the process. This way your nitrifying microorganisms will have a proper chance to building a good colony. 4ppm ammonia is not too much for the microorganisms, but definitely too much for the fish. Ammo Lock was likely saving the fish.


To do a proper fishless tank cycle, so to prepare your tank's filter for fish, then read the PDF below. This is what I did in my pond and it works quite fine. Only the dosages would be different for a small aquarium. Check out post#8 in thread, Ok, Now what do i do?. Hope this helps.

Or... instead of the fishless cycle, just start out with 1 or 2 fish and see how it goes..

To speed up the process, then you can improve your water's chemistry, but, for a 10 gallon tank, it would be too costly. If all the water chemistry is correct and a good filter, then the tank could be cycled in just a week, but this really requires alot of fine tuning, which again would be costly for a 10 gallon tank.

So, to get the filter established with a good nitrifying microorganism colony, then this is just going to take time. Around a month or so. Starting with pond water and the lava rock and anything from your pond helps to speed up the process, but still the microorganism colony will need to move to other areas in the tank to establish.


Maybe someone else knows something... but... I'm stumped...

 

[Priscilla]

I'm stumped too. I have pea gravel in the tank, some sort of plant anchored in it and a water hyacinth floating on top. I have a some snails in the tank - I don't know if they are the problem.

If you think the cloudiness is the bacteria blooming, then I will just leave it as is for a few days since I took the fish out and see what happens. I will let will update this thread.

Once it stabilizes I will add two fish in and take it from there.

Whoops, I've just had a thought. The past few days when I've seen the water cloudy I have been doing the major water changes, so maybe I have been hindering the growth .... ?