Persistant Ammonia Issue

[Harry Morant]

After three weeks of trying to resolve an ammonia issue I'd appreciate some advice.

I had to set up a four footer of about 180 litres in a hurry to recieve a colony of mature Taiwan Reefs and only had a week to age it before the fish arrived. A week later and the ammonia really started to peak 10ppm+ and water went extremely cloudy. I fixed the cloudiness with pondclear which worked a treat.

I started immediately with ammolock and reduced feed and added gravel from an existing tank waiting for the cycle to go through its peak, after a week no change so I added a corner filter with zeolite and water from a stable tank. I vaccumed the gravel but there was very little mulm in it so that wasn't the source of the problem.

After another week no change so I added biobooster, added another two corner filters with zeolite and did a 50% water change using about 25% of water from existing tanks. Even after the water change the tests were showing 10ppm+ - so far I haven't lost any fish probably thanks to the Ammolock.

Is it time to do a massive water change and include 40l of stable ammonia free water from other tanks? Any advice would be most welcome.

[Burek]

Hi

Best to use Old water from other tanks.

cheers

[Dark Morelia]

I started immediately with ammolock

Even after the water change the tests were showing 10ppm+ - so far I haven't lost any fish probably thanks to the Ammolock.

Remember that when you use Ammolock, the Ammonia will still show up on your test, but it will be in a form harmless to fish.

I'd say keep using the Ammolock, but squeeze out the sponge from an established filter into the tank in trouble, or maybe you could get some bacteria-in-a-bottle stuff, so that the Ammonia in the water, which is locked in a harmless form, can be processed by the new bacteria.

Gravel-vaccing and water changes with water from another tank should help speed the process. The bigger the water change the better, probably, as long as it won't stress the fish too much. But you're using water from an established tank, they shouldn't stress much from a large change. Obviously, be sure to add the new bacteria (from squeezings and from bottle) after you've done a water change.

HTH,

Andy.

[Harry Morant]

I'd say keep using the Ammolock, but squeeze out the sponge from an established filter into the tank in trouble, or maybe you could get some bacteria-in-a-bottle stuff, so that the Ammonia in the water, which is locked in a harmless form, can be processed by the new bacteria.

Gravel-vaccing and water changes with water from another tank should help speed the process. The bigger the water change the better, probably, as long as it won't stress the fish too much. But you're using water from an established tank, they shouldn't stress much from a large change. Obviously, be sure to add the new bacteria (from squeezings and from bottle) after you've done a water change.

Thanks - I've pretty much done everything that people have rightly suggested. - I was even able to place an aged filter into the tank. Unfortunately none of these measures have seemed to have an effect over the last few weeks.

Does anyone think I'll run into trouble if I remove the fish, drain the tank, add 25% from established tanks, leave the existing filters in the tank and top up with fresh conditioned water.....or should I just wait another week and keep adding Ammolock. This is one hefty ammonia peak - I was shocked to find in excess of 10ppm even after a 50% water change.

[nannat]

having water neutral to ph in the middle 7's could be some help.

[Dark Morelia]

This is one hefty ammonia peak - I was shocked to find in excess of 10ppm even after a 50% water change.

If you are doing changes, and keep adding bacteria to the tank...

Well i have NFI why the Ammonia level is still testing so high.

How large and how many are the fish ? Is there a lot of leftover food ?

Is something killing the bacteria off ? Pondclear maybe ? How does that affect the bacteria ?

Are you using any other meds or treatments or anything ?

Sorry i'm not being much help.

Andy.

[Harry Morant]

How large and how many are the fish ? Is there a lot of leftover food ?

Is something killing the bacteria off ? Pondclear maybe ? How does that affect the bacteria ?

Are you using any other meds or treatments or anything ?

7 Fish at about 10cm and as I've reduced feeding for the last three weeks there's no leftovers.

With regard to something killing the bacteria off I've also suspected that might be the case but I'll be blowed if I can figure it out. I set up a 2 foot tank at the same time and thats has a similar problem even though there's currently no fish in it. I did have a female and about 50 fry - the fry all went toes up and the female went back into the four footer.

Having given it some thought I think they may have been changing over water supplies at the time - perhaps they had super-dosed the water with a particular chemical thats killed off the bacteria. I would have thought the ager add to the new water would have sorted that out however.

The more I think about it the more I'm leaning to dumping the whole tank and starting over with a 25/75 old tank water from a stable tank to new.

[Dark Morelia]

One more idea -

You could try a big dose (maybe double or more?) of Prime, and see if it helps, before starting over with aged water.

Other than that, i'm buggered for ideas.

No-one else have any ideas ??

Andy

[Jim]

I would remove the zeolite/ammo-lock, ammonia removing products will give u the wrong reading on your test kit, also a new tank will not cycle if ammo-lock/zeolite are used because ammonia isnt present to kick of the bacteria cycle.

HTH

[Flashgordon]

The only ammonia test kit on the market that will give you a true reading when you are using ammonia locking products is the Seachem Ammo Alert module which sits in the tank and gives a constant reading.

Here is what is happening in your tank. Essentially there are two sorts of ammonia - good (ionic ammonia NH3) and bad (free ammonia NH4) Ammo lock, Prime and other of these sorts of products turn the bad ammonia into good ammonia, which will then not hurt the fish. All other test kits read both types of ammonia. The Ammonia Alert only detects free ammonia as this is what kills fish.

if you have used ammo lock and the fish are still fine, even though your test kit is reading total ammonia, I'd say it is highly likely that the ammonia in your tank is good ammonia, in other words the locking products are working. Otherwise at that level your fish would be dead.....

I'd hang in there, get an Ammonium Alert indicator and wait the process through. It is one process you cannot hurry - it will take its own sweet time.

[Harry Morant]

Thanks for the advice everyone

I'll give it some more time before doing anything drastic. I'll pick up an Ammo Alert as that will at least give me some peace of mind if the free ammonia is indicated as under control.