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ammonia problem

4K views 23 replies 4 participants last post by  crazyplaty 
#1 ·
so this is the first time i have set up my very own tank, i did so at the end of june and i am still having a hard time getting rid of ammonia...

it stays at about .25, i have tested water for nitrites and nitrates but there is none. my aunt who has experience with keeping fish and getting the levels where they need to be doesnt even know why i am still having this problem. we have tried different methods to getting the good bacteria growing to form nitrites

i have managed to keep pretty much all my fish alive surprisingly (i am told it is hard when you first start a tank) and the fish seem happy for the most part but i just wont feel at peace till i know that the ammonia is gone and i have the stuff that needs to be in there.

any one have any suggestions at all?! or anyone have this problem?
 
#3 ·
i have tested the tap water and there was zero ammonia,
i have 2 platys, 2 zebra danios, 2 coreys and a snail.
i have only been using the water conditioner when i change the water in the tank, i have been suggested to use something that is pretty much called bacteria in a bottle, and i only put that stuff in once in a while, and it seems to help for the most part. i also have a couple live plants in there and thats pretty much it.
 
#5 ·
If this is the "Main Tank" in your aquarium log, it is a 10g with fake plants.

First, which bacterial supplement are you using? Some of these do work, and ammonia may be noticed, as I can explain when I know the one.

One caution, Zebra Danio are shoaling fish, they need a group; most consider 6 the minimum, but in my view that is too many for a 10g tank. Danio are active swimmers, needing space, and a 20g long is minimum for this species. You can read more in our profile, click on the shaded name to see the profile. Profiles of many fish are under the second tab from the left in the blue bar across the top.

Can you return the Zebra Danio for exchange? Another Cory would be good, a group of 3 is best.

Byron.
 
#6 ·
@ladayen-will have to check, i dont have it available at this time, it is a red liquid though, i am not sure the name of the plant, i do have fake but also 1 live one

@byron-i originally had 3 zebras however 2 of them killed the other, and the other day my aunt had given me some of her neon tetras (about 4), however i was out of town but when i got home there was no evidence that i had any new fish.

i want to make sure the problem with the ammonia is fixed before introducing anymore fish to the tank...tempting as it may be lol
 
#7 ·
@ladayen-will have to check, i dont have it available at this time, it is a red liquid though, i am not sure the name of the plant, i do have fake but also 1 live one

@byron-i originally had 3 zebras however 2 of them killed the other, and the other day my aunt had given me some of her neon tetras (about 4), however i was out of town but when i got home there was no evidence that i had any new fish.

i want to make sure the problem with the ammonia is fixed before introducing anymore fish to the tank...tempting as it may be lol
I agree, no new fish until the cycling issue is settled. But the Zebra Danio are not going to work, as you've already seen evidence of, without a larger group and a 10g is too small for them, that's all. Both the small tank size and the fact that the group is too small will contribute to heightened aggression.

What is the bacterial supplement?
 
#10 ·
I had a look at their website and Microbe-lift Special Blend breaks down organic waste among other things. This produces ammonia, so while they say it eliminates ammonia, it in fact causes it initially. Breaking down organics by bacteria produces ammonia, along with CO2, naturally. I prefer to let the bacteria build up in the substrate and not "push it" like this. Just my opinion.

I would stop using this product. Use a water conditioner that detoxifies ammonia along with chlorine and chloramine; one that also detoxifies nitrite (as this will occur next) would be advisable in a new tank. I know of two that do both, Seachem's "Prime" and one called "Ultimate" [forgot the maker]. These will handle ammonia/nitrite for 24-36 hours. If either continues, another partial water change.

To add some beneficial nitrifying bacteria, Seachem's "Stability" and Tetra's "SafeStart" both work. They do not do what Microbe-Lift does. I have used Stability and it does seed the bacteria quicker.

Live plants also help in this.

I would not suggest ammonia products aside from the water conditioner. An aquarium must establish itself biologically, and it is best to do this by natural means. With fish in the tank, this is dangerous, since ammonia and nitrite are highly toxic and can cause permanent fish damage if not kill them outright. The natural approach above is best.

For further reading to better understand bacteria and how all this fits together, have a look at my article on bacteria in the Freshwater Articles section, here's the link:
http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/freshwater-articles/bacteria-freshwater-aquarium-74891/

Byron.
 
#17 ·
I had a look at their website and Microbe-lift Special Blend breaks down organic waste among other things. This produces ammonia, so while they say it eliminates ammonia, it in fact causes it initially. Breaking down organics by bacteria produces ammonia, along with CO2, naturally. I prefer to let the bacteria build up in the substrate and not "push it" like this. Just my opinion.

I would stop using this product. Use a water conditioner that detoxifies ammonia along with chlorine and chloramine; one that also detoxifies nitrite (as this will occur next) would be advisable in a new tank. I know of two that do both, Seachem's "Prime" and one called "Ultimate" [forgot the maker]. These will handle ammonia/nitrite for 24-36 hours. If either continues, another partial water change.

my aunt just had a few questions to that...(she is also a fish keeper)

1. If the ammonia and nitrites are detoxified for the fish, will they still be available for the bacteria to feed off of?

2. And will it still show up on tests?
 
#11 · (Edited)
.25 is toxic to be sure but I wouldn't use ammonia remover quite yet. Better to save that for drastic spikes. Figure out whats wrong and fix it without adding any other variables. Ok byron snuck in there and explained that in better detail.

Have you looked in your filter and lifted up the hidey spots to check for bodies? They have to be there somewhere, unless someone else puled them out. Danios wouldn't eat an entire fish like that. Are you sure you actually got the fish, or does your aunt still have them at her house waiting for you?
 
#13 ·
@ladayen- no she brought them and put them in, my dad said she had brought about 4 and wouldve been too big to get in the filter, and i looked all around the tank, and in the hiding places and didnt find one single tetra
 
#19 ·
Most ammonia detoxifiers work by changing toxic ammonia into basically harmless ammonium. Bacteria will use ammonia/ammonium if it is available, regardless. And most of our test kits will read both as "ammonia" so don't be fooled by that.

Nitrites I am not yet sure of; from another thread I have asked Seachem to explain how Prime detoxifies nitrite. I know it binds it somehow, but I am not sure if this somehow removes it completely or if it remains in some form suitable to bacteria. And I don't know if it still shows with test kits. I have not yet had a response.

Live plants will assimilate a lot of ammonia/ammonium as their nitrogen, so this helps a lot. Nitrite is not produced during this process.

Byron.
 
#21 ·
with this being my first aquarium ever, i am still learning, from what i have heard it is better to cycle the tank first before adding fish, however i was unaware of ammonia levels along with nitrites and nitrate levels so i just put fish in after a couple days of running the tank... but now i am starting to regret it because now i have to worry about all this stuff
 
#22 ·
ok, it happens to most of us in the beginning so dont beat yrself up. Unfortunately Corys are probably the least likely to be able to handle the cycling process as they really should be put in tanks that have been cycled and running for a while, but it can be done. Just means lots of daily waterchanges to dilute the ammonia to keep the water safe for them. Do you know how the nitrogen cycle works? I dont want to talk down to you if you know already, but it may help you understand whats happening in your tank and why in my opinion you have come to a standstill
 
#23 ·
yeah luckily my aunt knows ALOT about fish keeping so she has been helping me through it and helps explain stuff to me, but everyday I seem to learn something new. Everything else seems to be running smoothly with this but we are both so lost as to why the ammonia is still there.

and right now, the fish seem to be happy, and i havent really had any problems with them other than the one incident with the zebras (not sure if explained on this thread or another) so thats all that matters to me.

i plan to actually get my water tested again to see if the nitrites/nitrates are present, and hopefully will see if anything is progressing
 
#24 ·
so today i just tested my nitrites again, and i am happy to say that there is a sign of life! and my ammonia is almost completely gone! i am so relieved! and the fact that i kept my fish alive during the whole process makes me even more happy! hopefully the tank will get fully cycled within the next couple weeks (or sooner?)
 
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