I did a 25% water change again today (after the two massive water changes yesterday) trying to get these ammonia levels down...and not only is ammonia still reading off the charts (or ammonium, I've been using Prime as reccomended :-D) but nitrites are now at .5ppm and nitrates are 5 ppm...this is very discouraging. Advice anyone?
Well, I am not the most experienced fish keeper but it sounds like that may be an ammonia spike....Are you in the middle of a cycle? Have the nitrites been going up or staying at the same level? Usually the ammonia levels will spike and then go down once the nitrites start going up....
Not in the middle of a cycle...had a dilemma where I had to leave the tank in the care of a friend for a few weeks it was completely destroyed (all plants dead, some fish dead, algae too thick to see through, filter so clogged with algae absolutely nothing was happening) and trying to get it back to happy tank...lol...yeah...nitrates and nitrates going up from the zero of yesterday. Testing tap water now to see what's going on with it :|
If it's not tapwater,Or faulty test readings,Then I might try 50 percent water changes while vaccuming the gravel or sand. Sounds like possible decay from fish waste,fish food,dead plant matter contrbuting,causing,ammonia level to increase. Maybe not enough healthy plant mass left to help with consuming ammonia.
I might wonder if the old clogged filter cartidge,sponge,pad,etc was thrown away, or cleaned under tapwater containing chlorine/chloramines.
If filter material was saved,cleaned in old aquarium water or dechlorinated water,,then two fifty percent water changes a week should knock ammonia levels down quickly considering present occupant's of the tank.
Would NOT add any more fish and would feed the fish I had ,, once every other day until ammonia levels and tank have stabilized.
I remember that thread, didn't you replace the plants as well as clean out the tank?
If tap is zero before prime, then is looks like the tank is the source.
Did you clean the substrate?
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