Amonia spike, could use a little help

cajunmomof4

1. Size of aquarium (# of gallons) 55gal

2. Is your aquarium setup freshwater or brackish water? freshwater , but with some salt for cichlids

3. How long the aquarium has been set up? In my home since April 1st
was set up for and undetermined amout of time with the previous owners

4. What fish and how many are in the aquarium (species are important to know) 6 juvi african cichlids no one is over 2 1/2 inches

5. Are there live plants in the aquarium? no

6. What temperature is the tank water currently? 76

7. What make/model filter are you using? Tetra whisper 60
and an additional sponge corner filter

8. Are you using a CO2 unit? no

9. Does your aquarium receive natural sunlight at any given part of the day? Yes indirect

10. When did you perform your last water exchange, and how much water was changed? 1 week ago, 30%

11. How often do you perform water changes? have been weekly

12. How often and what foods do you feed your fish? cichlid gold, 6 pellets am and 6 pellets PM

13. What type of lighting are you using and how long is it kept on?
flourecent, 12 hours +
14. What specific concerns bring you here at this time?
ammonia reading of 1 ppm, fish seem fine, water is a bit clouded. I am confused as to how I have ammonia and no nitrite. Also what would be the best course of action besides a water change, or is that all I should do

15. What are your water parameters? Test your pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate.
pH- 8.2
ammonia- 1ppm
nitrIte- 0
nitrAte- 10-15 (color inbetween)

16. What test kit are you using and is it liquid or test strips?
API master

17. When was the last time you bought a fish and how did they behave while in the pet store tank? I have not added any fish to this tank

Flashygrrl

Just do a water change. How much are you feeding them, and have you done tests on your tap water?

herefishy

Even though you purchased an existing setup, what you are experiencing is a "mini-spike". Some bacteria in your bio bed certainly did not make the move well. The colony will reestablish itself. Water changes are key. Test regularly, daily if necessary.

cajunmomof4

Thanks guys. I did have a small spike 3 days or so after I set things up, and managed to get it under control with water changes and adding the sponge filter from another tank. The levels had been testing at 0 for several days last week so I stopped testing daily. I'll go back to testing daily. I finally got myself a Python so water changes are easy now. I just have one question for those who use them. I have used it several times to siphon out, but am scared to use it to fill because of the high chlorine levels in our water. I have been filling 4 5 gallon buckets, treating the water and letting them sit 24 hours before I start my water changes. I know its a pain but can you simply add water treatment to the water in the tank, then fill it directly from the faucet? I'm worried the fish will get some chlorine in the process.

cajunmomof4

Yes I have it test 0 for ammonia, and nitrates/nitrites. It also has a very high ph of 8.? I dont know how high cause it tests off the chart. After sitting out and treating the water it goes down to 8.3 or so.

okiemavis

I add the water right to my tank with no problems. Python's website says it aerates the water as it goes through the hookup, so there's no need to add water conditioner. I add it anyway, progressively as the water fills up, but that's mostly cuz I'm worried about heavy metals and other things. I haven't had any problems with it this way, nor have I heard anyone else.

I run my tap water for while until I have it coming out at exactly the same temperature as my tank (within a degree). I just have to be careful that no one flushes the toilet and cooks my fish!

cajunmomof4

Thanks Okie!!

cajunmomof4

WOOHOO!!!! Spike resolved

amm- 0
nitrate-10-15
nitrite-0


:)