What do you think I might be dealing with here?

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Putting the carbon filter back in after the meds should have nuetralized them, so you should be good there. I'm not familiar with these ammonia reducing pads though. If they are inert material that bb can grow in and thus reducing ammonia through the normal process then they should not be removed at the same time as the main cartridge and i certainly wouldn't replace them every 2-3 weeks as the company suggests. If they have some active ingredient to reduce ammonia, I cannot answer but would likely not use them myself as I don't know how that would interfere with the normal cycle.

They're a material similar to the carbon filter. I can share a picture when I get home from work.

Hello; short summary. Water companies can use chlorine to make drinking tap water safe to drink or they can use chloramine. My company uses only chlorine which I may talk about later. Chloramine is popular because it lasts longer in the water, but requires aquarium keepers to use something such as PRIME to treat the water.
Note-Chloramine in tap water shows up as ammonia when tap water is tested.
Note- When we use PRIME it treats the chloramine by splitting it chemically. Splits the chloramine into chlorine and ammonia. The Prime binds the chlorine but apparently leaves the ammonia in the water. I think the idea is in a cycled tank the split off ammonia will be taken in and converted by the BB into nitrite.
Note- Apparently PRIME/SAFE only binds the ammonia from showing up in a test for around 48 hours. After a couple days the same water will test positive for ammonia again if the BB have not "eaten it".

Here is a video which attempts to explain the chloramine.

ammonia in tap water - Search Videos

www.bing.com

The video seems to lay out the situation as i understand the chloramine in tap water.

Back to my water company. I have the luxury of only dealing with chlorine. I put tap water into containers and allow them to sit for around four days. The chlorine gas leaves the water. So when I do a WC I do not need to use PRIME/SAFE.

To the OP- try to find out what is in your tap water. if it does turn out to be chloramine then the ammonia reading in the tap water is likely the chloramine.

I have been using Prime with each water change. Let's say the ammonia reading is the chloramine, what do you do then?

Hello; Many medicine makers suggest removing carbon when using their product. A thing is the carbon can adsorb the medication and suppress its usefulness.

Another thing about carbon is it quickly becomes loaded and so becomes largely useless anyway. Some say within days. I suspect it depends on what chemicals are around. I have not used carbon in a few decades. In your case. OP, I suspect the carbon made no difference if it was in the tank for some time.

Assuming you are going to keep trying to salvage the current setup it might not hurt to add a carbon pack if you have them about. Might help remove any residues of the medications that the WC has not diluted.

Is a carbon pack something that goes into the filter? I've never heard of these.

To answer the question about water source I'm on city water and not a well.

 

[skjl47]

I'm on city water and not a well.

Hello; Next step is to get a water report from the water company. At my company I can pick the report in person in the lobby when I pay my bill. They keep copies available of each year's report. Also, may be online. Look to see what treatment chemicals are added. If it turns out to be chloramine such is another bit of useful information.

 

[skjl47]

I have been using Prime with each water change. Let's say the ammonia reading is the chloramine, what do you do then

Hello; If the video I linked is working some answers are in it. The water companies use it because chloramine lasts longer in the pipes and so solves some of their problems. Harmless to us but hard on fish. PRIME splits the chloramine into chlorine & ammonia. Prime binds the chlorine apparently for a very long time. Unfortunately, PRIME only binds the ammonia for about 48 hours.
I think the idea is a cycled tank with enough colonies of BB can then use the released ammonia as food (nutrient) the same as they do for any other ammonia source. All seems like a catch 22 or a vicious circle. The chloramines in tap water MUST be treated with PRIME/SAFE or something similar or else the chloramine is toxic to the fish. But without a population of BB colonies to treat the ammonia, then the ammonia is also toxic to the fish. So, we are back to needing to get some BB.

I looked up the Seachem Stability you mentioned and also watched a different video which mentions it. The product is supposed to have some strains of the beneficial bacteria (BB) in it. In one video a user claims the product has worked for him. It is simply that I have never used the stuff personally so I cannot say one way or the other. If I recall correctly you posted of having ordered some Stability. I guess you are sort of painted into a corner at this point.
If we make an assumption that the effects of medications used before are now diluted or somehow washed away by the large WC you did recently, then the coast may be clear for new BB colonies to grow.
I simply do not have experience to know if adding the Stability will jump start the growth of the BB or not. I had hoped by now some other member with experience would have joined the discussion. If the tank is indeed clear of effects of medications used earlier and if the Stability does work as advertised, then adding it may do some good. I do not know for sure.
Here is a possible way to consider it. If the ammonia from the chloramines in tap water and the ammonia produced by the fish themselves remains such ammonia will continue to be toxic, and the fish may not make it anyway. The use of Stability may not be a risk under the conditions.

Much depends on what the water company uses to treat the drinking water. Much also depends on what the initial illness the fish had was and because of which you added medicines. May turn out you get some BB back but still some sort of ongoing pathogen in the tank. Too soon to tell. At some point before too long the tank will start to get healthy or will continue to decline.

Sorry to not have a simpler take or a better recommendation than a WC every 48 hours with PRIME added. A WC every other day with PRIME ought to bind up the ammonia and allow the fish to do better. Also should allow the BB to start to grow if indeed the WC is flushing out the medications used. This will be a slow process of growing the BB is my guess. Adding a starter culture of BB from a mature tank or maybe adding the Stability could speed things up.

Good luck and let's hope other members come up with a better idea.

 

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I called the water treatment plant and chloramine is the treatment method they use.

In regards to the medication I took someone's (I don't remember who) and did a 40%, 50%, and 75% water change last week and a 75% change this week. The recommendation was to do 75% changes twice a week for a couple of weeks. I can certainly do that still if it's recommended.

 

[skjl47]

I took someone's (I don't remember who) and did a 40%, 50%, and 75% water change last week and a 75% change this week. The recommendation was to do 75% changes twice a week for a couple of weeks. I can certainly do that still if it's recommended.

Hello; I made such as suggestion. The idea is to work up to high volume WC to lessen shock to the fish. I hope this is helping the fish. I and perhaps others are reluctant to outright lay out an ongoing plan. I have been trying to give information so as to allow you to make the decisions. seems there are at least two paths to take.
One path is to keep up some frequent level of WC for some time to come. May be weeks or longer. This path gives the current fish a chance to survive and was the reasoning behind the suggestion. So, the question to be answered is about the current fish in terms of the WC schedule. Put another way, do you hope to save the current fish? If so then regular WC is likely a key. Does it need to be 75% every time? Some forum members do even more. You did three WC last week. Some members do a similar schedule all the time.
Here is an idea to consider with caveats. One such caveat being the potential of a pathogen lurking in the tank which might spoil any plan. Do some amount of WC every other day with PRIME. Say at least 40-50% for a while. This keeps the ammonia locked up by the prime during a 48 hour or so window. May be the least harmful to the current fish and may give them the best chance to recover as best they can. May slow down the growth of BB colonies.

Another path is to decide to sacrifice the current fish by doing less frequent WC thus allowing some ammonia to linger. The current fish likely will not make it too long and will be damaged. This promotes BB more with more ammonia around and ought to speed up the growth of BB.

Of course, the fly in the ointment is the possibility some pathogen has persisted. There is some chance the same medications which killed off the BB (in theory) also killed off the pathogen and the pathogen is gone.

So, want to give the current fish the best chance do WC every other day with PRIME for a few weeks. Take an objective look at the fish's condition in a week or two.

NOTE- SAFE is a money saver over time and is the same stuff as PRIME. A small pain to dose is a drawback. Also SAFE cannot be mixed into a solution as it will not be stable for long. The experts on here say that SAFE in solution will only be good for a couple of weeks. PRIME is somehow made stable in liquid form by the factory.
NOTE- there is a form of water conditioner chemical which can be had in bulk and is used by many rather than the expensive PRIME. . I will try to look it up as I fear i will butcher the spelling.

 

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I'll keep trying with the water changes. If the fish don't make it I'll watch the fishless cycling video. I would be suprised if there was pathogen seeing as how the fish have looked healthy for a while. But who the hell knows.