Give it a couple of days without changing water and see if it rises or falls. If the ammonia levels drop by themselves then you either have ammonia in your water source or it's just the prime giving you a false positive.
Ammonia levels rising?
- Thread starter Wizzah
- Start date
I have waited a few days after testing each time.
As for bio-media, pretty sure i have plenty, heres the big boy, lots of bio balls.
Yes i know it has room, gonna go buy some polyester fibre floss.
And the fluval 405 is loaded with matrix and noodles.
As for bio-media, pretty sure i have plenty, heres the big boy, lots of bio balls.
Yes i know it has room, gonna go buy some polyester fibre floss.
And the fluval 405 is loaded with matrix and noodles.
Do you have any plants in the tank? If so, I had a similar problem a while back. Luckily I did not loose any fish but my ammonia was off the charts for one of my tanks. The problem was plant debris. Hidden dead leaves and stems decomposing was the culprit. I rearranged the plants and cleaned up around them to prevent this from happening again. After a few water changes everything was back to normal.
You should NEVER do 80% water change! The reason ammonia goes up so fast is because there is no bacteria to stop it. If your tank is new I recommend 20-30% water changes every 4-7 days. Limit the feeding and try to get some API quick start and Ammo Lock. Limit the Gravel cleaning until the tank is completely cycled. I have a 180 gallon fish tank with over 8 big chiclids and I do 35% water changes every 1-2 months and my water is fine. 80% water change will only make your situation worse!
I do 70-90% WC two or three times weekly on my 450, 720 and 600 gallon tanks. Once weekly on the smaller 200gal and under tanks. I've used this routine for the last decade on tanks I've owned and I have a expensive stocks at my homes.
Geez, learn something new everyday
If your bioload is high the ammonia levels build up again before any significant loss off BB. The BB is concentrated in the media, not in the water. The concern is changing so much water you deplete their food source of ammonia. If ammonia doesn't build back up quick enough BB die off and have to recolonize AKA mini cycle. OP had stated they have a huge bioload so ammonia levels should rise again quickly to prevent this.
Fishy5 If what you say is true and you really have a 180 with 8 big cichlids and only do 35% once every month or two you're a poor fish keeper and shouldn't be giving anyone advise. You're exposing your fish to high nitrates and it's only a matter of time before they develop Hith or die prematurely. Next time test your nitrates the day before your water change after 59 days since the last one and I guarantee they're off the charts if you're honest about the reading you get.
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To the OP could be old tank syndrome. There's a useful thread on it on this site if you use the search function. Could help you determine. As said before, prime and safe can cause false positives for several days after use. Good luck.
How do the fish look?
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How do the fish look?
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Hello, i have lost 2 smaller clown loaches, were about 8cm :/
and no, no live plants.
They were acting fine apart from that, every fish in the tank literally looks 100% its been 4 days since last water change and ammonia is at 1ppm, i have no ****ing idea what's going on, it's doing my head in.
and no, no live plants.
They were acting fine apart from that, every fish in the tank literally looks 100% its been 4 days since last water change and ammonia is at 1ppm, i have no ****ing idea what's going on, it's doing my head in.
Check out old tank syndrome has to do with kh levels
Sorry for your losses
I'd keep adding prime every third day to keep the ammonia neutralized until you figure this out. It take a slightly larger dose than for chlorine. Should say how much on the bottle.
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Sorry for your losses
I'd keep adding prime every third day to keep the ammonia neutralized until you figure this out. It take a slightly larger dose than for chlorine. Should say how much on the bottle.
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