Cloudy water with constant high ammonia, FED UP

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
6 weeks with high ammonia and film on the waters surface... Any bubbles??? sounds like a cycle sorry to say. You won't have much in the way of recourse beyond adding mature media and doing dailly water changes until your tank is established. Even if your tank already cycled looking at the bioload relative to the age I'm pretty sure you have the system overloaded.
 
sounds to me like overfeeding is the main problem here.

I would cut back to feeding every other day for the next week (just one feeding, skip the bloodworms for now), continue with your water changes, and it should clear up.

once the tank stablizes you should never have another ammonia/nitrite spike ever.

good luck and keep us updated.
 
What about feeding the eel? It only eats the blood worms I hand feed it.
I was looking into adding a canister filter on top of the power filter I have in already, the over population is thanks to misinformation from uneducated pet store associates. You live and you learn I guess.
 
I would go to petsmart buy 2 of the big bottles of tetra safe start and a second filter even if it is just a big #5 sponge filter. Then do a large water change (at least 50%) add the bottles of safestart and test again in 2 weeks (no testing no water changes no vacuuming etc). Feed very sparingly during this time.
 
After 6 weeks, your tank should be cycled. Your problem could be the frozen bloodworms clouding up the water. As for the film on the surface, turn off the power filter, lay a piece of newspaper on top of the water. The oily film will stick to the paper and be removed when the paper is lifted. You may have to use a couple of sheets of paper to remove all the oil.
 
Overfeeding and undrfiltered as others have said. If you do add another filter, I highly recommend using "Stability". Follow the directions to the t and you'll be good to go. It's a Seachem product that works very well for establishing new systems
 
I do plan on adding an additional canister filter, possibly even this evening.
And anytime I do a water change I add the safestart (as long as I can find it, hard to find around here), as well as Tetra EasyBalance and AquaSafe, as well as recently have been adding the AmmoLock to help keep the fish safe with all these spikes.

I am also getting mixed opions here so I am at a loss what to do? The water looks horrible and my eel is starting to turn every so slightly lethargic, glad I put in a bubble wand from the start.

Do daily water changes? Wait 2 weeks? Help :(
 
Jc1119 said:
Stability. The only tank I've had issues with in the last 5 years was the one tank I didn't use stability with. Can't recommend it enough.

Add a filter as well.
Click to expand...

water changes as well? Or no?
I'm not trying to seem like I am second guessing anyone, I just want to make sure I'm getting it right. I have had tanks my entire life and never had issues like this before.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom