I dont know what to do anymore...

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skillzdatkillz

skillzdatkillz

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Mar 25, 2006
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I tested my water about a week ago and my ammonia was off the charts like 8+ ppm. I have a clown knife, a florida gar, and 3 pbass. I have been doing 50% waterchanges almost daily to keep it down. I found the drip plate in my wet/dry to be tilted at an angle so all the water wasnt getting dripped evenly over the bioballs. I fixed that and have still been doing w/c. I havnt done one since thrudsay night and my ammonia is off teh charts again. I dont know what to do anymore.
 
Are you using ammonia neutralizing additives at each water change? If so, these additives are known to cause false positive readings with a large number of litmus and chemical reagent test kits.
 
Oddball;844197; said:
Are you using ammonia neutralizing additives at each water change? If so, these additives are known to cause false positive readings with a large number of litmus and chemical reagent test kits.
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True! When I was new I bought 1000.00 at least in chems. I still keep them just in case. Try not to strip all the good bac from your gravle and filter. What kind of filter are you using?
 
Oddball;844197; said:
Are you using ammonia neutralizing additives at each water change? If so, these additives are known to cause false positive readings with a large number of litmus and chemical reagent test kits.
Click to expand...

This is true. Neutralized ammonia still produces an ammonia reading with your test kit. If you haven't used an ammonia product, I recommend it.
 
What and how much do you feed?

What is the PH in the tank? If below 7, Ammonia is not toxic. Nitrites, however, are....
 
I use a good amount of prime every water change. So far ive lost my ornate and my clown loach. Im using the aquarium pharmacuticals test kit. I just tested after a change and it read..

AM:1-2ppm
nitrite: .25

My ph is about 6

I have been only feeding once every other day since my readings were high. My filtration is a wetdry and an ehiem 2217
 
Your very first step is to test your tap water for amonia. A high clorimine level would mean that at each water change your INCREASING the levels rather than lowering them. Have you changed bio loads reciently? REMOVING a large bio load can be just as bad as adding one. Without the fomer level of ammonia to feed on your bio culture can undergo a mass die out that can crash the tank and cause readings like you're describing. One of the other dangers of W/D sump systems is that they are open to the atmosphere and usually close to the ground. Cleaning products and contaminates can reach the bio culture and knock it out as well.
 
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