I don't understand! Sunday I did all the tests on my tank, as usual, and my ammonia came back at a little less than 3.0 mg/l!!!! My tank population is in my signature, and from my calculations, it's not overcrowded! The ammonia hasn't come down at all, and I'm sure by now I've replaced all the water in the tank over the past two days. I'm currently doing 25% water changes twice every day, but this morning I did a 50% change. My question is, with all the water changes taking out my matured water, am I somehow damaging the bacteria colonies that (supposedly) break down the ammonia? Can anyone tell me maybe why this happened and how I can make the ammonia go down?! Thank you in advance!
Help! Ammonia Spike!
- Thread starter HarmonyMahi
- Start date
Water changes won't damage your biofilter so long as you remember to treat for chlorine/chloramines. Change large quantities (like 50%) twice daily and you'll have better luck getting your levels down. Small changes mean smaller dilution.
For example:
If you change 25% of your water and have say 10ppm NH3, you now have 7.5ppm NH3, so next time you change (assuming there's been neither any input nor bacterial breakdown) you have 5.6ppm. But of course, you know that there is both production and consumption going on.
If we do the same thing with 50% changes, after the first change you're down to 5ppm and after the second 2.5ppm.
Do 2 50% changes back to back. Remove 50%, fill, remove fill. This will be a 75% water change and should get your ammonia levels down to a "safe" level or at least sub 1ppm.
There's really no such thing as "matured" water, you want your tank water to be as close to source as possible. I say source because although this normally means tap water, some folks choose RO water or boost alkalinity for african cichlid tanks. I think that it will take a very long time to dispell the myth that seems to be pervasive in this hobby that old water is good. I frankly can't understand how it came to be, but there it is. In the wild fish live in regions of almost constant water turnover, with few exceptions. Even lakes generally have a high turnover rate compared to most aquariums, and yet there's this belief that old water in which your fish have been living (and carrying out the processes of life, nudge nudge) is better for them.
Stability comes from new water, not old, and what fish need is stability.
I don't mean to flame you harmony, that rant wasn't directed at you, it's just that your post is about the fifth in two days (both on this forum and on the local one) where people have argued with me about keeping old water and not changing too much water.
As long as you have some surplus of NH3, your colonies will continue to grow. Keep pH and temperature steady and keep your NH3 levels sub 1ppm and your tank will cycle and your fish will not be harmed too badly.
For example:
If you change 25% of your water and have say 10ppm NH3, you now have 7.5ppm NH3, so next time you change (assuming there's been neither any input nor bacterial breakdown) you have 5.6ppm. But of course, you know that there is both production and consumption going on.
If we do the same thing with 50% changes, after the first change you're down to 5ppm and after the second 2.5ppm.
Do 2 50% changes back to back. Remove 50%, fill, remove fill. This will be a 75% water change and should get your ammonia levels down to a "safe" level or at least sub 1ppm.
There's really no such thing as "matured" water, you want your tank water to be as close to source as possible. I say source because although this normally means tap water, some folks choose RO water or boost alkalinity for african cichlid tanks. I think that it will take a very long time to dispell the myth that seems to be pervasive in this hobby that old water is good. I frankly can't understand how it came to be, but there it is. In the wild fish live in regions of almost constant water turnover, with few exceptions. Even lakes generally have a high turnover rate compared to most aquariums, and yet there's this belief that old water in which your fish have been living (and carrying out the processes of life, nudge nudge) is better for them.
Stability comes from new water, not old, and what fish need is stability.
I don't mean to flame you harmony, that rant wasn't directed at you, it's just that your post is about the fifth in two days (both on this forum and on the local one) where people have argued with me about keeping old water and not changing too much water.
As long as you have some surplus of NH3, your colonies will continue to grow. Keep pH and temperature steady and keep your NH3 levels sub 1ppm and your tank will cycle and your fish will not be harmed too badly.
The tank itself is new, but the water and all the substrate, plants, everything else is about 3 months old. I just transferred them from a different tank (the new one is nicer 
).
I'm so glad to hear that my mad water changes haven't been hurting anything! After the 50% change this morning (was it this morning? I can't remember, it's been a long day) the ammonia is down from 3.0 mg/l to 1.5 mg/l. Still not at ZERO where I want it, but a definite improvement.
I'm about to go change more of the water.
Another question: would increasing the filter speed help any? I can crank that bad boy up pretty high (the betta wouldn't appreciate it very much, but she'll get over it), but I only want to do that if it would help.
).I'm so glad to hear that my mad water changes haven't been hurting anything! After the 50% change this morning (was it this morning? I can't remember, it's been a long day) the ammonia is down from 3.0 mg/l to 1.5 mg/l. Still not at ZERO where I want it, but a definite improvement.
I'm about to go change more of the water.Another question: would increasing the filter speed help any? I can crank that bad boy up pretty high (the betta wouldn't appreciate it very much, but she'll get over it), but I only want to do that if it would help.
Increasing the filter speed would only help if your biofilter was O2 limited or if you had a circulation problem in your tank. Only you can judge this for sure, but I doubt that it's the case.
OK so no filter cranking... I bought some "ammonia decreaser" for my filter and did another 50% change and the water is still at 1.5 mg/l. :sad I don't want to lose my fish! Does it sound like I'm doing anything else wrong?
Chill honey. 
Remember that you've still got an ammonia source in the tank (the fish) so it's not as simple as just dividing by 2 when you change 50%. I think that what you've discovered is that right now a 50% water change will counter the fishy input.
Do this: Do two 50% changes back to back. Overall that's a 75% change. If you feel keen go for a third, that will bring you to 87%, remember to treat for Cl2.
Hmmm... Does your tap contain chloramines? If so, what are you using to treat your tap water?
Remember that you've still got an ammonia source in the tank (the fish) so it's not as simple as just dividing by 2 when you change 50%. I think that what you've discovered is that right now a 50% water change will counter the fishy input.Do this: Do two 50% changes back to back. Overall that's a 75% change. If you feel keen go for a third, that will bring you to 87%, remember to treat for Cl2.
Hmmm... Does your tap contain chloramines? If so, what are you using to treat your tap water?