Ammonia Issue

T

tra1216

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Mar 4, 2005
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Hi there! :o I have a 35 gallon hexagon aquarium with 1 pleco, 4 angels, 2 bala sharks, and 2 silver doallars. I hve found that I am having a problem controlling the ammonia in the tank. Last night I did approx. a 45% water change due to the amount of junk on the floor and floating in the aquarium. We had used algae destroyer about 4 days prior to cleaning the aquarium due to the excessive algae growth. We changed the filter last night, and we used some stress zyme. Today we were instructed to use Doc Wellfish's Aquarium Salt to try and remedy the ammonia problem, but the tank has been getting more cloudy. The tank temp is 73 degrees F and we have been using Aqua Safe for the water changes. I would appreciate and suggestions that you may have. :confused:
 
Well the tank is very overstocked, bala's can get 16 inches, angels can get fairly large and i'm assuming its a common pleco that can get 12+inches. I'd suggest getting rid of a few of the fish.
 
I was afraid of that. This is my first aquarium and I have not gotten a lot of useful knowledge from the local fish/ pet stores. I am currently looking into a larger aquarium, atleast 50 gallons I do believe. I hope that will be enough. Thank you for your advice.
 
Well other than the overstocked tank we will look at the problem. Obviously the tank isn't fully cycled. If you haven't read the article in the newbie stickies then I suggest doing so.

As the tank is being cycled with fish you will probably need to be doing a water change almost daily to keep the ammonia and nitrite down. Make sure the ammonia gets no more than 2ppm at most, 1ppm is a better max. Nitrites should never get above 0.25 ppm.

Changing the filter media at this point is bad. The filter isn't meant to grab gunk so much as it is meant to act as a bed for bacteria to grow in. Removing the media means you loose all the good bacteria it was growing. Instead you should rinse it out in old tank water during water changes, or at least some dechlorinated water.

The Salt works well in dealing with nitrite problems but really does nothing for ammonia.

The cloudy issue is a bacterial imbalance and should be as bad a problem as the ammonia levels. Keep up the water changes, as much as you need to keep the ammonia and nitrite down.

Raise the tank temp when the ammonia problems are more under control. I would look at keeping it around 78F for those fish.

The algae growth is due to high algae levels. Stop using the destroyer stuff. Water changes and a good algae scrapper shoudl do the trick.

Gte rid of the bala sharks and pleco if you can by returning to the store. A better choice would be a nice small school of 6 cory catfish, but don't get them until the tank is cycled.
 
Thanks for the advice. I have had the balas since the tank was established, and have had the pleco for several months now without this problem. The filter had turned a very dark color and had a HUGe amount of sludge on it when it was changed yesterday. I hope to not have to change the filter again anytime soon. I will do another change of water tonight to see if it does any help. I will also look into the local pet stores as to whether they take fish back. I hope to be able to acquire a larger aquarium i the next few weeks( I would sooner but simply cannot afford it at this very moment), and I will ahve the water retested tomorrow as well. Thanks again for all of the help.
 
Common plecos get big 12-18 inches and create a huge amount of waste. Rubber nose, bristle nose, and clown plecos get only 4". Oto catfish are good too. Two angels are good for a 35 gallon, you may be able to get away with 3. The bala sharks will get too big for the tank, I'd say trade them in at the pet store for some cory catfish to clean the bottom (group of 6). The angels are great for the larger "display fish" in your aquarium. Now all u need is a group of (about 6) SMALL tetras or SMALL barbs. What kind of filter do you have? The GPH (gallons per hour) circulation should be 8-10 times the amount of water in your aquarium. I will assume you have a hang-on back filter. Rinse out the sponge with aquarium water and reuse it. Get a pouch of aquaclear biomax. Its tiny ceramic noodles that create a home for bacteria. The weekly water changes help too. This shold take care of the ammonia and algea but u have to get rid of the pleco, balas, and 1-2 angels. Maayybe u can get away with the 4 angels but have good filtration. Salt does NOTHING for ammonia.
 
I just read TKOS' advice. If two people give you the exact same advice... (get rid of the balas and pleco, salt & ammonia, cories, resuse the filter media) then you ought to listen! :D
 
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