Ammonia Crisis

[Magnus Maximus]

I'll keep this brief. I have a 10 gal tank. It was emptied while we did a remodel and I just attempted to bring it back in October. I suposse I didn't cycle it properly before adding fish and now I have an out of control ammonia situation. (Side note: the place I started going to was staffed by MORONS! I am now going to a shop with seemingly knowledgable people. The first guy gave me bum advice along the way - like put in fish too soon...)
Shortly after adding fish my ammonia level started going up. I tried everything, chems, water changes, you name it. In the six weeks or so that it's been going I haven't been able to get my ammonia under control. Now, my water is so cloudy you can't even see through it. I took the fish out (1 dojo catfish and 2 glo-lite tetras) and moved them into a "hospital tank" (glass beer pitcher) and they seem to be doing fine. Last saturday I emptied and cleaned the whole thing, rocks, everything. Refilled it with intention of cycling it properly. Within 3 days the milk white water was back and my ammo level is through the roof!
The one thing I did differenlty from the last time was I used a different filer. Previuosly I used the bio wheel version. It didn't thrill me - a pain to clean, the wheel kept stopping, etc. This time I tried an Aqua Clear filter. Does anyone have experience with the Aqua Clear brand? Do they work!?
Anyway, I don't know what to do. I've been using Ammo-Lock and such to no avail. Any ideas? Start again, again?
Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks in advance - Rick.

[garbon2535]

They have different chemicals that will help lower your ammonia levels. Also, they have ammonia chips you can put in your filter that will help remove ammonia. You should have left your original tank set-up. When you first start a new tank it is natural for ammonia to spike very high. You have to wait for natural nitrifying bacteria to go. This bacteria will break ammonia down into nitrites. Nitrites are also harmful to your fish. It may take several more weeks for the cycle to complete. This is when your nitrites get broken down into nitrates. Cloudy water is usually nothing to worry about. It is just an alge bloom. It is harmless to your fish and will clear up on it's own. If you can't stand the cloudy water you can do a partial water change.

Read this link on cycling a tank. It is by a professional with a PhD in Marine Biology.

http://www.marineland.com/articles/1firstthirty.asp

[Marinemom]

By cleaning the tank and everything in it you have essentially started a cycle again. My advice is to let the tank cycle properly and naturally and control the levels with daily testings of the water paremeters and water changes when necessary. Trying to use chemicals in a situation like this you may be slowing the cycle down. Just let the tank cycle and the cloudy water will clear up on its own.

Marinemom

[Rbishop]

When you set the tank back up, did you clean it and the parts with anything in particular? How about when you cleaned it this most recent time?

Can you post amonia, nitrite, nitrate readings on the tank and on your tap water?

I would stop using all of those additives like Ammo-Lock, and just use a chlorine/chloramine conditioner, if needed.

Since you haven't any fish in there, I would do enough drains and refills to get ammonia down around 5 ppm if fishless cycling, less than .25 if fishey.

Also, the only times I have seen that level of bubbles in a tank, is when there has been soap residue on surfaces or extreme overdosing with some additives. Any idea what is causing them?

[Ulan]

I agree, looks like someone used glass cleaner. They most often contain ammonia and detergent, which would explain both, the high ammonia level and that insane amount of large bubbles.

[Magnus Maximus]

Thanks for the feed back. I used NO cleaners or solvents of any kind to clean the tank or apperatus. Just cold water and elbow grease.
I have stopped using chems (though I still have the anti-ammonia insert in the filter).
I am at a loss for the foam as well. The bubbler is on the left side, so it seems that the filter inflow is casuing the foam.
My ammonia has been off the chart (dark green in the test tube). My niltrates and nitites are nil. Also, my ph is really low, like below 6.0, but I figure that's from all the ammo-lock.
I am going to keep the fish out of there for the time being and attempt to get the bio-cycle going again. I'll do half tank changes every other day and keep the chems out. We'll see how it goes. I'll let you all know.
No one commented on my filter question. Does anyone know if the Aqua Clean filter works well? Do I need to get back to the bio-wheel?
Thanks again for all your feed back! - Rick...

[Ulan]

Aqua Clear are good filters. I think it's the most popular brand of HOB filters here on the board. You might want to clean them from time to time (remove the motor, take the impeller out, etc.). What do you have in your media basket? Maybe, someone put soap in or you have a dead fish in there?

I think the reason why you didn't get any answers in the first place is that probably nobody ever saw anything like that. Somehow, it looks as if someone tampered with your tank when you were not around. Do you have a little sibling or child who likes to play jokes and doesn't know how serious this can be? Or did your mother/wife'SO try to do something good in your absence and clean the aquarium glass? This foam there looks like detergent. I've seen protein foam, but that wasn't that fluffy. I'd try to ask around.

Edit: Look closely at the sponge in the media basket. Perhaps someone exchanged it for a cleaning sponge that was pre-treated with detergent.

[rosita]

I have both Biowheel and HOB (e.g. Aqua Clear, Whisper) filters. I highly prefer the HOB's--more aeration, fairly quiet, etc. The filters they use are a pad, which is easily removed and rinsed (in a container of tank water) as long as you're careful and don't dump a filter-load of gunk into the tank!!! Good luck, that is really a bizarre-looking bunch of foam/bubbles!! Just keep up water changes, as all recommended---and are you using a liquid reagent test, or strips? Aquarium Pharmaceuticals make a great test kit. . . . quite accurate. :rolleyes:

[Twiz]

I use two Aqua Clears on my 28g and couldn't be happier...the water is crystal clear. What I like the most about them is the abiility to change media as you choose. For example, at the moment I have sponge, charcoal, and ceramic rings in one and sponge, purigen, and ceramic rings in the other. My water has gotten the purest since I started using purigen.

I will pretty much only use Aqua Clears now when buying a HOB from this point forward. The Whisper that came with the tank didn't seem to work well at all, but it was the exact size for the tank (Whisper 30) whereas the Aqua Clears I have now are marketed at way above my tank size (Aqua Clear 50 X 2).

[NeonJulie]

I had that, almost exactly that, my first attempt of fishless cycling, using an ammonia product which contained surfactants. Do you rinse your arms off with hot water before working on the tank? It does look like somehow soap got in it... however, as I dictated in my post about detecting soap-like ammonia sources, you can usually tell by feeling.

When you rub your hand along the glass, is it coated? Does it squeak, like the friction water usually has?

Was any of your buckets used for anything else in a prior life?

So sorry for your woes... in the meantime, is it possible to return your fish? It could be some time before this gets resolved.