ammonia problems

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Icolllect2005

Registered Member
Feb 11, 2007
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Hello all!
I'm frustrated, pulling hair out over what has happened to the 30 gal. long tank. After medicating the tank with Ick, Melafix, & Pimaflix for a solid month due to introducing one sick fish, the tank was not stabilizing the ammonia production. SO, last Wed. I removed the remaining fish, plants, water and gravel (keeping the filter system intact), & managed to bust the tank while en-route to the bathtub. Bought a new tank Thursday and after washing the gravel as thoroughly as possible and cleaning off the plants, started filling the tank with Stress Coat treated water. I took a Stress Coat water sample and also took a water sample from the tank after adding approx. 20 gals. The Stress Coat water sample was fine; the tank water sample was already high in ammonia. Is it a good assumption that the gravel is still contributing to the high ammonia level? I can't think of anything else. Should I remove the old gravel (2.5" in a 30 gal. long tank) and replace it? I'm still using Ammo Lock to keep the fish safe, and so far so good--they are not showing any signs of stress. Suggestions are welcome!

Carole
30 gal. long tank
5 black mollies
4 yellow danios
1 cordy
4 platys
6 plants
 
there is probably some decaying waste in the gravel, but do NOT run it under tap water. it will kill any bacteria that are growing, and those bacteria will eat the ammoina. there is also no need to take out the gravel every time to do a water change. taking a gravel vaccum and going over it will be enough and it will get rid of any fish crud in the gravel.

it also sounds like you fully stocked the tank before you cycled it, which is why you are seeing high ammoina.
 
jm1212 said:
there is probably some decaying waste in the gravel, but do NOT run it under tap water. it will kill any bacteria that are growing, and those bacteria will eat the ammoina. there is also no need to take out the gravel every time to do a water change. taking a gravel vaccum and going over it will be enough and it will get rid of any fish crud in the gravel.

it also sounds like you fully stocked the tank before you cycled it, which is why you are seeing high ammoina.
Click to expand...
thank you for the responses. The 30 gal was set up late Nov., stocked mid-Dec. and was fine until the episode with the sick fish late in Dec. It infected all the fish, and I managed to cross infect the 10 gal. tank too. Stupid, yes. Anyhow, I don't on a whim take the tanks all the way down. The 10 gal. is just fine now (managed to keep this one well for over a year now). I'll take your advice and just do partial water changes and wait until it stablilzes. Hmm, the biofilter system is for "up to a 30 gal. tank" ---this tank is the standard long size of 36"--would a larger biofilter help or hinder? I'd really like about 20-25 fish plus the plants in this tank.
Thanks again.
Carole
 
Partial water changes are going to be your best friend right now. I also think that the addition of another filter to go along with this filter is not a bad idea. You can never have too much filteration in a tank. Besides if one filter goes down, then the other filter will still be up and running so the fish will at least have some filteration going. The problem with just one filter is if it should go down(and it always seems to happen at 2AM)is if it does go down for any reason, that means that the life support system for your fish will have just shut down. Of course that is bad. Two filters will solve this problem. Also if you do decide to go with another filter, and you mentioned that this is a planted tank you may want to stay away from a filter that has a bio-wheel if you are injecting co2. The bio-wheel will gass the co2 off too fast and the plants will not be able to use it.

Marinemom
 
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