Ammonia

[FishKeeper-16]

For some reason my ammonia level has been high and I currently use two bio wheels and I also have gravel substrate. I have been doing 50% water changes, dosing stress zyme, use ammo chips and cleaned filters and I still have high ammonia. Can u guys help me?

 

[nugs]

Was the tank completely cycled before you added fish? If fish are added too soon, i.e. before the cycle completes, the cycle can stall... and stall... and stall... do you have a source for some fully "cycled" media/substrate/etc that you could add to the tank? Have you tried Bio-spira?

 

[SCU33ZE]

there u go,,the ammo chips are eatng off the ammonia, so the bacteria don't get a chance. Just use the stress zyme and repeated water changes.(this is if your cycling) if not cycling your biomedia must of have gone bad(bio wheels dry quickly in a power faliure) or you must have waaay too much fish.

 

[Holly9937]

How is your nitrite? You say cleaned filters, are you cleaning in tap water or tank water?

 

[mooman]

Quote: If fish are added too soon, i.e. before the cycle completes, the cycle can stall... and stall... and stall...

Please explain how the addition of fish to an uncycled tank would cause a cycle to stall. The only way I could see that happening, is if the fish put out soooooo much ammonia that it kills the bacteria (this would never happen because the fish would die first)

I'm going with the ammo-lock making ammonia unavailable and consequently starving the bacteria. Also, have you tested your tap water for ammonia? How high is high? Try testing tank water before and right after a water change and see what happens.

good luck

 

[nugs]

Quote: If fish are added too soon, i.e. before the cycle completes, the cycle can stall... and stall... and stall...

Please explain how the addition of fish to an uncycled tank would cause a cycle to stall. The only way I could see that happening, is if the fish put out soooooo much ammonia that it kills the bacteria (this would never happen because the fish would die first)

ok, I retract that statement.. I should've worded it differently.

First how long has this tank been set up? And what are you parameter readings? ammonia, nitItes, and nitrAtes

The bioload (ammonia) may be too high for the current bacteria in place to keep up with. Nitrifying bacteria,nitrosomonas, breaks the ammonia down from toxic levels to a less toxic form, nitrItes. Nitrobacter is a denitrifying bacteria that breaks the nitrItes down to less toxic nitrAtes.

What i was trying to say is that it possible that the bacterial colonies have not "matured" fully and can not handle the bio-load/breakdown of ammonia, hence the high ammonia levels. Does that make sense?

 

[FishKeeper-16]

My tank has been set up and was fully cycled and I have not lost any fish at all since December and I usually don't clean the bio wheels, if I must do so then I use old aquarium water.

 

[Kasakato]

Whats the question now?