High Ammonia and pH levels

S

snyder1185

AC Members
Nov 3, 2006
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I started out my tank all wrong without getting it started. I given my fish to my local lfs. All I kept is my pleco because they couldn't take him and I have not found a home for him. When they tested the water they found that the ammonia levels are extremely high, a little nitrite, and a high pH. They then gave me a chemical called Prime that is supposed to make tap water safe as well as controlling the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and pH levels. I have changed 25% of my water and added this Prime twice, and my water is not getting any better. What am I doing wrong, and how can I get my tank successfully cycling so I do not hurt this pleco, and can safely add more fish and plants? Need help badly. :cool:
 
P.s.

Oh yeah. I forgot to mention. I have a 10 gallon freshwater tank with an Aqua-Tech 5/15 filter and a heater. The water is cleared up drastically since the changes, and the smell has gone away. The ammonia and pH levels are just still very high. :cool:
 
get a test kit ( a good one not dip/strips)and test your water frequently..if the level of ammonia or nitrite reach anything higher than .25..do a water change.
you won't hurt your cycle but you lower the risk to your fish.

do not add more fish. live plants?

you can add them..they won't have any issues with ammonia..since most of the plants use the ammonia as food.(note they do not use nitrites)
 
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Yes, my filter is at it's highest flow. If I add plants, will it help get the cycle started. If so, what are good plants to add. Thanks for the help so far.
 
The cycle started when you added the fish. Now you need to get the test kits to monitor progress such as the ammonia spike. All while continuing to do water changes to protect the fish from high ammonia and nitrite levels. That's all I can think of right now. Also do you know what fish you want to put in the tank after you get rid of the pleco, of course. Just asking because you obviously went down the wrong route with the pleco. Just remeber that we are here to help so feel free to ask as many questions that you want. Good luck.
 
After you treat with prime, the water still tests high for ammonia because most test kits can't distinguish between ammonia and ammoniUM. I learned on this board that Prime renders ammonia safe by turning it into ammonium.
 
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