What is the deadly ammonia level for Platies?

[yhbae]

As you may have guessed, I am cycling with Platies. After 5 days, I started detecting trace of ammonia, and after 11 days, the tester reads between 0.5 - 1.0. All 3 Platies seem to behave ok and feeds well (very active when I drop some flakes in). Their colors seem more vibrant than when they first arrived. They occupy all depth of water and they even come close to my hands when I gravel vac the tank. Ever since I detected ammonia, I've been doing 10% water change every day, and the current level has been stablizing for the past 5 days.

I have yet to detect any trace of nitrite...

So just to prepare myself, what level is too much for these guys as far as ammonia is concerned?

 

[Andy16]

Any trace of ammonia is too much. Try fishless cycling.

 

[TKOS]

Yes, any detectable ammonia is too much. It will shorten the life of the fish. Even if platies are hardy it will still hurt them. Of course it is probably too late now to do a fishless cycle but I would suggest doing a water change anytime you get detectable ammonia levels. This of course will make for a very slow cycle, but that is the problem with the fishy cycle, it is generally much slower.

You could also try adding live plants to the tank. They will use the ammonia and nitrites and thus make the cycle easier on the fish. PLus platies love live plants. I don't knwo all the ins and outs of cycling with plants but it does change things quite a bit.

 

[LMOUTHBASS]

ahhh

when i first cycled my tank i didnt know about the fishless cycle either (unfortunatley) - your in for a long , fustrating, slow haul. But as long as you do your regualr water changes your platies shoul survive. I have the same platies i originally cycled with Though i'm not sure they woulve made it if i hadnt changed the water practically every day. Now, stop vacuuming your gravel when you change the water, because your going to suck out a lot of your good bacteria you need to eat the ammonia, then keep feedings to a minimum one every other day shoul help, your ammonia shoul clear quickly as soon as you have some bacteria goin, but once your nitrite spikes it takes a long time to get that to low levels, i woul say at least 6 weeks, for now i woulnt put any thing else in the tank but good luck!!!

 

[wetmanNY]

Water changes and plants! as TKOS suggests. Floating Water Sprite, Java Fern and Java Moss are three very easy ones.

The effects of ammonia and nitrite toxicity won't show right away. A pinch of common salt (or better potassium chloride-- Nu-Salt) per ten gallons helps with nitrite toxity. The chloride competes for uptake with nitrite. Later you'll dilute out the salt with the water changes. Or the plants will use up the potassium, if you go that way.

 

[yashinfan]

When I read about the fishless cycle, and saw that it takes WEEKS, I decided against it. With my 23 gallon I put 2 fish in at a time and slowly made it to seven (probably in a week or so?) and I never had ANY ammonia. This made me very glad I didn't do a fishless cycle. For my second tank I started with 3 fish in the 10 gallon but my amonia did go up to even 2ppm!! My fish survived it and only had to endure it for 3-4 days while I did 20% water changes a day. They are currently happy and healthy in a 30 gallon, which again, I never cycled and never had any amonia in it. So pretty much it seems to me that if you have a good sized tank with a few fish than there will never be detectable amonia. I wouldn't waste my time on a fishless cycle unless the tank was under 20 gallons!

 

[yhbae]

Hmm, two more days have gone by and I still have a identical reading. I do have Java ferns and Java moss already in the tank since day 1. I have been changing water 10% every night, but I gravel vac'ed each time. Perhaps I should stop doing this and just do the water change for the next few days?

Still zero nitrite...

Should I change how much/frequently I do the water change?

You are right about Platies liking real plants. They nibble at Java ferns (no damage) and one of the female figured out that the male doesn't like to go deep inside Java moss, and since I dropped a little flat stone in the middle of the moss to keep it down there, she likes to stay just on top of this little stone! Interesting, since this is the female that usually gets much more attention from the male when both are in the open water. I guess she found the perfect hiding place from the male!