ammonia levels to high ???

Question

I just bought a 40 G fish tank i put 5 plants in and waited 5 days for water to be ready to put fish in. i then put 6 afracin ciclids in and two bottom feeders fish are still alive 2 weeks later but i have a ammonia leval of 1.0, nitrate 5.0, ph 7.4-7.6, and nitrite at 0ppm is this ok? i know any ammonia is bad for the fish not to sure what to do please help.

i have a bio penguin bio wheel filter im useing what ever came with it

Answer 1

A Short Brief on the Nitrogen Cycle.


When you start a new aquarium it will go through what is called the nitrogen cycle.

The nitrogen cycle is a process which allows "good" bacteria to establish and multiple in the tank, thus breaking down the fish wastes.

Fish excrete ammonia as a waste product. Ammonia is highly toxic to fish and even small quantities in the water can kill your fish. The first bacteria that establish as part of the nitrogen cycle break down ammonia into a product called nitrites.

Nitrites are also toxic to your fish, but not nearly as toxic as ammonia is. As the nitrites start to rise in the tank the bacteria that feed on nitrites will start to multiply and consume the nitrites breaking them down into nitrates.

Nitrates are also toxic to fish, but only in very high quantities. The nitrates will continue to rise in your tank as long as you have fish and are feeding them. Water changes are used to reduce the nitrate levels.


How long does this process take?

Typically the nitrogen cycle takes between 4-6 weeks to complete. During this time it's recommended that you take samples of your tank water to the local fish store and ask them to test it for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. The test levels will progress as follows:


Stage 1:

Ammonia zero
Nitrites zero
Nitrates zero

Stage 2:

Ammonia starts to rise
Nitrites zero
Nitrates zero

Stage 3:
Ammonia continues to rise
Nitrites begin to rise
Nitrites zero

Stage 4:
Ammonia levels drop
Nitrites continue to rise
Nitrates begin to rise

Stage 5:
Ammonia: zero
Nitrites levels drop
Nitrates continue to rise

Stage 6:
Ammonia: Zero
Nitrites: Zero
Nitrates continue slow rise



Tips to reduce the time of the nitrogen cycle.

The easiest way to reduce or eliminate the nitrogen cycle is to use a filter from an established tank. This filter already has the bacteria needed to breakdown ammonia and nitrites. By using an established filter you essentially bypass the nitrogen cycle.

Another easy way to shorten the cycle is to use "seed" gravel from an established tank. Simply take a few cups of gravel from an established tank and add it directly into the new tank. This gravel will contain a starter of the bacteria needed. If you don't want to add the gravel to the tank because it is a different color/stone than your gravel you can simply put it into a nylon stocking or cheese cloth "bag" and drop it into the tank. Using this method can cut your cycle time by 50%.

Finally there are live cultures of bacteria such as Bio-Spira (available at http://www.fishstoretn.com ) which will seed your tank with the bacteria needed. This product can virtually eliminate the cycling process.



Stocking your tank during this period.

During the cycling process you want to stock your tank very lightly. This is because if you have too many fish the ammonia will build up faster than the bacteria can break it down and your fish will die. I recommend only 1 or 2 hardy fish such as mollies. You want a fish that can tolerate the fluctuating ammonia and nitrite levels during the cycling process. There are many fish which should be avoided during this process including all catfish and any scaleless fish such as loaches.



Feeding during the cycling process.

I recommend that you feed your fish only once per day, and only as much as they will eat in 5-10 seconds. You should net out any food left over after feeding to prevent it from breaking down into ammonia. Once the cycling process completes you can double the feedings to twice a day.



Water changes during the cycling process.

If done correctly your tank shouldn't need any water changes during the cycling process. However should you find that your ammonia or nitrite levels are dangerously high during the cycling process you should do an immediate 25-50% water change to lower those levels. Water changes during the cycling process can extend the time it takes for your tank to cycle. Once the tank has completed cycling you should start your weekly 10-25% water changes to lower the nitrates in the tank.

Answer 2

That's a good filter 'but it takes several weeks (like 5 or 6) for the bacteria colonies to form. They don't actually remove any ammonia until they are attached to something solid,and getting plenty of oxygen. That's why the bio-wheel works so good. The ammonia destroying bacteria convert it to nitrites,just as toxic as ammonia, the next bunch of bacteria break down the nitrates into nitrates,then you take the nitrates out of the water in small,regular water changes. The whole bacteria growing process takes about 5 or 6 weeks.When the ammonia levels start to go down,monitor the nitrates until they go to zero,then add fish slowly no more than 2 or 3 at a time.Change out some water, don't feed at all,check the ammonia levels and bring them down carefully,maybe a 25% change right away ,then 10% a day until you gain control. Then resume feeding in very small quantities. Good luck,PeeTee

Answer 3

Your tank is cycling and the ammonia and nitrate are dangerously high. If you don't get it lower your fish will die.

I would do a 50% water change right now. You should keep the siphon close to the sand/gravel like a 1/2 inch above it but not dug into it b/c if you dig into it you will kill the good bacteria that eats the fish waste. Test again for ammonia/nitrate/nitrite in a day or two. It should be lower, but you may need to do another water change in a few days - you need to get rid of the water with all the ammonia. When you clean the filter and filter media, use the aquarium water b/c tap water will kill the good bacteria, but i wouldn't touch the filter stuff for a while since your cycling. Remember ammonia & nitrite should be ZERO and nitrate should be as close to ZERO as possibile (anything over 20 is getting risky), so do water changes until ammonia/nitrite/nitrate are zero (for nitrate as close to zero as possible).
I hope this helps and your fish make it

Answer 4

Frist, check the test kits you have with distilled water from the supermart, make sure your test kit is okay.

If your test kits are accurate, it basically means that your filter is too small to support your bio-load.

3 things you can do :

1) Remove some of your fishes.
2) If you don't want to remove fish, check your filter if there are space for bio-media, I recommend that you add Ehiem Substrate or Substrate Pro into the filter. This media provides more space for the bacterial to grow, with the extra bacterial they would hopefully able to process the ammonia completely.
3) If your filter does not have room for bio-media, you probably have to get a larger filter which room for mechnical and biological media.

Hopes this helps. If you are not sure of the terms I have used, ask your aquarium shop and they should be able to explain it to you.

Answer 5

Do a 50% water change, condition, monitor, and if the levels have not changed in 24-48 hours you may have to repeat. The water change should be less than 50% the next time, but if you get a good conditioner, you should see a bit of a change. I would then change 25% of the water if levels are still dangreous.

Answer 6

Amonia level is high..clearly you know that.. temporarly you could use Chemicals to neutralize the amonia that will make your nitrite level( i believe otherwise its nitrate) bounce up a little but as long as thats below 80 oppm it should be okay... next time i would suggest cylcing a tank with some kind of instant cylcer they sell at pet stores otherwise it can be very hard on fish(only need to cylce new tanks)

Answer 7

get used to doing water changes -- about 20% a day. usually if you can smell it you need to change it. you can chemical treat it right now to knock it down and put some ammonia pellet things under your filter pad --

Answer 8

Use AmmoCarb instead of regular carbon in your filtration. You'll see a drop in ammonia.