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My ammonia is really high. It is 8.0 or 4.0 I have done 50% water changes and have used ammo lock regularly. My tank is 29 gallons and has been running for about a month. I have two black tetras, two white tetras, two head and tail light tetras, and two black phantom tetras

I know nothing about amonia (even spelling it) but I say fill out those schools I think all tetras need 6 of their own kind 2 be happy.

The use of ammo lock in your tank can sometimes cause false readings of your ammonia level.Are our fish showing any signs of being in distress? I would simply stop using the ammo lock wait about a week do a 20% water change and test it again.Also dude is right at some point you do need to and around 4 more of each kind of your tetras for them to be happy.And by the way "Welcome to FishProfiles"

Last edited by Cichlid Keeper at 19-Feb-2005 22:16

I'm with Cichlid Keeper on the ammonia readings, it's quite possible that the ammo lock is giving a false reading. Unless your'e in a minicycle or cycling using ammo lock really isnt necessary.
If it's running a month it's likely to be cycled, but could you post your nitrIte and nitrAte numbers anyway?

^_^

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From my understanding, Skullbash doesn't have nitrIte or NitrAte test kits. There was some discussion in chat before this post was made, so there was a little more information gathered there.

I third the idea that the ammolock is likely to be giving false ammonia readings.

It sounds like you've done all the right things by
- running an extra air-stone
- doing a water change
- adding New Improved Cycle to your tank

I would advise the following action now:
- stop dosing ammolock (I think you said you ran out?)
- take a sample of your water to your local fish store and ask them to test it for nitrIte and nitrAte and post the results here (these results will tell you whether the cycle has finished). Ask for specific readings in parts per million (ppm).
- watch your fish for any signs of distress such as gasping at the top of the water
- don't add any more fish until you have confirmed that the cycle is complete

Oh yeah, and welcome to fishprofiles

Well I did go out and get a master test kit. I teted my nitrite and nitrate and my nitrite is .50 and my nitrate is somewhere in between 0 and 5.

It sounds like the ammolock was giving u false ammonia readings. It also sounds like you are finished with the cycle (or almost finished.) You do however need to rethink your stocking. I personally never keep less than 6 of any schooling fish and 4 of any shoaling fish. I would get rid of 2 schools and add more to 2 that you already have.

Congratulations, your cycle is almost finished

When all the ammolock is flushed out of the system, it's likely you'll find no ammonia in there at all. But keep testing anyway just to be sure. Also any level of nitrite can be stressful to fish so again - don't add more fish until all the nitrite is gone, and even then introduce them a few at a time.

I'm not disagreeing with those who say your fish need to be in schools. But that's a whole new kettle of... a whole new subject

One thing about products like Ammo-Lock, Amquel, - when you get a false reading, it is usually a pretty high false reading. AND, it remains there a good 10 days after the last use of the product. I think they not only show false-positives, they exaggerate the level. Early on, I used Ammo-Lock 2 and the ammonia skyrocketed from about 2.0 to 8.0 in a matter of hours (NOT!). The fish were as happy as could be

What you need to focus on is how the fish are looking (stressed or no sign of stress). If they are good, then the second thing you focus on is nitrites and nitrates. This is what I did.

I was able to tell I was in a legitimate nitrite phase when my white clouds went swimming through the airstone bubbles and in the filter outflow. They have never done this before cycle, nor in the 2 years after the cycle.

Once you have zero ammonia, you should not get any further false-positive readings using those products, but that is not an absolute. False-positives only happen in my water when there is detectable ammonia. Otherwise it is clear.

False positives have a tendency to drop suddenly, from a very high level. I already had a clear 5ppm nitrates, 0ppm nitrites, yet ammonia was still 8.0ppm. All the while the fish were fine. Then one day, I watched it drop from 8.0 to 3.0 in a matter of hours and down to zero the next day. This is because the product is working for a set amount of time, then "stops working". Well, by the time it stops working, your fish are already out of danger.

Last edited by Cory_Di at 23-Feb-2005 14:07