I have a 1 month old 20 gallon fresh water aquarium stocked with 9 community fish. I have a power filter and an underground filter. I have no dead fish (yet) but my ammonia levels keep rising. I use Ammo Lock and keep testing the water and they don't seem to ever come down. What can I do to lower the extremely high ammonia levels in my tank?

High ammonia levels in an aquarium are always due to one of five possible causes: 1) The tank is over-stocked or has been stocked too quickly. See our guidelines for stocking aquariums in this FAQ for more information. You did not describe the 9 fish you have. If they are larger specimens, it is possible that you have an over-crowded tank. The rule is one inch of fish per gallon, and the tank should be stocked in small increments every two weeks until capacity is reached. 2) Over-feeding. Check the FAQ for how to properly feed fish. The trick in not over-feeding is to make sure that nearly all the food goes INSIDE the fish and not to the bottom of the tank where it will rot. Keep in mind that cutting back on the frequency of feeding has absolutely no effect if the AMOUNT of food being fed is too much. Better to feed more often, but feed the proper amount of food in very small quantities. See the FAQ on feeding. 3) Chloramine in the tap water used for water changes. Using your Ammo Lock in new water used for water changes will alleviate this problem. 4) Water is being changed but the gravel is not being vacuumed. It is very important to vacuum the gravel when removing old water during a water change to remove organic material that can accumulate and produce ammmonia. 5) There may be a decoration in the tank that is made of an organic material that is decaying. Using non-aquatic plants is a common example. Another is trying to keep live plants without proper lighting so they decay, producing ammonia. One of these five factors is your problem. You should also know that Ammo-Lock and other liquid ammonia neutralizers make ammonia less harmful but do not hide ammonia from most test kits. Only a Salicylate ammonia test kit (Kordon makes one) will test actual free ammonia when ammonia neutralizing liquids are being used.

Top
I believe I need more oxygen in my 35 gal hex tank. I have a filter and 2 six-inch air curtains, yet my fish still hang out at the top of my tank or near the air curtains. What can I do to add to the oxygen level in my tank?

Without more information, it is almost impossible to diagnose and answer your questions. However, our first thought is that you probably have too many fish in the tank and/or are over-feeding. Water can only hold so much oxygen, and adding air to the tank IS NOT adding much oxygen. Air is more than 70% nitrogen, so aeration does not increase oxygen levels very much at all. You have a hexagon tank, which will not support as many fish as a rectangular tank of the same volume. The only place oxygen can enter the aquarium is through the water surface, and a hexagon tank has a reduced surface area. The rule for stocking RECTANGULAR tanks is one inch of fish per gallon. For a hexagon tank, you need to use the more accurate rule of one inch of fish per 12 square inches of surface area. Check our other FAQ for stocking guidelines and how to properly-feed fish.

Top
I am currently cycling a 110 gal. tank. Should a water change be done before the tank actually cycles? Two months ago, I put damsels in to get the thing going. They all died quickly except one. After 2 weeks, I put in 4 more damsels and they have all been dying one by one. What can I do?

You need to get a test kit and monitor the ammonia and nitrite levels in your tank. After the first introduction of fish, It is only safe to add more after the ammonia and nitrite levels go down to zero. Even fish that can tolerate ammonia, such as Damsels, will die unless they get used to it gradually. Yes, it is OK to do a partial water change during the cycle, then 10% every two to three weeks afterwards. I would do an immediate 50% water change. Also, we stress this throughout our FAQ questions, so don't take it personally: The Internet is at best, a mediocre place to get good information when you are a beginning hobbyist. It only works well once you already know the basics. Please! Get a book!

Top
I was wondering what level is the pH should be for a Saltwater aquarium. It is about 7.6 right now. I have live substrate and live rock with really softwater in our town. How do I get the level down if it is too high? Will a water conditioner do that, did I just not add enough of it when filling the tank?

The pH should be about 8.0 to 8.4, so your pH is too low. Not surprising at all if you have very soft tapwater. You need to get a good marine pH buffer, which also buffers alkalinity (realtive hardeness). Both Kent Marine and SeaChem make good products for this purpose.

Top
I just recently hooked up a reactor and im getting bleaching on my corals. Is it because theres to much CO2?

Very likely, yes. Any change made to aquarium water chemistry should be done slowly in order to not affect sensitive animals. We suspect you hav things cranked up in an effort to fix your calcium/alkalinity balance quickly. This will always backfire. The use of a Ca reactor should be undertaken with care, gradually increasing the CO2 fed into the reactor based on water tests for pH, alkalinity and calcium. It should take weeks to strike a balance.

Top
I am in the 11th day of the nitrogen cycle. My pH is 8.0 and amonia level is 0.2. At best I have trace nitrates if any at this point. When can expect nitrates to rise and how often should I test the water? How many fish should I keep to maintain a heealthy fish only tank?

Before you see fair amounts of nitrate, you will see high levels of nitrite. Nitrites are prodiuced by the Nitrosomonas bacteria that are metabolizing ammonia. The nitrites will be metabolized by Nitrobacter bacteria into nitrates and that is when you'll start noticing a rise in nitrates. That won't be for a few more weeks. A marine tank usually "cycles" in about six to eight weeks. You should test water weekly. You should keep no more than three inches of fish per square foot of surface area. See our other FAQ and articles on this subject.

Top
I have just entered my fifth week of cycling my marine tank with five damsels in a fish only set up. My Ammonia levels are falling, but my Nitrites have risen. Water is clear, fish look and behave normal. Should I do a partial water change now or wait for the cycle to be completed?

Never perform a water change while cycling a tank. Doing so will only serve to slow down your cycle. Unless there is a visible problem such as excessive cloudiness, foul smell, or rapid fish losses, it is best to let your cycle run it's full course naturally. This can take anywhere from 2 to 8 weeks, depending on your tank conditions and setup.

Top
Our three Bettas are in a three gallon tank. Is it necessary to add aquarium salt to Aqua Safe conditioned Los Angeles city water?

It is not necessary, and in fact not needed in any event for Bettas. The more important question is this: are all three Bettas male, and are they separated??

Top
Will adding coral rock to a tropical freshwater set up raise th carbonate hardness of the water? Do you recommend putting coral rock in a freshwater sut up at all?

Natural coral will almost always raise both the carbonate hardness and pH of a freshwater aquarium, as will sea shells. It is not recommended to add these types of decorations to a freshwater aquarium. Aside from the water chemistry changes, natural coral tends to be sharper than what is found in most freshwater environments, and will often result in serious injuries to your fish.

Top
I bought a freshwater snowflake eel, and after about 3 weeks, it died. i want to purchase another one, but, what will the best water chemistry be? What ph, temp, water softness. should i use salt, how much , and what kind ? I want to provide the best enviroment i can for it. THANK YOU, ROBBIE WILLIAMS

Top

Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6

Was this page helpful?

Frequent Aquarium Questions