Didn't cycle tank, ammonia levels are off the chart
Forum rules
Read this before posting!!
Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.
1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.
2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)
4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.
5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.
We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.
While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.
Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
Read this before posting!!
Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.
1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.
2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)
4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.
5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.
We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.
While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.
Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
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Pufferidiot
Didn't cycle tank, ammonia levels are off the chart
I didn't know I had to cycle my tank (amateur), and added way too many fish at once. My ammonia levels are off the chart and I have no Nitrates. How do I help my poor fish. I was sucked into the whole "freshwater puffers" thing, and I bought 4 for my 29 gal tank. Wal Mart said that was plenty of room :0( How do I get my ammonia levels down and nitrates to a healthy level? I am thinking 50 percent water changes every day. Is that too much? Will it lower the ph levels too much? I have had the tank for about a month now, and have the salinity at 1.013 now, but the puffers are starting to get black around their eyes and one has a really light black spot forming on it's belly. HELP!!!
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Pufferidiot
Re: Didn't cycle tank, ammonia levels are off the chart
Read more....shook the Nitrate test bottle #2 for 2 minutes, and multiplied my answer by 4. It says now that I have a nitrate level of 20ppm. That is supposed to be good. Did I do the test right? My ammonia levels are between 4 and 8ppm. I have been using Slime. Is this why my ammonia levels are so high and I shouldn't worry (cause I'm still worried)? Is it true that when I do my water changes that I'm not supposed to vacuum the gravel (or it makes the ammonia levels skyrocket)? If that's true, how do I clean my gravel?
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Pufferpunk
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T niphobles - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
- Location: Greenville, SC
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Re: Didn't cycle tank, ammonia levels are off the chart
What happened to your account? Try to open another account & spell your name Pufferidiot or use a different name. Then I can move this to the corect forum.
Stop using any chemicals in your tank, other than Prime to dechlorinate the water & detoxify ammonia. If you need to, 90% daily water changes can be done to keep the toxic ammonia/nitrite from poisoning your fish.
Are these GSPs? Your tank is only large enough to possibly support one adult (55g is best). You'll either need to upgrade to a minimum of 120g (for adult GSPs) or reduce the population by 3 puffers.
Stop using any chemicals in your tank, other than Prime to dechlorinate the water & detoxify ammonia. If you need to, 90% daily water changes can be done to keep the toxic ammonia/nitrite from poisoning your fish.
Are these GSPs? Your tank is only large enough to possibly support one adult (55g is best). You'll either need to upgrade to a minimum of 120g (for adult GSPs) or reduce the population by 3 puffers.
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
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log on trouble
Re: Didn't cycle tank, ammonia levels are off the chart
I tried to register after I already used Pufferidiot as a username for a guest. Will that mess things up? I don't have the email I need yet. It has been quite a while since I registered. Yes they are GSP. I can't take them back to the store, and nobody wants them. What should I do with the other 3 GSP?
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Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32987
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Puffers I have kept:
T lineatus
T miurus
A modestus
T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
C lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
- Location: Greenville, SC
- Contact:
Re: Didn't cycle tank, ammonia levels are off the chart
Are there no mom & pop stores around? You're going to have to upgrade your tank then.
Open a new email account, it's easy.
Open a new email account, it's easy.
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
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log on trouble
Re: Didn't cycle tank, ammonia levels are off the chart
I live in a little podunk town. The only place that has any fish or supplies is Wal Mart. I already asked them to take them back (out of kindness for the puffer fish, ha ha, like they take care of them) and they said they already have too many. They don't even have any bigger tanks for me to upgrade. I will have to have one shipped in, if they live that long (have to wait for payday). I tried to register again under a different name and email, and I still don't have the email I need :0(
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sevenyearnight
- Former Staff Member
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Balki Bartokomous - Location (country): USA
- Location: South Carolina
Re: Didn't cycle tank, ammonia levels are off the chart
I recent the email, have you checked your spam folder?
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Pufferidiot
- Puffer Fry
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- Joined: Sat Dec 03, 2011 4:34 pm
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Re: Didn't cycle tank, ammonia levels are off the chart
I just received it. Thank you :0)
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sevenyearnight
- Former Staff Member
- Posts: 1894
- Joined: Wed Aug 31, 2011 2:41 am
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: T. nigroviridis
Balki Bartokomous - Location (country): USA
- Location: South Carolina
Re: Didn't cycle tank, ammonia levels are off the chart
Ok, great, I'll move this to the Hospital for you.
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sevenyearnight
- Former Staff Member
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Balki Bartokomous - Location (country): USA
- Location: South Carolina
Re: Didn't cycle tank, ammonia levels are off the chart
For now, +1 to PP's post.
Don't push for Walmart to take them back, they tend to just flush them.
If you follow the advice, you should be able to keep them alive until you can get a bigger tank.
Don't push for Walmart to take them back, they tend to just flush them.
If you follow the advice, you should be able to keep them alive until you can get a bigger tank.
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Pufferidiot
- Puffer Fry
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Re: Didn't cycle tank, ammonia levels are off the chart
Should I re post using above list to give all details, or do I just know I'm in trouble cause my tank is too small? I have 4 GSP that are about 1 1/2" long. Can they not even live for a month in that small of a tank when they are that size?
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Pufferidiot
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Sat Dec 03, 2011 4:34 pm
- Location (country): USA
Re: Didn't cycle tank, ammonia levels are off the chart
I have been doing 50 percent water changes about every 3 days since I got them. Ammonia levels are 8ppm when I start, and an hour after the water change it is at 2ppm. I have been adding slime with every water change.
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Pufferidiot
- Puffer Fry
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- Joined: Sat Dec 03, 2011 4:34 pm
- Location (country): USA
Re: Didn't cycle tank, ammonia levels are off the chart
Ok, so, to make sure my puffies have a fighting chance, I am going to do 50 percent water changes every day. I just read my bottle and I don't have Slime, I have Prime from Seachem. Do I want to use this? Should I use Prime and AquaSafe, or just Prime (I have been using both)? And finally, do I want to clean out the gravel or just take the water out from about half the tank (I have read so many conflicting things :0(?
Re: Didn't cycle tank, ammonia levels are off the chart
I thought Slime was a typo 
Prime is excellent, it's what most of use use. Excellent stuff and since you use so little it's cheaper in the long run. You can use it alone, without the Aquasafe.
You may vacuum the gravel, that's a good idea as it will remove wastes.
Prime is excellent, it's what most of use use. Excellent stuff and since you use so little it's cheaper in the long run. You can use it alone, without the Aquasafe.
You may vacuum the gravel, that's a good idea as it will remove wastes.
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Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
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Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32987
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Puffers I have kept:
T lineatus
T miurus
A modestus
T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
C lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
- Location: Greenville, SC
- Contact:
Re: Didn't cycle tank, ammonia levels are off the chart
You need to do whatever it takes to keep the ammonia/nitrite at 0, even if you have to do 80% WC, 2x/day.
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"