Bad velvet outbreak

[rioshilo]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12292423#post12292423 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Randy Holmes-Farley
Is the chart on that link (fig 5) accurate for the levels of NH3?

The ratio of NH3 to total ammonia is fixed by pH, regardless of the ammonia level.

Have you ever used this kit and found no ammonia? Often times there is error at the low end.

I wouldn't drop the temp or add any more vinegar. The water changes are fine.

Ok, I read that it was relative to temp also. I haven't changed temp or added vinegar yet and was waiting for input (like yours). I didn't see ammonia with this test kit in the qt tank for the first two days. Then tuesday night and this morning I started seeing it.

So... I will drop back to 5% water changes and not stress so much about ammonia test results unless I start to see distress in the fish behavior. I am also going to pick up some amquel and start administering that on a just because basis for a while. The cycle should be done less then a week from now right? And I guess that the ammonia test kit will become pointless as the binding agent will skew the results.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Yes, temperature also impact the ratio. Changing temperatures is not a good plan, IMO.

The Amquel is a good plan. How long it takes to cycle depend son many factors. Let's just watch it and see what happens.

 

[rioshilo]

I'm almost to the two week mark on my treatment plan. Surprisingly it seems to be going by quite fast. Those first couple of days I felt like it was going to take an eternity. The wrasse is still lethargic and not doing much at all, but... he is still alive. He came down with a secondary infection after my last post so I started melafix dosing as well (that stuff stinks...) I did loose both damsels, one right after the other four days ago. I have no clue what happened to them...

I still haven't seen any signs of the cycle coming to a close yet. Nothing other then ammonia has shown up on the test kits so far. I assume it's likely that the water changes are postponing the completion of the cycle... However, which is more likely to be detrimental to the fish??? A long drawn out cycle with moderate ammonia or a quicker cycle with a higher spike of ammonia??? I guess it depends on how high the spike is huh?

Current params are... Alk 3.6, Ph 7.8, Nitrate and Nitrite 0, Amm .5, Cu .5

I am currently doing 5 gallon water changes daily to keep amm at an acceptable level and after reaching .5 a few days ago it has stopped rising.

Should I be doing anything differently???

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I don't know anything about treating the disease itself, so I'll have to leave that for others, but the ammonia still seems high. A higher spike would worse, IMO.

Are you now adding anything for the ammonia? Like Amquel or Prime?

 

[rioshilo]

Yes I am using amquel. I picked it up after your last post. Although I read in a couple of articles that when you bind amm, it still shows up in the testing. Does it actually change it to something else so that it does not show up on the tests?

 

[rioshilo]

I went back and read some more. I see that only occurs when using a test kit that utilizes a nessler reagent. Is that what the API test kit for amm uses???

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I don't know what method it uses.