gweston
New member
First bit... try a new ammonia test kit and have a local fishstore run a water test for you. Just to make sure you really have an ammonia problem.
Amquel can work to help knock the ammonia back a bit, but isn't a long term fix. A little of that stuff goes a long way, so don't overdose. A seachem ammonia badge (available at LFS or petsmart, for example), can be useful for a quick glance ammonia check. But don't rely on it.
I wouldn't rely on the bacteria booster additives (such as stress zyme). I have used the stuff in quarantine tanks to kick things into gear.. but I just don't like to rely on it. I still am not sure if it was effective.
Water changes are most important. A large water change, followed by periodic smaller changes can help knock the levels down and keep them down until it is under control.
Your feeding schedule doesn't look like a problem. I feed my fish 2x a day. But I do spot feed them individually so even with that frequency, the actual nutrients added to the tank are minimal.
May be that some die off somewhere is causing a spike. Hard to know. With some diligence on water changes and maintenance, hopefully the tank can cycle through it without any losses.
Best advice. Take it in steps and try not to overcorrect. It is easy to do too much and cause more problems.
Amquel can work to help knock the ammonia back a bit, but isn't a long term fix. A little of that stuff goes a long way, so don't overdose. A seachem ammonia badge (available at LFS or petsmart, for example), can be useful for a quick glance ammonia check. But don't rely on it.
I wouldn't rely on the bacteria booster additives (such as stress zyme). I have used the stuff in quarantine tanks to kick things into gear.. but I just don't like to rely on it. I still am not sure if it was effective.
Water changes are most important. A large water change, followed by periodic smaller changes can help knock the levels down and keep them down until it is under control.
Your feeding schedule doesn't look like a problem. I feed my fish 2x a day. But I do spot feed them individually so even with that frequency, the actual nutrients added to the tank are minimal.
May be that some die off somewhere is causing a spike. Hard to know. With some diligence on water changes and maintenance, hopefully the tank can cycle through it without any losses.
Best advice. Take it in steps and try not to overcorrect. It is easy to do too much and cause more problems.
