continuing questions

Question
QUESTION: Thank you for responding to my first question so swiftly. I would like you to know I have kept fishtanks for years and have never neglected them the way I did this one and you had every right for reading me the riot act. I also have never been in a position that the algae eater(s) did not take care of all or almost all of the maintenance. All I have ever done is vacuum gravel so scraping of algae is new to me. I always used plecos before, but they get so big (I donated my last one to a restaurant with a HUGE tank cause he got big enough to lay across the entire length of my tank) I thought I'd try something else this time.(If you don't remember, I'm the one who didn't clean her tank for months and killed all the fish except a tiger barb.)

I did find a small aquarium store like you suggested and they tested both my tank water and my tap water. Yes my tap water does have levels of ammonia in it that are dangerous to fish. My tank water still came up with high levels of ammonia after I added a detoxifier but the aquarium lady said the detoxifier neutralizes ammonia but doesn't remove it. She also gave me (forgive the term) poopy water from an established tank, she said the nitrifying bacteria would be in there and jump start my tank. The tiger barb is swimming around but likes to hide behind the bubbles and still won't eat fish flakes. Is it possible the food is stale and the fish can't tell it's there? Or is the fish simply in shock? It is still providing waste so it apparently isn't starving.

Also, when should I start testing the ammonia levels again and how long should I wait to change any of the water? I want to give the bacteria a chance to colonize but don't know how long it takes. The store was close to closing when I got there so I didn't get to ask all of the questions I wanted to. It seems I have been exceedingly lucky with aquariums until recently, so a lot of this is news to me.

By the way, I don't believe I told you I have a 10 gallon tank, all of the chemistry is "safe" levels except the ammonia, and the temp holds at about 70 F. It has been running for about three days.

ANSWER: Hi Christina:  Do you have a well?  if you do not have a well you are going to need to call your water district and let them know that your tap water has ammonia levels in it.  Tap water should not have ammonia levels in it... it is a cause of birth defects ,etc.  If this were my tank and I was in your position I would go to the store and buy spring water.  

The person at the aquarium is a god-send... she/he gave you "dirty" water and he/she is correct...it will help with the ammonia... this is the perfect example of why to shop at an aquarium and not a pet store... The tiger barb will eat when he is ready to... for now feed him small amounts until he is hungry enough to go crazy for the flake food.  I would test for the ammonia levels tomorrow... if they are still high then i would do a 50 percent water change, add the spring water, and test again the next day... repeat as needed... Tropical fish like temperatures between 78-82 degrees... but for now try to keep the temp to about 76 degrees or so... warmer water doesn't hold oxygen well.  hope this helps... dave

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QUESTION: You must be getting tired of me, but if I can take advantage of you expertise again....

I got the ammonia level down to .5 ppm as of this morning. It was above three ppm two days ago so I consider that a small miracle, maybe a day or two more will get it close to zero. The fish still won't eat as far as I've seen although I do leave him one flake of food in case he's eating it behind my back. (I've heard leaving too much food in the tank will raise ammonia levels again and I certainly don't want that but I also don't want the fish to starve to death because he's shy) I've come up with a new possible problem though. There are live plant bulbs in the tank and they are not germinating that I can see but there is some white cottony looking stuff growing on them and the fake plant. Google has not come up with anything regarding this except for cottony stuff on the fish itself. The fish does not have any of this white stuff on it. What could it be, do I need to get rid of it, and if so, how?

Answer
Hello Christina:  Oh honestly... if I were tired of you.. trust me I'd tell you...  I would take the bulbs out and put them in another container until they start to grow...and I would certainly give the fake plant the toss and replace it with a real plant or five.  real live plants will help your ammonia levels too while giving off oxygen so they are a win-win for your fish.  Once the bulbs start to grow... toss them back in... bulbs are funny... and they can sometimes carry bacteria/fungus/parasites from wherever they came from... hope this helps... and its nice to know I am slightly better then goggle.... I'll take that as a major compliment.   dave


The white cotton looking stuff on your bulb is probably plant fungus... which is why you should remove them... the bulbs could be "bad" or dead and thus rotting... they themselves could be adding to your ammonia issue at the very least they are harboring non-beneficial bacteria... Separate the bulbs from your tank and put them in a separate container until they start to grow... change the water in their container weekly with 50% whate changes... you may have to feed them a bit... if they get soft ... they are dead... just toss them... if they start to grow... wait a bit and put them back in your tank....

dave