Tank in danger-water test results

Question
Hi. I have a 55 gallon tank set up now for a couple months. And it's been nothing but trouble since. I used to manage the fish section at a large pet store so I know my way around a tank. So I really am not sure what's going on with it. Right now we have in the tank, 3 platy, 3 dreamcicle mollies, 2 dwarf gurami, 2 red eye tetra and 3 big belly mollies. So I don't think it's over crowded. It's been about  2 weeks since we added any fish at all. At that time it was 2 big belly mollies. So I don't think that's the problem.

Last week 2 big bellies died. One of the new ones and old one. Off and on since setting up we've had fish die-usually 2 or 3 over a day or two. And I'm really not sure exactly what the problem is. Well, I have an idea, but I just can't understand why it's happening. So I got a Mardel test kit and here are the numbers

6.6 pH
80 ppm buffering
120 ppm Hardness
0 Nitrite
20 ppm Nitrate
3.0 Ammonia
temp 78-80 degrees.

So I know the ammonia is a bit high. I really don't understand why. I am very careful to NOT overfeed. I did feed twice a day most days, but I am very careful. I feed small amounts so most of the flake is eaten and does not settle to the bottom. I am now down to just once a day and sometimes I go a day and half.

I do a partial (about 15-20%) every two weeks. I need to do that more often, BUT it's very hard to do with our well water. The pH is well below 6.0 out from the tap so it makes it hard to just change out some water. Besides that, as soon as I do a partial, the water clouds up. Couple that with the high ammonia and it makes me wonder if there is any good bacteria in it all. That is after I dumped in a whole bottle  of stuff that was supposed to help with that. (not cycle brand name-which I wonder if I should add it)

I just changed the filter pads for the first time this past weekend. This filter has bio pads after the carbon/particle filter. Did not touch the bios at all.

re- pH. The pH over the weekend had risen from the 7.0 I started with to well over 7.8 I guess. I just can't seem to get it to stay still. I brought it down to about 6.8 by using tap water. Not good to bring it down that fast, but I think that's what killed the big bellies. No problems with any fish afterwards. But I really think the pH is the main problem in the tank. It just won't stay stable and because of this, I'm having a really hard time with the ammonia.

I can't seem to get my head around how the above test numbers are effecting the tank and the water quality. I understand they are related, but I don't know how or what to do with my numbers.

I guess it all boils down to what should I do to keep this tank water more stable? Is there anything I can/should be doing?

Thank you in advance,
Shar


Answer
Hi Shar,

Well, I have to say that water chemistry is not my specialty, since I do very little to my water...I don't even add dechlorinator any longer! For me, the move to a house with well water has actually been a good thing, because the water, while having a high pH, has a lot of alkalinity and hardness, which for basic fishkeeping works out just fine. There's an article written by Neale Monks, where he explains that the hard water most people don't care for is actually a blessing in disguise, because it keeps everything so stable.
If you're interested, you can read it here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwhardness.htm

The ammonia is definitely a huge problem. You need to do something to get that down right away. I wonder if for you, it would not be a bad idea to have an undergravel filter, which is old school but works very well to provide uninterrupted biological filtration. I know that would be a pain in the butt to install since you'd have to break the tank down, but an UG filter actually provides excellent biological filtration, without the fuss of having to rinse or replace anything. All you ought to do is gravel vacuum once a month or so to make sure the gravel doesn't get too dirty.

Your filter - which I am assuming is a simple hang-on back filter - could probably use an upgrade, or rather some supplementation. I am really fond of canister filters. Penn Plax sells a model that is suitable for a 30 gallon tank, and it's $50. Even though it's not the right size for your tank, I believe having that extra biological filtration would help your tank out a lot, if you prefer not to use UG filtration. Just stuff the canister filter all the way with coarse sponges and ceramic media (you may need to buy some extra ceramic media, in which case I like Biomax by AquaClear and Matrix by Seachem) and every couple of months, turn it off, take it to the sink and wash it. Wait...does your well water have chlorine in it? If so, then you can't just wash the biological media at the sink, you'll need to rinse it in water that's been treated with dechlorinator. Or you can use aquarium water.

Are you by any chance using softened water? Because this kind of water is entirely inappropriate for fishkeeping, you just can't keep fish in this water...it isn't truly "soft" it's just had its hardness replaced with sodium. Does fine for washing machines and pipes, but your fish will hate it. So if that's your problem, then use a faucet that doesn't pass through the softening system, such as your hose faucet outside. Let your water sit in a big Rubbermaid container, perhaps with a heater, and then use that water for your water changes. Your water is so peculiar that it makes me think it might be processed through a softener, the way a lot of well water is, at least here in Florida.

Anyhow, I wish I could offer more help, but apart from doing major water changes to correct the toxic levels of ammonia already present, upgrading, or rather supplementing your filtration (especially adding more biological filtration, which you can achieve by simply installing an undergravel filter) there's little you can do, except try to tackle your water chemistry, determine whether it needs adjusting.

If you would like, feel free to write wetwebmedia.com - the place where the article came from. Here's how to write:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/WWMAdminSubWebIndex/question_page.htm
They know much more about water chemistry than I do, and can provide a few extra suggestions, I am sure.

Best of luck to you, and happy holidays if I don't hear from you again! Thanks for writing.

Nicole