I need some advice please

Question
I have a couple tanks, my newest one is a 10 gal. with 2 plecos,a gourami, a molly, and an angelfsh that I just got started about a month ago.  This morning I noticed my angelfsh sitting upright on the bottom of the tank in the back corner.  He remained there for about half of the day and didn't seem to come out and eat so I checked out the ph and it was a little high so I checked the ammonia level and it was high so I put in 1 ph tablet and 2 ammonia tablets over a 3 hour perod and have changed 50% of the water 2 times in that time span as well(adding the stress coat upon doing so).  my ph is now ok.  My ammonia level has dropped a little bit but is currently in the stress area.  Now my 3 fish especally the angelfish are hanging out at the top.  i have fed them once this evening and while the other 2 ate the angelfish seemed to have no appetite.  I don't know what more to do.  I was even changing 25% of the water every 10 days and taking the filter apart and cleaning it.

Answer
Hi Alyssa,
Sudden ammonia spikes are always a great cause of concern. Maybe you have been overcleaning the filter, or maybe there was a pH drop that causes the bacteria to die off. Whatever caused it, the best thing you could do is massive daily water changes. Drain water almost down to the angels dorsal fins if you have to. It wont hurt and it will provide immediate relief for the damaging effects of ammonia. Sometimes one water change isn't enough if the ammonia concentrations are really high. Sometimes you have to do a second water change to really get your ammonia levels down.
But make sure to do massive water changes above all, small water changes wont get you anywhere if the ammonia concentration is really high.

Keep up with the water changes and use a ammonia neutralizing water conditioner such as Amquel+, Prime, or Aquasafe. Ammo-lock is also a highly effective ammonia neutralizer but it will produce false readings on a lot of test kits, but you can usually rest assured that the ammonia has been converted into a non-toxic form and all should be well.

Just work on getting your bacterial colonies established, make those vital water changes when needed and use a water conditioner that neutralizes ammonia and give the tank some time. Make sure you don't overclean your filter, that could be wiping out your beneficial bacterial colonies. All that is needed for your filter is to swish and rinse it around in a bucket of tank water (and tank water only).

Best of luck, ammonia is so hard on fish and it can have lasting damaging effects. I hope this helps but if you have anymore questions, feel free to write!
Karen~