ammonia in water

Question
I have a 10 gallon tank. Keep getting water checked, but every time the pet store checked it it is always high in ammonia. They checked tap water , is high, did changes, still high , said to add Ammonia reducer, still high. Someone said to just add some goldfish but they died. Please help I like to have some goldfish.

Answer
Hi Patty,
Sorry you are having so much trouble with your tank.
Have you given it enough time to complete cycling? If not, then that is probably what is causing your problem.
If you are familiar with cycling then I apologize for the lengthy explanation I am about to give you, if not then I hope this will help get things going in your tank.

I have found to cycle a tank what works best for me is to cycle with 2 small zebra danios or 1 small black skirt tetra. Either would work best in a 10 gallon such as yours.  It takes around 3-6 weeks to complete a cycle and for beneficial bacteria to establish in your tank. Some people like to add beneficial bacteria such as Cycle or Bio Spira that you can get at fish stores, just to help the bacteria get started. You will have ammonia and nitrites  that will be high during the first part and then it will start to stabilize. In the beginning stages  you will need to really watch for high ammonia and it would help you to do this if you purchased an ammonia and nitrite test kit. You don't have to but it does make it much easier to know and control your water conditions. If your ammonia  or nitrites get too high immediately do a large, such as 50%, water change to get the ammonia or nitrites down. High ammonia will kill fish fast. You still need to do partial water changes throughout the cycling period removing about 1/4-1/3 of the tank water every other day. Don't forget to dechlorinate the replacement water and make sure it is the same temperature as the tank water. Also, clean the gravel, by siphoning it with an aquarium siphon, at least once a week and check the filter to make sure it is clean at least once a week. Don't ever rinse the filter in tap water. Only clean it in aquarium water to keep from killing any beneficial bacteria that is living in your filter media.

After your ammonia starts to get lower you will get nitrites. Watch these too and do the same as I suggested when the ammonia gets high--big water change. When ammonia and nitrites get to 0 then your tank has completed cycling.
You will then get nitrates(spelled with an 'a'). These are not as hard on fish and you will always have some but don't let them get too high.

You can usually control most water conditions in aquariums with regular frequent water changes. Be sure to establish a schedule of doing partial water changes at least once a week and remove at least 1/3-1/2 of the tank water. The amount of water you remove and the frequency of your water changes are going to depend on the type of fish and the amount of fish you have in your tank.  I have some tanks that I have to do water changes every day and some tanks  I do once or twice a week. If you have a fish that are considered a high waste producing fish, such as goldfish or oscars, then you have to have a large tank and do large frequent water changes to keep the fish healthy.
I know you want goldfish but they are very dirty fish and really need 10 gallons of water per fish to help dilute the amount of waste they produce. I have two in a 29 gallon and I have to do water changes twice a week and remove half the water. Goldfish can get large and the larger the more fish waste. You could keep one in a 10 gallon but you really have to keep the water clean. It is easier to keep smaller less dirty fish in a 10 gallon.I have kept goldfish in a 10 gallon but it is just more work to make sure their water stays clean enough so they don't get sick.

One other thing I wanted to mention is to be careful what pet stores tell you concerning how to set up an aquarium and which fish are best. They don't always give the best information. I have complaints about this all the time so just be careful and the best thing for you  to do is to research it yourself and then you will know. Be sure to research any fish you want to buy and be sure to not overstock or add fish too fast since this will cause alot of fish waste too fast and your bacteria has to make an adjustment each time you add more fish and it is just easier on your tank if you take things slow and add fish gradually instead of all at once.

I really hope that you can get your aquarium going and get you some beautiful fish. Just be patient and it will work out.

Best of Luck,
Karen