constant high amonia readings

Question
QUESTION: I started a 10 gallon tank 2 months ago.  Every 2 weeks the 2 fish I have
bought for the tank die.  I now have only 1 fish  left and have bought an
amonia test kit as well as one for ph testing.  The amonia level read toxic
even after I vacumned the gravel and did a 50% water change. How often
should I do this water change?  I was doing it every 2 weeks.  Should I do it
more frequently  even though there is only one fish in the tank, a bubbleyed
goldfish.  How often should I change the filter bag?  Do I need an airpump?  I
would like to get another fish to keep this one company but I need to know
when it would be safe.  Thank You.
ANSWER: Hi Wendy,
The problem is your tank hasn't had enough time to cycle. What happened was that the fish were too much too soon. It takes several weeks for the beneficial bacteria to establish and be able to handle the fish waste. Also, the type of fish you added are considered dirty fish. Some fish like goldfish and oscars produce more waste than other fish and it is quite a load on an aquarium. Your tank hadn't had time to cycle and there wasn't any bacteria to handle all the waste that the fish produced and the ammonia is what made the sick over and over. There is a product called Bio Spira and it is supposed to help to cycle a tank very quickly. Some people use Cycle brand to help add some bacteria to try to help get their tank to cycle sooner.

Don't add any more fish at this point. It is good that you are testing and anytime the ammonia gets high immediately do a large water change to help dilute the ammonia so your fish doesn't get sick. You can do a water change frequently--twice a week or more if necessary. Goldfish really need 10 gallons of water per fish so you are going to need to either get a larger tank eventually or just limit your tank to just the one goldfish for now since it will cause alot of problems with his eyes since they are very sensitive to bad water conditions and you don't want him to get really sick. I have two goldfish in a 29 gallon and I have to do water changes twice a week and remove 50% each time just to be sure they have really clean water. Also, be sure to keep the filter clean. You can rinse the filter in aquarium water and not replace it every time. The reason for rinsing it in aquarium water is that you don't want to rinse it in tap water because the chlorine would kill the benificial bacteria that is living in your filter. You can usually rinse your filter and not have to always replace it unless it is really dirty or starting to tear.  Also, don't forget to siphon the gravel too just to be sure that there isn't fish waste or decaying food in it and don't overfeed especially at this time. It will cause your water to get dirty faster and your fish to produce more waste.

It is a good idea to have as much aeration in a goldfish tank as possible so if you wanted to add an air pump with an air stone it should be all right.

If you want to get another fish to keep your fish company please consider getting a larger aquarium first. You always see goldfish in bowls and crowded into small tanks in fish stores but remember they are just selling them and they are usually in those tanks short term and they really are not that concerned about their health usually. If you want to keep your goldfish for many years and watch them grow into really big beautiful fish (and they can live a very long time) please don't over crowd them. They do like company but just be careful as to their tank size.

Your tank will get cycled. It just takes several weeks and alot of patience. Just keep testing and do water changes to control the ammonia and nitrites. Since you started with a goldfish it is going to have higher ammonia readings than if you had cycled with a smaller not quite as much waste producing fish. Keep an eye on things so he doesn't get sick.
Best of luck,
Karen


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Dear Karen,
My amonia readings continued to be high and this fish that remained died. I
am going to start over.  What is the cleaning procees I need to start from the
beginning?  Should I do 50% water changes the first 2 months at 2 times per
week?  Do I use gravel instead of river rocks?  Is an air pump mandatory?  I
didn't have one before.  Do I put Bio Spira in before I buy the new goldfish.  
This has been such a frustrating experience.  As a child I had a goldfish in a
bowl and he lived 3 years...Thank you for answering my question. Wendy

Answer
Hi Wendy,
I know it is so frustrating but you can get this tank up and going!
All you really need to do to clean your tank would be to just rinse it out with water and wipe it down. Then add gravel if you want to and fill with dechlorinated water and add your Bio Spira. You can add river rocks as long as they are designated for freshwater aquariums. Most of them are ok for aquariums.
Have you thought about getting smaller less waste producing fish for your aquarium? The problem is that you have only a 10 gallon aquarium and goldfish will produce alot of waste very quickly and cause ammonia to be very high also. Goldfish really need 10 gallons per fish in order to have enough water volume to help dilute the amount of waste they produce. Also, the bubble eye goldfish is considered a fancy goldfish and is a bit more delicate than regular goldfish and will need really clean perfect water. I have cycled aquariums with small fish such as 2 zebra danios or 1 black skirt tetra. In fact the first aquarium I ever cycled was a 10 gallon with a black skirt tetra. I set it up and added the 1 fish. Checked the water and if it had too much ammonia then I did a water change. Even if you don't have a test kit it is still a good idea to do a partial water change at least once a week or twice a week while  you are cycling. If you are cycling with a really small fish then you don't have to worry as much about the ammonia readings getting so high since they don't produce very much waste(as long as you lightly feed them) and you can do smaller partial water changes. I know you probably wanted to get goldfish but it would make it easier if you could cycle with a smaller less dirty fish. Some smaller local fish stores will take fish you no longer want so maybe you could find a local small fish store and work out a deal so they would take back a small fish after you complete cycling your tank and then you could add your goldfish. Just don't add alot of fish too soon to your aquarium. It will overload it and it will be a repeat of before and you don't want that. Just be patient and it will work out this time.
If you want to add an air pump you can. It is really optional. As for cleaning your tank after it has cycled--about 1-2 times a week depending on what type of fish and how many are in your tank. If you decide to get only small fish and don't overstock then you wouldn't have to clean it but once a week and maybe only remove 1/3 of the water. If you go with the more dirty fish then you will most likely have to do twice a week and remove  1/3-1/2 of the water. You could always test your water and that would give you an exact idea of just how ofter your particular tank would need to have water changes.
Best of luck with your new set up. It will work this time. Just be patient and take is slow and be careful what type of  fish you add to cycle.
Hope this has helped,
Karen