listless oranda

Question
Hi, well my oranda died...so sad...he was so cute...the ammonia has been 1.0 for days, even though I do 20% water change every few days (it's a big tank) the nitrite/nitrates are zero temp 72F I added AmmoLock yesterday to help alleviate the ammonia poisoning (which probably was the reason he died - poor guy)  but test still shows 1.0  The ryukins and comet are doing very well still.  How can I get this ammonia to come down to help my fish?  I feed 2x daily (couple pinches to feed all 4 fish)
mostly flakes, sometimes frozen shrimp / peas.  I plan to gravel vac this weekend / water change.  Anything I can besides just wait and see? Thanks so much  (I'm going to wait until levels are better before replacing my oranda and moor.

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The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
Hello, I have a 55 gal tank housing 3 ryukin, 1 comet and 1 oranda. (newly set up for 2 weeks now) The oranda's behavior is very strange lately, he is vertical head up at water surface for hours, refusing to eat, then sits on bottom or leans against filter not moving.  Everyone else is happy.  5 days ago I removed the black moor into quarantine for popeye treament.  But no similar symptoms on oranda, just this odd behavior...any ideas?  thanks
-----Answer-----
Dear Lori,
There's something definatetly wrong with your poor Oranda. Is there anyway you can check your water quality? This is the most important and first thing to consider if your fish seem listless. Sometimes only one or two fish may show listless signs of bad water quality before the others do. Since this aquarium is also relatively newly setup, it could be possible that ammonia or nitrites are present. Usually the average aquarium takes about 4-6 weeks to fully cycle or in other words establish the beneficial bacteria that remove these harmful compounds.

As always, when in doubt, a good 30-50% water change every day for several days is always best. Remember that the replacement water should always be equal in temperature to that of your aquarium and insure it is dechlorinated every time.

The best thing to do besides water changes, is watch the Oranda closely and note any signs of disease.

I really hope this helps!
Feel free to let me know how the little Oranda is doing or if you have anymore concerns,
Best wishes,
Karen~

Answer
Lori, you have my sympathies!
I'm sure it was the ammonia level 1.0 is very dangerous for fish. Fancy goldfish like Orandas and the like are very sensitive to even small amounts. Unfortunately small water changes aren't very effective to ammonia levels that high. And more like 50% or more is needed to dilute the ammnonia levels down. Water changes are the best thing to do for your fish and are vital during this time when your aquarium has yet to cycle. You may also use amquel or prime along with those water changes to help keep it safe for your goldfish. Remember some ammonia removers can produce false readings on your test kit, so be sure to check these. It's also best to feed a little lighter during cycling to help keep tank pollution down.

Larger water changes are very important for saving your fish when ammonia levels are high. I know it's hard and time consuming on a big tank like yours. But it can be done and just remember your Goldfish are counting on you during this critical period to keep their water safe and healthy for them.

I really hope this helps,
Best wishes as always,
Karen~