Amonia Levels in Freshwater Aquarium

Question
HI Stefanie.  I ahve a 55 Gallon tank with community fish - gold sevrums, danios, black neons, cory cats, pleco and a few others.  The tank has been running for nearly 1 year with only 1 fatality.  Recently, my amonia levels have gone crazy and I can not seem to stabilize it and get them down to untoxic levels.  I've done water changes and cleaned out my filter but they are not dropping.  

I have a Fluval filter.

Any advise on how I can fix this problem would be great.

Thanks.

Answer
Hello,

During this crisis there are a couple things you can try to stabilize your tank:

1) Feed your fish less. The less waste there is, the less ammonia there will be.

2) Continue  regular water changes and aquarium cleanings but also make sure you are syphoning the gravel. This will help remove built up waste.

3) Add a waste control product, and a cycling product. If you can find Waste Control and Cycle ( I believe they are by Nutrafin) then those work great.

4) Clean your filter less. The more beneficial bacteria colonies in your filter, the better. And when you do clean your filter clean it in a bucket of aquarium waters as opposed to chlorinated tap water.

I hope that these solutions will help you out. You may consider putting a second filter on your tank during this time, but this is an expensive option that can usually be avoided.

Best of luck,
From Stephanie