# Ammonia issue in cycled tank



## Hobbyist (Jan 3, 2015)

I have three tanks all cycled. A 65 planted with co2, 35 African cichlid and a twenty community tank. The 65 gallon was having some algae issues so I was looking to get a couple Otto's to add, but the ones they had at my LFS were really small so I put them into the twenty gallon community tank until they are a bit larger, as I am afraid my angelfish will eat them now. 

I did a PWC yesterday before I received the new fish as this was the normal day I do my 50 PWC on but when I tested all my tanks this morning the twenty gallon was testing at .5-1 Ammonia instead of 0. All my tanks normally test 0 nitrites and 0 ammonia I don't want to loose any fish does anyone have any suggestions on what I should do?

My stock is 8 neon tetras, 5 ghost shrimp a couple rams horn snails and a dwarf angel that I kept out of one of the batches of fry that never really grew and now the two Otto's 

Should I do another 50PWC today?


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

check your water from the tap for ammonia.


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## Hobbyist (Jan 3, 2015)

I've had these tanks for years in the same house using the same water I doubt it is tap water affecting one tank day after adding two fish. I use same water in all three tanks


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

Every once in awhile even after years, sometimes there will be a little ammonia in your tap water. I have had that happen myself. So it pays to check to make sure. Your water company may have changed something ever so slightly.


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## R.Shakelford (Jul 17, 2015)

A build up of ammonia suggest you do not have sufficient quantities of the bacteria Nitrosomonas. Nitrosomonas consume ammonia and oxidises it into nitrites.
Nitrosomonas thrive in a wet (but not submerged) environment.
You might want to take a look a your filtration system and see what percentage of it stays wet but not submerged. Usually that is where the problem is in most tanks with ammonia build up. A little extra bio load on your filter can overwhelm an inadequate filter system that is already straining to keep up.



Hobbyist said:


> I have three tanks all cycled. A 65 planted with co2, 35 African cichlid and a twenty community tank. The 65 gallon was having some algae issues so I was looking to get a couple Otto's to add, but the ones they had at my LFS were really small so I put them into the twenty gallon community tank until they are a bit larger, as I am afraid my angelfish will eat them now.
> 
> I did a PWC yesterday before I received the new fish as this was the normal day I do my 50 PWC on but when I tested all my tanks this morning the twenty gallon was testing at .5-1 Ammonia instead of 0. All my tanks normally test 0 nitrites and 0 ammonia I don't want to loose any fish does anyone have any suggestions on what I should do?
> 
> ...


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## kalyke (Nov 19, 2014)

R.Shakelford said:


> A build up of ammonia suggest you do not have sufficient quantities of the bacteria Nitrosomonas. Nitrosomonas consume ammonia and oxidises it into nitrites.
> Nitrosomonas thrive in a wet (but not submerged) environment.
> You might want to take a look a your filtration system and see what percentage of it stays wet but not submerged. Usually that is where the problem is in most tanks with ammonia build up. A little extra bio load on your filter can overwhelm an inadequate filter system that is already straining to keep up.


Filtering water of junk, food particles, fish waste and so on is what a filter does. Nitrosomonas live on all surfaces in an aquarium, pond, stream, etc. They really have nothing to do with "the filter." You will notice that natural bodies of water do not have little hang on back filters just sitting there off stage. We need to have filters because we do not have a 30000 gallon body of water in the living room. If we did, we would not need a filter.


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## R.Shakelford (Jul 17, 2015)

Nitrosomonas does not live on all surfaces of your fish tank.
Other forms of bacteria do. Nitrobacter for instance.
The filter and substrate is the home of nitrifying bacteria so a filter actually has a lot to do with it.

Natural bodies of water have plenty of bottom surface area to house nitrifying bacteria ( in most cases) However natural bodies of water do not use Nitrosomonas. 
Natural bodies of water use a bacteria species called 
heterotrophic bacteria.
They are not near as efficient as Nitrosomas. This is why informed aquarium hobbyist try to cultivate nitrosomonas instead of heterotrophic bacteria.

Even if you did have a 30000 gallon body of water in your living room you would still need a home for nitrifying bacteria unless you want to change the water every day due to ammonia problems. The most efficient way to do this is by cultivating Nitrosomonas in a filter system.




kalyke said:


> Filtering water of junk, food particles, fish waste and so on is what a filter does. Nitrosomonas live on all surfaces in an aquarium, pond, stream, etc. They really have nothing to do with "the filter." You will notice that natural bodies of water do not have little hang on back filters just sitting there off stage. We need to have filters because we do not have a 30000 gallon body of water in the living room. If we did, we would not need a filter.


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## kalyke (Nov 19, 2014)

R.Shakelford said:


> Nitrosomonas does not live on all surfaces of your fish tank.
> Other forms of bacteria do. Nitrobacter for instance.
> The filter and substrate is the home of nitrifying bacteria so a filter actually has a lot to do with it.
> 
> ...


Thanks. Pardon the innane questions. I am learning so much!


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## Hobbyist (Jan 3, 2015)

Thanks for posting everyone but that happened in may, I have not had a problem with it sense then. I have more of an issue going on in my 65 gallon planted tank now, My ammonia is 0, Nitrite 0, PH6.5. The younger pair of angelfish now have wigglers and seem fine but their two older tank mates are succumbing to Dropsy. The Pictus catfish died and my oldest angelfish belly has begun to swell I have even seen her swim to the bottom and then when she tries to swim back up she goes upside down and then returns to the top where lately she just sits in one spot. Sonic is about seven years old and I have no doubt it is coming to her time to go, but I don't want her to suffer as old and frail as she is I am afraid to use medications do you have any advice? The only other fish in the tank are the breeding pair of angelfish, two glow tetras and two skirted tetras. 
Thanks in advance for any advice you can give on a already gloomy outlook*sad


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