Ammonia

[Native Keeper]

Anybody got tips on how to lower ammonia? I noticed bubbles were collecting at the top of the tank, and still are. currently I have 6 goldfish in the 75 gallon. 

[HH Morant]

To lower ammonia

1. Water changes

2. More biological filtration

3. Less fish food

4. Plants

But what do the bubbles have to do with it?

Edited January 7, 2022 by HH Morant

[HotTunaCartel]

The easiest thing would be to test your water then do a water change, say 25% and retest to see what your levels are.  If still high do another water change and retest.  When you get it to 0 then start trying to figure out what is the cause, overfeeding, tap water might have chlorine in it.  

[Guppysnail]

On 1/7/2022 at 9:52 AM, HH Morant said:

But what do the bubbles have to do with i

Sometimes ammonia causes foamy bubbles around the edges of the tank. 
 

short term do extra water changes vac excess food put and as suggested cut down on feeding until it is under control. Long term try emerged growth plants with roots in the filter or tank. Pothos and lucky bamboo with a full spectrum grow light help. You may need to add more filtration so beneficial bacteria has more surfaces to grow on. 

[HH Morant]

Anything that changes the viscosity of the water can cause persistent bubbles, so it seems to me that bubbles are a non-specific indicator. You need to test the water to determine what the ammonia level is.

[Guppysnail]

On 1/7/2022 at 10:06 AM, HH Morant said:

Anything that changes the viscosity of the water can cause persistent bubbles, so it seems to me that bubbles are a non-specific indicator. You need to test the water to determine what the ammonia level is.

I agree if you have not tested for ammonia it may not be the cause. Coop does a video on a lot of the common causes for bubbles. ( @HH Morant I have reactions today 😜🤣)

[Native Keeper]

@HH Morant, I'm about to do a water change, as everyone has recommended. I don't think I can add more filter media, so I just pulled some decor from one of my empty tanks and put it in there. That should add some more bacteria. I'm also cutting out brine shrimp from their diet, unless I should cut the pellets instead. I am considering plants, it's just difficult with this tank due to the amount of algae growing on the back. 

@HotTunaCartel I tested the water, nitrites are zero, nitrates are almost zero, ph is normal, so I'm fairly certain it's ammonia, since there is a small amount. Could be overfeeding, though if it is tap water I'm about to treat the water when I do the water change.

@Guppysnail I actually have a plant in my filter that I collected from a nearby river, though I don't know what it is, and no growth has appeared, so it may not be successful. If not, I'll look into some plants to put into the filter/tank.

[HH Morant]

What was the ammonia level when you tested? What is your pH?

[Native Keeper]

@HH Morant, the ph was around 8, which is normal, and the Ammonia was around 0.27 ppm.

[CalmedByFish]

On 1/7/2022 at 12:03 PM, HydraSlayer said:

I am considering plants, it's just difficult with this tank due to the amount of algae growing on the back. 

The first time I tried plants, the back wall of my tank was caked in thick algae. It's actually perfect for adding plants, because the plants can eat the same stuff the algae is, which decreases the algae. 

I started by putting pothos sticking out of the lid, with the roots in front of that algae-covered back wall. Pothos is great, since it can stay healthy in low light. It's almost impossible to mess up. 

[Native Keeper]

@CalmedByFish, I'm definitely considering pothos, do you know of any other plants I could grow the same way?

[CalmedByFish]

On 1/7/2022 at 4:43 PM, HydraSlayer said:

@CalmedByFish, I'm definitely considering pothos, do you know of any other plants I could grow the same way?

I know there are a bunch! I don't have experience with them myself. If you want, you could search the forum for a thread on the topic, or just start a new thread to ask. 

Edit: I just saw your post about it. Nvm! 

Edited January 7, 2022 by CalmedByFish

[Guppysnail]

Pothos, spider plants, lucky bamboo, sweet potato, peace lily, and from @KittenFishMom turnips. 

[Torrey]

I just rooted a rose shortly after Thanksgiving. 

Despite no water changes for almost 2 months, and generous feedings (I had surgery and didn't get full clearance until end of last week), the tank had 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, and 0 nitrates. It's a 10 gallon with a dozen zebra danios, a half dozen endler bachelors, snails, pearlweed, bacopa caroliniana, and now.. a rose.

Pothos is one of the easiest & quickest plants to take ammonia, nitrites and nitrates out of the water. For long term,  @dasaltemelosguy has a post that compared lucky bamboo to pothos, and while pothos was more effective faster, lucky bamboo removes more nitrates than pothos.

[Minanora]

@TorreyI love that thread by @dasaltemelosguy... Such a great resource.

Plants are a great help. Then my current favorite is excessive amounts of sponge in every nook and cranny I can get it. But that's just because I have tons of fry.

[Native Keeper]

Update: I got an Anubias and Java fer for the 75; I was able to manually bring down the ammonia, but it's still there. I'm hoping the plants can be the final knockout.