Unexpected water parms: Ammonia at 50 in an old tank with 0 nitrate and 0 nitrite

[KittenFishMom]

I have a day to try to get my tanks back in balance after 2 weeks of trying to care for them as I dash in for an hour while caring for my mom at her home. (She starts a new treatment tomorrow; we have our fingers crossed)

I have been changing water and vacuuming the tanks and such.  I don’t trust the well yet, so I am using bottled spring drinking water for my changes.

The 10 gallon tank with one male betta , 2 peppered corys, some guppy fry, lots of snails and IAL has high ammonia with 0 nitrates and 0 nitrites. I don’t see any sign of dead fish or snails. A week ago, I opened the curtain on the north facing window a little in hopes that the plants and algae would help consume the nitrogen While I was helping Mom. The floor and ornaments of that tank are mostly covered with a thin dark green layer, I assume it is algae. I am guessing that the 2 medium sponge filters are clogged up and need cleaning. Would this explain the weird water parms?

I am hoping to get an idea of what might be cause the parms before I do something that might make the situation worse.  Normally I only clean one filter before a water change. (I alternate which filter I clean to keep the tank well cycled.) I am thinking I should clean both before I change the water.

All thoughts are welcome.

[Katherine]

What kind of filters do you have and how long has it been since you cleaned them last?

[KittenFishMom]

I have 2 ACO medium sponge filter. I clean one last week6 or 7 days ago.

[Katherine]

Are you cleaning one very week? And how are you cleaning them? Rinsing in old tank water? Rinsing with fresh water? Some other way?

Cleaning them can remove some of the beneficial bacteria, and there's no way they should be clogging that quickly in your tank. I have just one of the smalls in my 10 gallon and I rarely clean it. I would stop cleaning them for a while and see if that helps.

And what do you mean your ammonia is a 50? Is that .50ppm? Or something else? 

[Patrick_G]

How long has the tank been set up? 

[KittenFishMom]

I put a plastic bag under the working filter, in the tank, disconnect the air, disassemble and rub the hard parts with my hands in the bag of water. Then a squeeze and shake the sponge in the bag and hit it against the whit bucket the bag is in. If I can't get the crud out, I will work on the sponge in the sink with well water. Then I reassemble, reconnect and put it in the tank. 

@Patrick_G Started cycling it in October.

[Patrick_G]

Hmm it should be cycled. Maybe you’re over cleaning filters. It definitely sounds like you’ve retarded or stalled your cycle. I’d start doing more frequent water changes and possibly using Seachem Prime to protect the fish while the cycle gets going again. The ammonia will be more dangerous at a ph over 7. 

[KittenFishMom]

OK, I'll do what I can. I am cutting back on the feedings, that may have reduced the cycle. I can only get here about every 2 days, so it is feast and famine for the fish. I have Seachem Stability and Complete and fritz 7. I'll hit it with them after I change the water. and clean the filter. It has been a very stable tank.

[Odd Duck]

I definitely think you’re over cleaning your sponge filters.  I’m a bit of a lazy aquarist, but I clean some of mine about every 3-6 months since the foam is so coarse on the ACO sponges.  That’s not what I recommend, mind you, but it does go to show you what you can get away with when you have too many tanks.  😆  Tanks with fish get cleaned more often but plant only tanks, meh.  If they look clogged.

If you are getting clogging, you are almost certainly feeding too much.  I’m pretty sure you must mean 0.50 ppm on the ammonia because 50 ppm would be a toxic soup that stinks to high heaven and very unlikely to have any live fish or shrimp.  Do your best to get water changes done and get the ammonia down.  Stop cleaning filters so often and let those bacteria accumulate and do their job. Try cleaning one filter every other week, so each gets cleaned every 4 weeks.  Feed less, and make very certain there is no one dead hidden someplace.

Hope your mom is doing well and improves on the new treatment.  Take a breath, slow down for just a minute, and let the tank settle again.  Sometimes they do better with less interference.

[Patrick_G]

Cool, but don’t clean the filter it should be good for months, just let it build up beneficial bacteria 🙂

[KittenFishMom]

@Odd Duck right 0.5 ppm. When my well got cloudy I started getting a gray/white slim in my tanks. It was growing on the bottom and plants and sponge filters. When I cleaned them just lightly just now, it was all over the insides and the air stones and the x where the air comes into the air stone. The x was pretty covered, so that would reduce the flow throw the sponges. I added a large filter sponge under a small light weight ornament to hopefully give the bacteria more places to grow.

Wish me luck

Edited March 15, 2022 by KittenFishMom
typos

[Odd Duck]

On 3/15/2022 at 5:33 PM, KittenFishMom said:

@Odd Duck right 0.5 ppm. When my well got cloudy I started getting a gray/white slim in my tanks. It was growing on the bottom and plants and sponge filters. When I cleaned them just lightly just now, it was all over the insides and the air stones and the x where the air comes into the air stone. The x was pretty covered, so that would reduce the flow throw the sponges. I added a large filter sponge under a small light weight ornament to hopefully give the bacteria more places to grow.

Wish me luck

Ewww.  I forgot you had the slime issue.  Clean as lightly as possible, then, just enough to clear the slime.