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Advise on ammonia spike

Paula

Paula

Members
Hi!! I'm in the process of cycling my 75 gallon tank and wondering what the best advice is if an ammonia spike occurs? Trying to be proactive!! Would really appreciate your input as I am relatively new to this type of cichlid tank set up! Thanks!


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jonclark96

jonclark96

Past CCA President
Get a filter or filter media from an established tank and you shouldn't have issues with an ammonia spike. If that's not possible, lots of water changes will help.


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hollyfish2000

hollyfish2000

Members
Answer depends on how you're cycling the tank. If you are doing a fishless cycle, then you WANT the ammonia spike, to be followed by the nitrite spike and then a cycled tank.

If you have fish in the tank, then you need to do whatever is necessary to make their life better by removing the ammonia. Several ways to do that:

1. Prime, in a pinch, will bring it down
2. Water changes over and over again
3. Media from an established tank
4. Bacteria in a bottle, like Dr. Tim's One and Only
 
D

Dan

Members
Keeping your aquarium temps lower (like 70-71) can help the fish through the ammo spikes. Nothing to cold.
 
Paula

Paula

Members
Thanks much everyone!! We have four fish right now , and have a sponge from an established tank in the new one!!! Checking our water frequently..... Tank has been ten days.... When should I do my first water change??? Heard various things.... Some say two weeks in, others say one!!! Hmmmmmm!!!


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hollyfish2000

hollyfish2000

Members
You don't guess or stick to an arbitary schedule. You TEST. If you have measureable ammonia, anything more than .5, I'd say, do a water change.

Test for nitrite, too. Anything other than baby blue in the test tube requires water changes.

Increased water agitation can also help the fish deal with the nitrite, which is more deadly than the ammonia.

When I'm fighting a spike, I test several times a day (I'm neurotic) as I don't like my fish to suffer or to come home to dead fish, which tends to ruin my day ... :angry:
 
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