# Huge Ammonia spike!!! Help!!!



## Mgoodie89 (Mar 3, 2016)

Im new to the forum but not new to the hobby, but need help my 60 gallon tank which was cycled completely before adding fish had a huge ammonia spike like 8 not .8 in a matter of 3 days lost 4 of the 6 small fish (under 2") even after I removed all fish did 30% water changes daily and every day it would just keep going up. Its my first non planted tank and sand bottom tank. what could be causing this and where should I go from here? Im thinking Ill probably remove everything including substrate and make it a planted tank. Should I leave some of this water? Should I empty completely and clean and start fresh? Never had this happen and have no clue as to how it did either. Any help is much appreciated.


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## beaslbob (Oct 17, 2012)

Mgoodie89 said:


> Im new to the forum but not new to the hobby, but need help my 60 gallon tank which was cycled completely before adding fish had a huge ammonia spike like 8 not .8 in a matter of 3 days lost 4 of the 6 small fish (under 2") even after I removed all fish did 30% water changes daily and every day it would just keep going up. Its my first non planted tank and sand bottom tank. what could be causing this and where should I go from here? Im thinking Ill probably remove everything including substrate and make it a planted tank. Should I leave some of this water? Should I empty completely and clean and start fresh? Never had this happen and have no clue as to how it did either. Any help is much appreciated.


You experience is exactly why I recommend planted tanks. (see link in my sig).
I would put some anacharis in there to get the ammonia spike under control.



By 'cycled completely' were you doing a fishless cycle by adding ammonia or had you just had the spikes.

At any rate the fish are why ammonia spiked. Which is why we need to add only one fish and then let everything cycle through before adding more.

When you say ammonia just kept going up I hope that doesn't mean you added Prime and the ammonia kept going up. If that is the case and the tank is now fishless, you need to stop adding Prime. At anyrate you need to let things alone so the bacteria can build up and consume the ammonia.

my .02


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## Mgoodie89 (Mar 3, 2016)

I did a fishless cycle and added 2 fish at a time over a 1 month period I did not add anything to the tank other than API Ammo Lock to try to get it to go down to hopefully spare some fish. Also I feed every other day to avoid over feeding and never have any leftover food particulates after feeding. The only thing that changed is I got a Peacock eel just before the water went to crap and I have this suspicion that he agitated the sand a released large amounts of gases that built up but I doubt there has been a chance for any gases to build up because Ive been stirring it up plying with layout and such since I got it started.


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## kedi (Dec 24, 2015)

It seems that your filter might have had almost zero of the biologic critters required in it. Did you use a product that is supposed to introduce and feed them? My 55 gallon came with conditioner and filter fauna starter that seemed to have worked very well.
I added 3 Amazon Sword plants at two weeks. Then 8 Neons and a couple Cories at four weeks. I saw a slow, very low ammonia increase, that was completely stabilized by a 30% water change. All is fine for 4 months with many added fish.


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## beaslbob (Oct 17, 2012)

Mgoodie89 said:


> I did a fishless cycle and added 2 fish at a time over a 1 month period I did not add anything to the tank other than API Ammo Lock to try to get it to go down to hopefully spare some fish. Also I feed every other day to avoid over feeding and never have any leftover food particulates after feeding. The only thing that changed is I got a Peacock eel just before the water went to crap and I have this suspicion that he agitated the sand a released large amounts of gases that built up but I doubt there has been a chance for any gases to build up because Ive been stirring it up plying with layout and such since I got it started.


the addition of the eel and the use of the ammo lock are the problems.
The eel exceeded the bioload the tank could substain.
the ammo lock locked the ammonia but most test kits like the api measure the total ammonia both the dangerous free and safer locked ammonia. The danger is you does when you have the locked ammonia and that also reduces the oxygen.
Do you tank had ammonia, less oxygen, and a newly added eel. Hence you los fish.
IMHO now it is best to
1) only ammo lock for any free ammonia and stop blinding adding ammo lock.
2) add fast growing plants like anacharis to consume any ammonia directly plus carbon dioxide return oxygen.
3) Stop doing water changes and just replace evaporative water with untreated tap water.

The idea is to limit the ammonia by using plants, stop adding chemicals and let the tank heal itself.

my .02


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