Emergency...need help quick

[holbritter]

I just did a 50% water change this morning. I noticed my honey gourami staying at the very top of the tank, which is odd for her, and tested the water. The ammonia is way up!

I started another water change...not knowing where this came from....the water test was fine before the change. I also tested the tap water and the ammonia is coming from there! It was NEVER there before (yes...I test it)

Can someone help with what is a good ammonia neutrilizer(sp?) I had some old ammon-carb that I put in a bag and put on the bottom, but I don't know if it will work. I left the tank 1/2 full, since the ammonia was coming from the tap.

I'm on un-treated well water, so I don't know where the ammon. is coming from, but that's a concern I'll worry about after my fish are safe.

I'm ready to run to the store(if it's open!) and need advice.

I'm praying I can fix this quickly before I lose any of my babies!

[holbritter]

PS....I don't have any place to put them in the meantime

[gm72]

You have a major problem if you have ammonia in your well. Do you have access to another person's water supply? Do you have access to a reverse osmosis filter? Maybe go to the store and buy bottled water? Not sure about additives for ammonia removal.

[Lady Hobbs]

Your water change probably dropped the nitrates for you but that ammonia is a problem. If you are using a well, you may be getting it from a vein the water is coming from right now. Could you try letting your water run for a bit and try testing again. If not, you probably should run to Walmart and get some ammonia loc and decrease the ammonia before even putting it in the tank. sheesh Always something, isn't it.

[holbritter]

Yes hobbs...it is!!!

I could do the distilled water, but then since I have high ph, that would fluctuate the ph on them.

This is worse than kids!

[Lady Hobbs]

I am also responding in your other thread and running back and forth here. LOL Maybe I should merge the two so you have all your answers in one spot. If you buy water, don't get distilled. Just get drinking water.

[holbritter]

Spring water ok?

I appreciate your help hobbs!! Sorry to make you run!

[Lady Hobbs]

Yes, it's fine. Not to worry. I flew into panic mode myself.

What kind of pH are you getting from well water? Get going girl. Gotta save baby angels today.

[holbritter]

LOL...panic is right!

I'm going to Walmart right now. Thanks soooo much!!

I'll let you know what happens. Keep your fingers crossed my babies are ok. :)

[Lady Hobbs]

Yes, by all means, please let me know.

[holbritter]

I'm back. I learned that "spring" water is different from "drinking" water :)
I never paid attention before. The drinking water is processed by reverse osmosis, while the spring water is processed by mineral filtration. Well, you learn something new every day! Anyway, I got 12 gallons for now, that's all they had in stock. I'll get more tomorrow. I also got these tablets called Ammonia Clear, tank buddies. They didn't have any Ammon. lock. They say put one in for every 10 gallons. I put in 2 to treat the remaining tank water, but so far (couple of hours) there isn't much change. **sigh** I know it's kinda silly to get so upset, but I've gotten attached to these little guys already!

The ph out of my tap is 8.0
I know that's not usually the best for angels, but the pet store told me their angels are bred and raised in higher ph levels, and should do fine if acclimated properly. I did the drip method for over 2 hours, to make sure they were. Right now they are acting fine. Just the gourami is still hanging out at the very top (water line) area.

Thanks for keeping me company in my panic attack...lol! I know first thing when I wake up, I'll be rushing to see if they are all ok. :)

[Lady Hobbs]

Ammonia comes from rotten plant matter so I wonder if your well just got into a ripe spot. Could certainly explain their loss of appetite.

pH of 8 is high for angels. I don't care what that guy said. Mine is 7.6 and that bothers me but I know once the tank is planted and co2 run, that will drop.

I hope you have no more panic's. I can't take it. LOLOL

[Glasstapper]

On a side note here, how is the ammonia in your water going to affect YOU?

[Lady Hobbs]

Gez.....we got so worried about the fish we never thought of that!!!!!!!!!!

[holbritter]

On a side note here, how is the ammonia in your water going to affect YOU?

My daughter brought that up after we settled down. I tried to find some answers on the internet, but I don't like what I found.
One possibility, which fits, is livestock manure. GROSS!!
Well, I do live in the boonies, and across the street (dirt road) is a farm with a few cows. The ground is higher on that side, and with the temps going up, all the ice and snow is melting, and running where.....downhill!

I'm going to call the Health Dept. today and ask some questions, but I sure hope that's not it!

I tested just now, and the ammonia is still in the tank! I know I'm reaching, but could my test solutions go bad? I have the master kit, with the bottle 1 and bottle 2 for the ammonia. It was fine a few days ago, so I'm doubting that, but I wonder.

The good news....all my babies made it overnight, and are swimming around normally this morning. PH has gone down to 7.8. Not a big swing, but it worries me a little. The nitrates are fine.

I'm going to get that Ammonia lock today, since it doesn't seem those tablets are really working well, and treat the tap water. Then do another water change.

Thanks for sticking with me!

[Lady Hobbs]

So glad your fish made it fine. I wanted to drive to your house and get your angels. Your explanation is a very good one and you have probably hit it on the head. However, this is not good for any of you so be glad you have fish to push you into testing.

I asked in another thread if you had some sort of filtering device on your well water to purify your water before it comes into the house. I had one of those in FL and it went thru salt pellets. If this stuff is coming into your home and you are drinking it, brushing your teeth in it and cooking in it, I believe you have to do something to protect all of you.

Either by getting an RO system for your home or having a purifier added to your well system. Hell, it's toxic! Your well doesn't sound to be deep enough or it wouldn't be picking this stuff up.

[kenyth]

Water contamination is a danger with well water around farmland. They actually USE ammonia to fertilize in the early spring for high nitrogen consuming plants. I'm assuming there is bacteria which break it down in the soil. Do you have any cornfields nearby? They use huge tanks that actually say "ammonia" on the side. If this is the case, and they're contaminating the water table, you may be able to get them to stop.

[gm72]

holbritter, I live in a rural area too and could not get a clean water test for anything when we bought the house. It ended up that the previous owner installed the water filtration system just about completely backward. MUCH better test results after it was fixed. We also installed a reverse osmosis filter under the sink in the kitchen that we use for our drinking/cooking water.

[Faith_at_Large]

This might be the type of situation my mystery product is for. I have a bottle of Kordon AmQuel+. It is supposed to remove Nitrate, Nitrite, Ammonia, Chlorine and Chloramines. It says that it will reduce ammonia by up to 1.2 ppm per single dose (1 capful per ten gallons), but only dosed once per 24 hours in a well aerated tank. I don't know if this is as good as Ammo Loc, but it might be an alternative.

Good luck.

[holbritter]

hobbs.. Fill your tank with gas...I lost a baby angel last night :(

kenyth: no, the nearest cornfield is way down the road...thankfully!

gm72: I've been reading up on them, and it's number one on my solutions right now. The only thing I worry about is that they waste a ton of water. Most of what I read says you only recover about 5 percent of the volume going in. The rest goes into the septic (don't want problems with that too!) But I think we'll have to suck it up and do it anyway.

For right now I'm going to treat the water with the Ammo loc or that other product faith mentioned, before it goes in the tank. I saved all the empty gallon containers and will do it that way. At least, I hope, that takes care of the tank problems while I work on the human stuff!
Thanks everyone :)

[Lady Hobbs]

I think I'd have to call on a well man, have him check your problems and do a water test and find what can be done. If you feel this is a problem from neighboring farmlands, then they need to be talked with to see what can be done to prevent leeching to your well water. Who knows. Maybe they won't want the hassle and will pay to have the purifier put on your well for you.

Just wishful thinking! Sorry about your angel. They are so delicate and who knows how long with ammonia was reaching them in their tank. Drats!

[gm72]

I don't think the extra water would affect your septic system. Might help it stay more clear, though.

[holbritter]

Sad update :(

I lost another angel and my honey gourami. All I have left are one white marble and one black marble angel, and the 3 albino corys.....and lots of snails.

Going to get a clown loach, I think, to get rid of the snails.

Anyway..I'm kinda bummed out about it, and just hope the other 2 angels make it through.