Need some urgent help!

[Snailgirl]

I'm easy to persuade. LFS guy managed to persuade me, a fishkeeping newbie, to use tetra safestart and add 3 harlequin rasboras a day after to cycle the tank, then return them and get my siamese fighter.
I'm using a nutrafin master test kit.

Started off with 0.5 ammonia, 0 nitrites, 10 nitrates. Water changed last night 50%, stats were exactly the same.
Tested this morning, still the same.
To try and get the ammonia down, I did another 50%.
Tested, and ammonia was worse. About 1. What am I doing wrong?! My tapwater has 0 ammonia, the only thing I added to the WC water was Amquel.
One of the fish jumped out last night and this whole mess is making me really stressed.

Am I doing something stupid? Is my test kit not working properly?
Help! I want to cause these fish the least pain possible!

[Snailgirl]

Ammonia still reading really high, nitrItes at 0!

SOMEONE please HELP me!

[tricia]

Go down the shop and get NUTRAFIN CYCLE and drop that in this will help ya filter mature quicker i use 250ml in a 4ft tank every time i do a water change. There is also an amonia remover if ya want to go down the route of having loads of cemicals in ya water

[Snailgirl]

I've got stuff in there that's supposed to be doing exactly that! But my ammonia reading just isn't making any sense! I wonder if it's a fault in the kit :/

[onemanandhisfrog]

if you use ammonia remover wont that take even longer to cycle the tank?

[Pearson Design]

you can try getting some water from an already established tank, or even get some filter media from someone who has a setup tank.

failing this, try using RO water, this should be ammonia and nitrate free so will help almost straight away

also, does your LFS offer water testing? you could try on their test kits just to make sure

[Snailgirl]

The ammonia remover is in the amquel, I can't put any water in without it.
I don't have an established tank, and I can't get matured filter media from my LFS
What is RO water?
Overall I'm just massively confused, I tested the tap water and it has no ammonia so why is it getting worse???
If I can get down to the LFS I will ask about testing, but I can't drive which is a big issue.

[Pearson Design]

hmmm.
what substrate do you have? and what rocks etc?
some types of rock can release bad chemicals into tanks

i know what its like not driving or being near lfs lol, im not really sure what to suggest...

what filter media etc aswell?


EDIT - sorry forgot about the RO water bit. RO means Reverse Osmosis. its a process used to remove the bad stuff from tap water although to be honest im not sure what it does with regards to ammonia but ill check up on it

[annabel]

RO water is reverse osmosis water. Good acquatics shops should be able to supply it to you.

I think the best thing to say is - DON'T PANIC!

Horrible as it may seen, the fish you have are doing the work for you, and as they're hardy they will be the fastest way to achieve the water readings you want.

Bettas are hugely hardy, also, so again, don't panic.

Next time, don't be convinced by those pesky shop assistants 7 cycle the tank BEFORE adding inhabitants - although when you add them, expect to have to go through some of it again!

I am almost certain it will be fine. I'd be more worried about the betta eating / killing the others if i'm honest?

Good luck & update when things are going well!

[Snailgirl]

I don't have the betta yet, it's only the the harlequins in there.
Thanks for the info! I just don't know what to do as I'm stuck at home at the moment. Is there any point in doing 50% daily water changes if the water's getting higher in ammonia (according to the kit) each time? :/

Also thanks for the reassurance
I don't know what I'm going to do next week, I'm going away for three days :/ I've got someone to feed them but they won't be able to do water changes or test the levels :/ Just hope it's evened out a bit by then.