So heres my tanks history.
About a year ago I read about the Beaslbob build and decided to try part of it to set up my planted tank. I did 1" peat moss, 1" sand and 1" gravel. I put in a bunch of plants don't remember names of all of them. Some died within a few weeks others are still going. My fish did ok for a few weeks and then died. I remember my tank had a lot of ammonia and nitrites, it never did get nitrates. After the fish died I turned everything off for a few weeks till I realized most of my plants had died from lack of light. I turned just the light on.

Now that its sat there for a few months and grown lots of algae and dead leaves that I cleaned out the biggest pieces but figured I'd just buy a fish or something to clean it up. I have the seachem ammonia reader that stays in the tank, it said my ammonia was safe, so I bought 6 fish, 4 tetras and 2 otos. A few hours later 1 oto was dead, 1 tetra was dying and the others were under a lot of stress and their fins where tattered. I did the liquid test for ammonia, it was way off the chart, you couldn't even see through the vial. I took the fish out and put them in a 1g critter carrier, they have recovered so far. I did a 60% water change and syphoned as much of the gunk and dead stuff as I could without disturbing the sand layer, and the water tested the same, a few days later I took water samples from before the WC, right after the WC and a few days later to the LFS. All three samples have ammonia that reads of the charts, everything else if okay. I bought Tetra® AmmoniaSafe Water Conditioner tablets. I plan to do a 60%+ WC and then test and then add the tabs and test again. Hopefully something will happen to the ammonia. I want my poor fish to be able to go back in asap.

Stats
29 gallons
2 small anubias
java fern
java moss
tiny crypt

Thanks

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Elizabeth, SW Ohio
29g almost set up
Male and Female Betta

I would put the fish back in and just do 50% water changes everyday until it gets to a controllable level and would not use the tabs. You bought too many fish for a tank where the status of the nitrogen cycle may have been in question.

Do you have a filter?

no filter but I have a bag of gravel the I am using as a bacteria "holder" in my power filter.

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Elizabeth, SW Ohio
29g almost set up
Male and Female Betta

Power filter? I think the problem is your tank didn't cycle. Dead leafs and dead plants also raise your ammonia if it's sucked up by your filter. I'm not too sure whether dead leafs and plants create ammonia, but I know for sur if they're sucked by your filter they create a mess...and fish die quickly. Having planted tanks is difficult because plants leave too much mess if you don't have enough light

Ammonia is generated in a fish tank through the decomposition of protien. This usually means either rotting Fish Food or Dead Animals. Water plants have very little protein so when they decompose they produce complex organic acids through the decomposition of cellulose. You may have organic material trapped in your substrate. I would replace your substrate with fresh gravel and see if this eliminates you ammonia. Two good cycling fishes are White Mountain Clouds for low ph and Guppies for high ph.

I have been thinking about removing the peat moss and just mixing plant substrate and gravel so siphoning the gunk is easier and I don't have to worry about reaching the peat moss, but I can't afford the substrate for a few weeks. So I have decided to go ahead and redo the tank tomorrow and just use gravel for now and mix in the substrate later. I was dreading this because cleaning out my tank is a pain and the peat moss will make it much worse but I have gotten some ideas on how to do it easier and have someone that will help. The only thing that confuses me is where is the ammonia coming from and why won't it go away even after almost a year.
Thanks for the advice.

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Elizabeth, SW Ohio
29g almost set up
Male and Female Betta

I think you're doing too much. Daily 50% water changes is just too easy to get this under control with such a small tank. Much easier than what you plan to do and then you're going to end up doing the water anyway because your tank will have all of those fish in it.

Peat has been known to cause ammonia readings.

if it causes ammonia readings why do people use peat in tanks? I was gonna take it out anyways might as well do it before the fish go back in.

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Elizabeth, SW Ohio
29g almost set up
Male and Female Betta

I think it is when possibly the wrong kind is purchased, but not sure.

I had to redo my tank when ammonia was just too much stress...I bought myself a good small rock sand like gravel that is pretty hard to dig into for the fish...and walaaah...no more uneaten food or dead leafs hiding under my gravel anymore... I just suck it out with my tube easily on the surface of the gravel without disturbing the gravel... Gravel DOES make a difference..

Plants like some ammonia but if your plants are not growing quickly enough they wont be able to use it all. Good lighting helps plants grow faster. If your plants are growing I agree about just leaving it like it is and doing some large water changes until it balances. Also you can give the substrate a good poke all over with a cocktail stick to stop any gasses building up. Once the plants get going the roots will do the job.

I poked the soil a bit, did a 50% water change, added the ammonia safe tabs and put the fish back in and got the water before the W/C, after the W/C and after the ammonia safe tabs were added tested at the local LFS. The ammonia did go down each test, so I am getting somewhere. I will do another 50% tonight and recheck, and do that everyday or every other day till its normal. The good news is the fish are much happier and swimming around this time.

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Elizabeth, SW Ohio
29g almost set up
Male and Female Betta

Sorry for your problems.

and with healthy plants you should not have ammonia.

But it does sound like you are succesfully resetting that tank.

Hopefully it will recover nicely.


and thanks for your feedback.

my .02

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fw leiden since 1979, fo salt since 1979, mixed reef 55g 2002-2009. Strong emphasis on the tank taking care of itself. Balanced with plant life, no water changes, tap water, no filters in FW. Only dosing calcium, alk, mag in marine reef tanks. http://www.aquariumforum.com/f15/my-...ods-26410.html
recent tanks (till 2009) 7 years- 10g FW leiden 7 yrs, 55g mixed reef 7, 2 yrs, 20g FW leiden, 10 g fw leiden , 29g mixed reef, current tank 55g leiden