Hi everyone!
Ive kept tanks for about 2 or 3 years on and off and am just now finding out about the nitrogen cycle on my own. Im trying to get my aquarium on the right track but im having so many problems with ammonia. My 20g tank has been set up for probably a month now and my nitrite levels are rising but my nitrate and ammonia are off the charts every single time i test my water. I have an API water testing kit with the little vials and everything, i dont know if maybe this isnt a very reliable kit or not and maybe thats my problem. I have 3 mollies and thats it. I feed them once a day and once a week i give them blood worms. Ive been testing my water every other day and doing close to 75% water changes every other day as well as using AmmoLock to help with the ammonia. I use water dechlorinator, stress zyme, and i used a ph upper because my water is usually closer to the lower 7's and i read that mollies like something closer to a 7.5-8.2. I just started discovering the different types of filter media so i went to my local petstore and got sponges that like neutralize ammonia and put one on my intake and cut one in half and crammed it into my filter. I also got a little bag of the rings you put into your filter to help the growth of beneficial bacteria I forget what theyre called. Im at a loss... I really feel like the work that im putting into my aquarium should show but it doesnt seem like it is. My fish look great, theyre very active and ive even seen breeding but i know mollies do that constantly lol Please help?
Ive kept tanks for about 2 or 3 years on and off and am just now finding out about the nitrogen cycle on my own. Im trying to get my aquarium on the right track but im having so many problems with ammonia. My 20g tank has been set up for probably a month now and my nitrite levels are rising but my nitrate and ammonia are off the charts every single time i test my water. I have an API water testing kit with the little vials and everything, i dont know if maybe this isnt a very reliable kit or not and maybe thats my problem. I have 3 mollies and thats it. I feed them once a day and once a week i give them blood worms. Ive been testing my water every other day and doing close to 75% water changes every other day as well as using AmmoLock to help with the ammonia. I use water dechlorinator, stress zyme, and i used a ph upper because my water is usually closer to the lower 7's and i read that mollies like something closer to a 7.5-8.2. I just started discovering the different types of filter media so i went to my local petstore and got sponges that like neutralize ammonia and put one on my intake and cut one in half and crammed it into my filter. I also got a little bag of the rings you put into your filter to help the growth of beneficial bacteria I forget what theyre called. Im at a loss... I really feel like the work that im putting into my aquarium should show but it doesnt seem like it is. My fish look great, theyre very active and ive even seen breeding but i know mollies do that constantly lol Please help?