Here we go...first 30gal planted tank

[Complexity]

That'll be fine. As long as there are no fish in the water, there's no critical problem to worry about. You'll still want to keep on top of the water conditions, but at a much more relaxed pace.

[kevinly]

When will your test kit come in?

Should be here in a few days. For the meanwhile, I can go to Dan's or Unlimited to get my water tested.

[Complexity]

Vicki,

I took the molly out and put him in a quarantine tank. I added salt so he would be fine.

So you are recommending another 50% now?

Whew! That's great to hear!

No, if the molly is out of the tank, then there is no immediate danger even with the high ammonia level of 1.2ppm. So you don't need to do the large water changes tonight. That was all to make the water safe for the molly.

When will your test kit come in?

[Complexity]

Whoops! Did my calculations wrong.

8.0ppm - 85% water change = 1.2ppm

That's still above the highest safe level for fish.

Do TWO 50% water changes tonight. Do them back to back. Remove 50% of the water, refill, remove 50% of the water again, refill again.

That will bring you to .3ppm. Still higher than what that molly needs, but it'll have to do.

1.2ppm - 50% = .6ppm.
.6ppm - 50% = .3ppm

Ammonia will increase overnight. So in the morning, do a 3rd 50% water change. At best, you'd be at .15ppm which would be acceptable.

Test the water tomorrow evening to see how quickly the ammonia is increasing. If it climbed back up to .5ppm, then start changing water again. If it's under .5ppm, then you can wait until the next morning before doing the next water change.

I'm tossing a lot at you at once so just take it one step at a time. For NOW, do TWO 50% water changes back-to-back. Tonight. Before bed.

[kevinly]

Vicki,

I took the molly out and put him in a quarantine tank. I added salt so he would be fine.

So you are recommending another 50% now?

[Complexity]

You should do another 50% water change NOW. Don't wait until tomorrow.

Considering that 8.0ppm was the highest reading the test could give, we don't know if the ammonia was 8.0ppm or higher. IF it was 8.0ppm, an 85% water change would take it down to .4ppm. That's okay, but that molly needs it to come down even more because she's been subjected to ammonia poisoning. .4ppm is on the high end of what you should have, and don't forget that the substrate will continue to pump out more ammonia overnight. So don't let it start at .4ppm. Doing another 50% water change now will bring you to around .2ppm as a starting point.

Then tomorrow, do another 50% water change.

Additionally, we don't know what the nitrite levels are so we need to err on the side of caution since the molly is in the tank.

So that is:

1. 50% water change NOW. Tonight.
2. Another 50% water change tomorrow.

[kevinly]

OKay just finished a large waterchange about 85%. Its kinda hard to get more water out without disturbing the substrate too much.

Vicky, so I should do a 50% change the coming days?

Good news is the tank is looking clearer then every before, well that is as of right now.

[Complexity]

White cloudy water + clear yellow tannins = cloudy light brown.

Or something like that.

Just checked, and if the test they used was the same one I have (API brand), then dark green would indeed be 8.0ppm.

Back into panic mode. Do an immediate 90% water change, followed by two 50% water changes. Add salt for the molly. She has been harmed by that high of ammonia whether she shows it or not. Watch the temperature since you're making such huge water changes so you don't create huge temp swings in the process.

[kevinly]

I might have made a mistake. At the LFS place they used the test tube one. After the chemical was added the water turned DARK GREEN. I matched that up with the card and it could of said 8.0ppm or 0.8ppm, I couldn't see that well. My mistake! They wanted me to buy the nitrate testing kit, but I hesistated because I already ordered the master test kit online.

Also when you say the water is cloudy white, mines is sorta cloudy light brown.

[Complexity]

Oh and the molly seems to be doing fine. He is helping me eat algae. He doesn't show signs of the water affecting him.

Something's not adding up. If the water truly has 8.0ppm, that molly would be acting as if it was in a vat of acid.

Who did the testing for you?

And a LFS without a nitrite or nitrate test? Was this a PetSmart or PetCo kind of place?

What did they use to test the water? Test strips or test tubes?

[Complexity]

You need to keep ammonia below 1.0ppm. So do whatever water changes are necessary to get it that low.

Still, something just isn't right. Are you sure it measured 8.0? Could you have made a typo and intended to say 0.8?

If it's at 0.8ppm, then do a 50% water change which should bring it down to .4ppm.

If it's really at 8.0ppm, I'd do a a 90% water change which will bring it to 0.8ppm. Then follow that with a 50% water change.

In both cases, you can do another 50% water change to take it down to .2ppm. From this point further, do whatever water changes are necessary to keep it below 1.0, preferably below .5ppm.

Once your molly is in safe water, I'd add aquarium salt to help it heal. If it was in water with 8.0ppm ammonia, it's not a matter of if the molly was harmed, but a matter of how badly.

[kevinly]

Oh and the molly seems to be doing fine. He is helping me eat algae. He doesn't show signs of the water affecting him.

[kevinly]

What test kit are you using to measure the ammonia? Have you measured the nitrites and nitrates yet?

I went ahead and ordered a freshwater master test kit online along with something else I'm getting. All the LFS around me don't seem to have the master kit. Well they checked my ammonia for me, but they didn't have any nitrate or nitrite test kit. So I have no idea what levels those are at.

How much water should I change at once? Also how much after?

[Complexity]

It's been a long time since I've dealt with a cycling tank, but can a fish survive ammonia 8.0? That seems off the charts to me!

Kevinly, get the molly out of that tank and into fresh water immediately. Then let's see what's going on.

What test kit are you using to measure the ammonia? Have you measured the nitrites and nitrates yet?

[Complexity]

8.0ppm ?!!!

Get that molly out of there!

Water changes. Water changes. Water changes.