20 gallons.
Unsure of the PH, planning on testing the water as soon as possible.
Someone told me that my ammonia levels are most likely quite high.
78 degrees F.
Countrymax.
I was just told that my ammonia levels are probably very high and oxygen levels low, and I need to get a filter. I'll try to get one this weekend. Meanwhile, I'll just have to do daily water changes.
How many other fish do you have and when was the last time you did a water change? I actually own and operate a planted aquarium business and have been involved with fish keeping and breeding since 1978. Generally speaking, when a person buys "algae eating fish" because they have a need for them, it means they are not doing enough water changes. Regardless of your issue, the solution to pollution is dilution. Stop feeding your fish for the next week or so, they can go very long times without food in captivity and I generally recommend feeding every other day to my clients anyway. You are going to begin by doing a 1/3 water change every other day. Your PH is probably way off, however it is best to make changes gradually and the water changes will soon eliminate the problems if done correctly. Make sure to use a gravel vacuum to remove any fuzzy food embedded in the gravel, and try to do a different section each day. Keep this regimen up until 9 water changes have been made, then re-test to see where you are.
You might have noticed I did not mention your filter in all of this. Regardless of filter type, this was deliberate. Your filter needs to remain "dirty" during this phase of your tank rehabilitation in order to preserve your bacterial balance, should it be cleaned you will possibly strip your tanks beneficial bacteria and cause a new tank syndrome to occur. New tank syndrome occurs when there is not enough beneficial bacteria present in a tank to perform the nitrogen cycle. This means ammonia and nitrite, both highly toxic, will need to spike, plateau, and recede prior to the tank becoming ecologically stable again- this is something to be avoided for the sake of the fish. Just stop feeding the fish (which only adds to the pollution at this point) do your water changes, remove any fish that do not make it (there might be some) and all should be well in about 2 weeks. There will probably be an algae bloom at some point when the toxic ammonia and Nitrite drop into levels that algae can thrive in- do not clean it as it will help speed the recovery of the aquarium. Adding a floating plant like duckweed will also speed the recovery, as they will remove toxins from the tank as the duckweed is removed, however I would not add any floating plants until water change number 4 or so, as they also can cause the oxygen levels to drop.
The algae eating species you bought, also known as "Chinese Algae Eater" Latin name is "Gyrinocheilus aymonieri", these fish are only going to eat algae until around 3 inches in size. At the end of their juvenile growth phase their mouth changes, slowly shifting toward the front of their face and they become carnivorous, eating slime and scales off of other fish. They top out around 10 inches in size when fully grown. It should be fine for a while, but you will want to trade it/them in when it hits 3 inches, preferably before it/them begins to damage fish. Personally I prefer snails for non-planted tanks, and otto cats for planted tanks to be algae maintenance. If algae gets to the point where you have troubles with the glass being clean you are not doing enough water changes and/or over feeding your fish. Buying a pleco or algae eater to "clean" a tank is sort of like buying a cow to mow a lawn, it is a very temporary fix at best, and BIG problems in the future at worst.
Hope this helps, best of luck to you
Sandi, owner of Cape Cod Aquascapes
