AMMONIA POISONING
What is it?
Ammonia is naturally produced by fish as part of metabolism, and secreted into the water. In a fishes normal environment this would not be a problem as currents would dilute the ammonia to safe levels. However, if aquariums the ammonia can build up to toxic levels. This problem is especially prevalent in small aquariums and even more so in small aquariums containing goldfish.

Goldfish are messy fish, that excrete a large amount of ammonia. However this problem is not exclusive to goldfish, as it can affect any type of fish. The most common cause of Ammonia Poisoning is a lack of water changes. One water change of approx. 1/3 of the water can prevent this problem ever occurring. It often occurs in aquariums owned by beginners, as they are not always aware of the requirement of fish. Beginners may start out with a small tank with a couple of goldfish, and assume the fish will do fine. They fish will then die after only a few weeks or months and the owner doesn't know why. Well it was probably because they didn't change enough water (if any at all), they overfed and the tank was overcrowded. This is sadly a very common story, and if this is you your fish can still be saved!

You should aim to have your ammonia level at zero.

Symptoms:
The fish will hang at the surface, gasping for air. The skin may show some signs of damage at advanced stages, such as red streaking. It will become increasingly lethargic until it finally dies. Its gills may appear lilac in colour.

Cure:
Immediately change about 40-50% of the water. Check the next day and change another 30%. (up to 50% if ammonia levels are still very high). Repeat this process until ammonia levels are back to normal (zero). After that change at least 1/3 of the water weekly. Always be sure to use a water purifier when changing water.

Clean your filter regularly in water from the aquarium (so beneficial bacteria is not killed), remove any dead plants or parts of plants that are dead and do not overfeed. Make sure the aquarium is not overcrowded, click here to go to a page about aquarium size.

Continue to test for ammonia regularly to ensure it does not happen again.



Remember, water quality is always extremely important- so always check that first as it is often the cause of disease in aquarium fish. When treating sick fish, try to put the least amount of stress on them as possible, as stress will hinder the heeling process. Another thing is to remember is that generally, a healthy fish is a happy fish.

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