Ben doing salt right now ammonia levels went way up WAY up Plecy is still moving around at night 2 fish still eating 2staying on the bottom. I am doinf water changes to pring down and keep salinty up during that. One fish seems to be gasping on top. Put in my heavy duty aerator aolng with the one I already have in there filter in on full bore. Doesnt look good. The two that died showed signs of the ich/ick but the other ones seem to be suffering from new aquarium syndrom. Not sure what else to do? *********45 gallon********** 1 sml pleco *******2 tiny gold fish and ***********2 average size 2 inches. water levels are fine but the ammonia OFF THE CHART not sure how they are surving just that. One of the little ones is flashing the other stays on the bottom one big one see to gulp where the other big one seem uneffected by anything other than the sudden food decline that I have done.

So, there are only five fish all under 2 inches? If so, then the ammonia shouldn't be that high. Did you test your tap water to see if it reads any ammonia? If it does, it may be in the tap water, or the test kit may be faulty. It's a good idea to have more than one test kit. I have many, and they almost never agree with each other, especially the pH test kits.

How long has the tank been set up? If the ammonia levels aren't going down with water changes, or there is ammonia in the tap water, try adding some Ammo-Lock solution. It has a chemicals that locks the ammonia up, kind of like wrapping a blanket around it. If you do add Ammo-Lock, the trapped ammonia will still read as ammonia with some test kits so the tests can be misleading. Some test kits will say if they can read the locked up ammonia or not but most won't say.

If your ammonia is truly very high, the fish will not survive long so I hope things can be improved. As I said, with just 5 small fish in a 45 gallon tank, they shouldn't be making that much ammonia.

This is from my web site:

"What to Do if the Ammonia or Nitrite Spikes too High:

Often, in small tanks (10 gallons or less) or overstocked tanks, the nitrogen cycle can be deadly. This occurs when the ammonia (and later nitrite) produced by the fish, food, etc. is simply so high that it begins to harm and kill fish. Once bacteria become established, the levels will go down to zero but what to do in the mean time? First, if the levels of ammonia or nitrite ever read in the test kit's danger zones, doing nothing will most likely kill the fish. The most important thing to do initially is to get the levels down to acceptable ranges. For tanks under 50 gallons, doing a 50% water change (less water in larger tanks) with gravel vacuuming EVERY day until the levels are below the danger zone (but still present) will help ease the stress on the fish and yet allow the good bacteria to develop. Yes, it will take longer but then the fish might actually survive. The addition of liquid bacteria like Stress-Zyme or Cycle or dry bacteria in larger ponds especially, will help get the good bacteria growing. Because ammonia (NH3) is in the form of ammonium (NH4+) when the pH is acidic, lowering the pH if the aquarium water is basic (above 7) will render the ammonia less toxic to the fish. The pH may be lowered using commercial solutions or with vinegar (acetic acid) but should be done slowly and carefully. Liquid Ammo-Lock by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals can be added to bind some ammonia if present. Zeolite (a white granular compound, that looks like white rocks, often sold mixed with carbon) can be added to the filter (in a mesh bag or pantyhose or media container) or even put right in the tank or pond (in a bag of some sort) to absorb ammonia as well. Adding large doses of salt at least a tablespoon per 5 gallons will help detoxify nitrite if that is the problem. Keep in mind that salt is harmful to plants and some sensitive fish in high doses. Once nitrate test kits register nitrate present, the danger has most likely passed. This takes about a month or so.

Also, note that salt should be used sparingly if zeolite is also being used. This is because zeolite can be refreshed using sodium salts which replace the ammonia in the zeolite. If lots of salt is added to a tank or pond with zeolite that is full of ammonia, the zeolite may release noticeable amounts of ammonia which could be harmful. Use the zeolite to remove ammonia and later, if nitrite becomes too high, use salt to render it less toxic and remove the zeolite. Using small amounts of salt in a tank or pond with zeolite should not make much difference."