Ammonia problem!! Please help!!!

[yote]

Most of the smaller wrasses will also eat bristle worms.
But dont worry about the worms untill the ammonia is under control.

[Bifferwine]

Bristleworms are harmless and excellent cleaners for your tank. One of the best cleaners you can have. A total infestation of bristleworms will cure itself once you get the tank healthy, if there are so many in there, it's because they have so much food and are reproducing like mad. Get their food source under control, and the population will thin itself out. It all comes down to water quality.

As for the ammonia, if no one will hold the fish for you, you will need to do some big water changes. Doing water changes will lower the ammonia levels, but will prolong your cycle, which is also stressful to the fish. It's picking the lesser of two evils -- a quick, strong cycle, or a longer, weaker cycle. Your fish will probably withstand the latter better.

Your inverts are much more sensitive to water parameters though, so there's no guarantee that they will live, unfortunately. All of the fish you named are relatively hardy, and have a good chance at surviving.

You can also pick up a product called AmQuel to help your ammonia levels. It's only recommended to be used in an emergency, as there are always risks to adding any sort of medication or chemical to the tank. So it's up to you if you want to try it out. Most people say it works well.

[LuvMyPiggies]

The only ammonia detoxifier available where I am is API Ammo Lock. The bottle doesn't specify though if it is for FW or SW. Can I use this just to help with the process?

Believe me, if I could remove the fish from the tank, I would not hesitate. But for the one who suggested setting up a 10 gallon, I think it would be extremely stressful to cram everything I have in such a small tank. Plus a 10 gallon tank is $200 due to what it costs us to bring them in. I am in a very small town and for some reason, we can't get tanks shipped in with our regular orders from suppliers. We have to have them brought in by a special courier service which costs a fortune.

However I will keep searching for options...maybe I can find someone in town that will hold the fish for me, although I am iffy about other people's water quality as well. In the meantime, I will make sure my test kit is good. I will borough the one from work and test my tank again, as well as do a good water change for now.

[cgoodman381]

im suprised all your fish are still alive