Hello! I have had Cthulhu for almost a year now. I've had troubles in the past but nothing like this. For almost the entire month of January, he has had a really bad Ammonia spike. I can never get it lower than .25 mg/L. I've done big water changes, cleaned out his filter, frequent water changes, Prime, I removed his sand a few days ago. I even did a deep clean of his tank where I took him out, did a big water change (75%) and scrubbed everything with a scrubber. Nothing has helped. Please help if you can think of anything.
In addition to the ammonia spike, I noticed a little bit of white fuzz on the top of his right gill today. I was putting in the flower pot I just got (rinsed off of course) and noticed it when he climbed in. I'm really scared it might be a fungal infection. There is always white sludge that builds up on my spray bar and the sides of my tank that I can't ever seem to get rid off. When I did a deep clean of his tank, they came back in almost 2 day. I'm wondering if the rust on my hood is contributing at all either. He also hasn't been eating very well. I'll cut a worm into 4ths and he'll only eat one piece. Normally he'll eat a whole worm ever three or four days. He flutters his gills more often, I think. I'm just very worried about my baby. Please help if you can think of anything to better the situation. I'm not sure what to do anymore.
I was also wondering if maybe doing a 100% water change and scrubbing down everything in his tank with hot water and cleaning out his tank with hot water would help at all or if when I fill it back up if it would shock him. I don't have another tank I can keep him in to let the tank cycle.
I have (hopefully) attached a few picture (I did the best I could) of his gills and his tank set up. He is in a 25 gallon and he has a Penn Plax Cascade filter. I cleaned it out January 26th.
https://imgur.com/a/CaYWVp1
https://imgur.com/a/coWep1T
https://imgur.com/a/kgpT0y8
https://imgur.com/a/aSWqqfS
https://imgur.com/a/kL2m3vg
https://imgur.com/a/MR3kubc
https://imgur.com/a/a8FZwAG
In addition to the ammonia spike, I noticed a little bit of white fuzz on the top of his right gill today. I was putting in the flower pot I just got (rinsed off of course) and noticed it when he climbed in. I'm really scared it might be a fungal infection. There is always white sludge that builds up on my spray bar and the sides of my tank that I can't ever seem to get rid off. When I did a deep clean of his tank, they came back in almost 2 day. I'm wondering if the rust on my hood is contributing at all either. He also hasn't been eating very well. I'll cut a worm into 4ths and he'll only eat one piece. Normally he'll eat a whole worm ever three or four days. He flutters his gills more often, I think. I'm just very worried about my baby. Please help if you can think of anything to better the situation. I'm not sure what to do anymore.
I was also wondering if maybe doing a 100% water change and scrubbing down everything in his tank with hot water and cleaning out his tank with hot water would help at all or if when I fill it back up if it would shock him. I don't have another tank I can keep him in to let the tank cycle.
I have (hopefully) attached a few picture (I did the best I could) of his gills and his tank set up. He is in a 25 gallon and he has a Penn Plax Cascade filter. I cleaned it out January 26th.
https://imgur.com/a/CaYWVp1
https://imgur.com/a/coWep1T
https://imgur.com/a/kgpT0y8
https://imgur.com/a/aSWqqfS
https://imgur.com/a/kL2m3vg
https://imgur.com/a/MR3kubc
https://imgur.com/a/a8FZwAG