I purchased an Eclipse hexagon five gallon tank about a month ago. I let the tank run for a couple days, as suggested by the associate at fish store, before I put any fish in. I purchased two fancy tailed goldfish and put them in the tank. I am well aware of the cycling process a fish tank must go through in order to mature. When I purchased the fish tank, I also bought a Live Ammonia Reader to monitor ammonia levels. The ammonia monitor has consistently been in danger and toxic levels since about a week after the fish were in the tank.
I let the ammonia stay, hoping it would drop off and nitrates would rise, but no luck. I've performed water changes and added ammonia detox with no luck again. One fish has died, while the other is still alive, but has developed dark gills, which I believe is a sign of ammonia poisoning.
My question is, is there anything I can do, or do the goldfish produce too much waste for such a small tank. Also, what are the odds of the fish making it through the ammonia poisoning? Thanks for the help in advance.
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