The first time I saw Ammonia burn I almost panicked and dumped in every medication on the shelf. That would have made it worse. The good news: most cases are treatable at home if you act in the first few days.
The symptom
Red gills, gasping at the surface, and clamped fins right after a cycle crash or overstocking.
What is actually causing it
Ranked by likelihood:
- Stress from poor water — ammonia or nitrite above 0 ppm, or nitrates over 40 ppm.
- Secondary infection — a wound or parasite opens the door.
- Temperature swing — more than 2 °C in a day weakens immunity.
Test the water first; treat the cause, not just the spot. A the Cloudy Eye Early Signs walkthrough makes the numbers obvious.
The treatment
Step by step:
- Move the sick fish to a hospital tank if you can, see the Liquid Fertilizer Guide walkthrough.
- Raise the temperature slowly to 29 °C to speed the pathogen's life cycle (species permitting).
- Add 0.2% aquarium salt, dissolved first, and keep it stable with a 33% water change every other day.
- Follow the medication label exactly; overdosing does more harm than the disease.
Prevention
Quarantine every new fish for 3 weeks, keep nitrates under 20 ppm, and avoid overcrowding. Stability is the best medicine, a tank that holds its parameters rarely sees outbreaks.
Plant-tank considerations
A planted tank complicates Ammonia burn treatment: many meds hit sensitive plants and shrimp, so move the patient to a bare hospital tank. Keep flow soft so the fish stays calm.
