My opinion is back to back 2 gallon changes. 2 today and 2 tomorrow. When you do the water change you need to try to siphon as much of the crud out as possible. Smaller tanks can be difficult to keep stable. All of the mods that have been mentioned are great things to add in a little at a time. Are you able to get any pics? And have you tested your water that you adding with the top offs?