Ammonia at 1.5ppm

[fishywishy]

So i put some live rock in my tank a week ago and i was using a ammo alert badge to check the ammonia and it was reading zero but i got a api test kit just in case because it seemed off and the ammonia test kit is reading somewhere between 1 ppm and 2ppm ammonia, what do i do?

 

[Spare time]

Assuming based on your other thread, its simply the die off from the rock being shipped over a few days. You can ride it out, do a water change, add something that removes ammonia (zeolite or bacteria), etc. Its up to you. I would probably just add some zeolite and carbon (carbon to help with possible odors) and let it ride.

 

[fishywishy]

Assuming based on your other thread, its simply the die off from the rock being shipped over a few days. You can ride it out, do a water change, add something that removes ammonia (zeolite or bacteria), etc. Its up to you. I would probably just add some zeolite and carbon (carbon to help with possible odors) and let it ride.

Is everything dead now since the ammonia got so high?

 

[Spare time]

Is everything dead now since the ammonia got so high?

No. Some things, like different algaes, may be enjoying it lol. I bet a lot of zooplankton are fine. I can't speak for the different larger inverts though.

 

[fishywishy]

No. Some things, like different algaes, may be enjoying it lol.

so all the little hitchhikers are still okay?

 

[brandon429]

yes or they'd be floating up top littering the tank.

all you do is this:

do some water changes over the ten day period the instructions with the rock said, pick a decent degree of work as % water changed, run it every three days for ten days, cease ammonia testing now, then at the end either move rocks into your display and begin reefing or simply do one last large water change and begin reefing.

cease testing for ammonia at this point, you can't use those kits to know anything. I have example links of 5 year old reefs reporting those levels (those kits can misread), the plain advise is stop testing for ammonia right now and do the above steps and your tank will carry life, as it's currently doing.

you have just been given a testless cycling timing-based close date and it works, cease ammonia testing, don't doubt the order of steps listed just run 'em

add you reef life on day ten after the changes. you pick the % you're willing to change, it all has the same outcome either way, no need to detail the matter further it's fully covered above in steps and # of days. this will help you begin reefing on a known start date vs worry about it further. by ten days it's all done just fine, as the directions said and you can stop testing now. just do some simple guiding water changes, no need to add feed to the system or bottle bac or any additive or concern at all about bacteria. run the steps for the win

 

[fishywishy]

yes or they'd be floating up top littering the tank.

all you do is this:

do some water changes over the ten day period the instructions with the rock said, pick a decent degree of work as % water changed, run it every three days for ten days, cease ammonia testing, then at the end either move rocks into your display and begin reefing or simply do one last large water change and begin reefing.

cease testing for ammonia at this point, you can't use those kits to know anything. I have example links of 5 year old reefs reporting those levels, on that kit, the plain advise is stop testing for ammonia right now and do the above steps and your tank will carry life, as it's currently doing. you have just been given a testless cycling timing-based close date and it works, cease ammonia testing, don't doubt the order of steps listed just run 'em

add you reef life on day ten after the changes. you pick the % you're willing to change, it all has the same outcome either way, no need to detail the matter further it's fully covered above in steps and # of days. this will help you begin reefing on a known start date vs worry about it further.

I was going to do a 20 percent water change every day for a few days, I also dosed some prime, is this okay?

 

[fishywishy]

yes or they'd be floating up top littering the tank.

all you do is this:

do some water changes over the ten day period the instructions with the rock said, pick a decent degree of work as % water changed, run it every three days for ten days, cease ammonia testing now, then at the end either move rocks into your display and begin reefing or simply do one last large water change and begin reefing.

cease testing for ammonia at this point, you can't use those kits to know anything. I have example links of 5 year old reefs reporting those levels (those kits can misread), the plain advise is stop testing for ammonia right now and do the above steps and your tank will carry life, as it's currently doing.

you have just been given a testless cycling timing-based close date and it works, cease ammonia testing, don't doubt the order of steps listed just run 'em

add you reef life on day ten after the changes. you pick the % you're willing to change, it all has the same outcome either way, no need to detail the matter further it's fully covered above in steps and # of days. this will help you begin reefing on a known start date vs worry about it further. by ten days it's all done just fine, as the directions said and you can stop testing now. just do some simple guiding water changes, no need to add feed to the system or bottle bac or any additive or concern at all about bacteria. run the steps for the win

Also just to be clear I had some tiny crabs and bristle stars I liked that came with rocks, they are still alive?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I was going to do a 20 percent water change every day for a few days, I also dosed some prime, is this okay?

Prime is most likely doing nothing useful. I personally wouldn't be adding it during cycling of new rock.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Also just to be clear I had some tiny crabs and bristle stars I liked that came with rocks, they are still alive?

He cannot answer that, but you can. Do they seem alive?

 

[brandon429]

Fishy that will work fine. Most people were trained to use prime as a preventative / recent studies here shows it’s a sales ploy and doesn’t really help, quit using it going forward but it didn’t hurt your issue to use it

mainly, stop ammonia testing it will cause you nothing but further doubt and if you’ll do those changes over ten days you’ll be fine

people keep these rocks on seneye machines and nobody even requires ten days to get control over die off, ten days is the worst case scenario nobody sees unless they had a horrible shopping experience with rotted out rocks which you didn’t have because all your stuff is alive. Do the timing based plan and it’ll be just fine and ready

 

[fishywishy]

He cannot answer that, but you can. Do they seem alive?

I haven’t seen many critters but I also didn’t get many so it’s hard to tell, all I see is a spaghetti worm so I guess they are okay.