Eienna
5000 Club Member
Prime won't hurt anything at all, even if there's no issue. I agree that the OP does need to figure out if there actually is an issue, though.
brandon429
what, exactly, are you doing in your avatar
@ARGYGANG
I recommend you work with me here, don't go following flinch dosing advice. you can see years of data behind that post I made, and we can use your thread here as an excellent live-time job.
the #1 way to help your post, and that work thread, is to take zero action right now regarding ammonia.
your test kit reading is good, not bad, it's what 90% of stocked reef tanks run at.
this is what's happening to you:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/sustained-ammonia-spikes-are-misreads.802470/
Eienna
5000 Club Member
I meant if they do find ammonia. And I wouldn't say that with anything else. This is completely harmless.
brandon429
what, exactly, are you doing in your avatar
@ARGYGANG
you will help the reefing community by simply taking no action, we observe your tank running normally. fish, corals, all fine. just one anemone who isn't opening like we want.
what if we based cycle control on what Duncan corals do :)
anytime a duncan coral doesn't open (common) we dump in prime - trust me and we'll fix your issue (by taking no action)
there is no time in reefing you'd use Prime, even if the masses do. See Taricha's chemistry posts on it if you're curious. is has no basis for use in reefing, especially for a 6 month tank running perfectly. a non puffed anemone means nothing, a duncan coral that doesn't want to open means nothing.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/prime-does-not-remove-ammonia.885857/page-8#post-9808501
all the other factors we can see: your living, breathing fish mean something. all that live rock, the fact that a cycle chart shows ammonia controlled and it never rises after day ten: that means something.
you will help the reefing community by simply taking no action, we observe your tank running normally. fish, corals, all fine. just one anemone who isn't opening like we want.
what if we based cycle control on what Duncan corals do :)
anytime a duncan coral doesn't open (common) we dump in prime - trust me and we'll fix your issue (by taking no action)
there is no time in reefing you'd use Prime, even if the masses do. See Taricha's chemistry posts on it if you're curious. is has no basis for use in reefing, especially for a 6 month tank running perfectly. a non puffed anemone means nothing, a duncan coral that doesn't want to open means nothing.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/prime-does-not-remove-ammonia.885857/page-8#post-9808501
all the other factors we can see: your living, breathing fish mean something. all that live rock, the fact that a cycle chart shows ammonia controlled and it never rises after day ten: that means something.
ARGYGANG
Well-Known Member
ok well in the time following me posting this thread the bubble tip has fully inflated again and looks as good as the day i brought it home no color loss or anything else. i will add lights are on for around 3 hours before it starts to reinflate.
Eienna
5000 Club Member
It's probably fine, then...though personally I'd go ahead and test to be sure.
ARGYGANG
Well-Known Member
yes just super alarmed because i am sorry i did not capture a picture but it shrinks to the point you cannot see it almost we are talking a 6 inch diameter bubble tip going down to a half dollar coin once a day which isnt normal i believe.
brandon429
what, exactly, are you doing in your avatar
well done, we only got lucky he decided to inflate. doubt would have persisted if he didn't inflate but I would have held course just the same.
he may decide to deflate, it's what they do. other irritants not related to cycling can cause this. you can see your overall tank is just fine. a cycle doesn't change it's rules, a cycling chart doesn't get rewritten just because a non digital test kit said something.
lets purposefully not do any action to your tank for a long time, and you keep us updated.
you can see in that updated cycling science post it's not possible for you to have an ammonia issue in a six month stocked reef, based solely on what an anemone does. The recommend to dose Prime did not incorporate any study on the matter at all, and one was edited in above. do not use Prime in reefing it causes you to chase false things.
quarantine setups may indeed have ammonia issues: you'd still never use prime due to what Taricha's thread shows. Dan discusses how low pH is what's saving those tanks, not prime.
he may decide to deflate, it's what they do. other irritants not related to cycling can cause this. you can see your overall tank is just fine. a cycle doesn't change it's rules, a cycling chart doesn't get rewritten just because a non digital test kit said something.
lets purposefully not do any action to your tank for a long time, and you keep us updated.
you can see in that updated cycling science post it's not possible for you to have an ammonia issue in a six month stocked reef, based solely on what an anemone does. The recommend to dose Prime did not incorporate any study on the matter at all, and one was edited in above. do not use Prime in reefing it causes you to chase false things.
quarantine setups may indeed have ammonia issues: you'd still never use prime due to what Taricha's thread shows. Dan discusses how low pH is what's saving those tanks, not prime.
Eienna
5000 Club Member
If I'm not mistaken, that is normal. They're expelling old water from their circulation, if memory serves. Which it might not, it's been weird today LOL.
ARGYGANG
Well-Known Member
okay, thanks for that, i swear every single time i think my research is good enough for me to get a new animal in this hobby something happens with it that i can barely find any info on and it gets me stressed lol. this hobby is expensive ive been in it for almost a year now and honestly it never fails to always do something that drags you back into it knee deep in research and work and will leave you scratching your head every time
brandon429
what, exactly, are you doing in your avatar
the #1 contribution you'll make to updated cycling science is by taking no remedial action at all and we get to watch all your other items other than an anemone act just fine. and if that anemone deflates again, expected, it's been doing that, it means 0% about your cycle.
if you read that entire thread vs just skim, and it's examples, there's no possible way you can arrive at your cycle being broken at six months in a fully stocked reef tank.
if you read that entire thread vs just skim, and it's examples, there's no possible way you can arrive at your cycle being broken at six months in a fully stocked reef tank.
Eienna
5000 Club Member
IKR?!
brandon429
what, exactly, are you doing in your avatar
I give you my word that's a solid plan and if your whole reef dies then I'm on the hook for it in front of everyone. I put this thread in our updated cycling science thread as a study focus for today, because what's happening to you is happening to 20 simultaneous people on the board daily and it isn't stopping, due to these test kits and the ways they misread.
your red sea reading wasn't even alarming, that's what most tanks run at. it was the old rules that set you up for alarm: that reef tanks must be zero ammonia at all times. new cycling science knows that's not the case and we build example threads aplenty of all the reaction stuff people do using that old ruleset.
please remove the anemone if it dies and falls off the rocks though :)
if its deflating and still attached, look for other bothersome params, a bothersome crab etc.
your red sea reading wasn't even alarming, that's what most tanks run at. it was the old rules that set you up for alarm: that reef tanks must be zero ammonia at all times. new cycling science knows that's not the case and we build example threads aplenty of all the reaction stuff people do using that old ruleset.
please remove the anemone if it dies and falls off the rocks though :)
if its deflating and still attached, look for other bothersome params, a bothersome crab etc.
Eienna
5000 Club Member
I disagree on two points. One, IF significant ammonia is there, it should be detoxed unless water changed out. That IS scientific, as you don't want your animals sitting in it. Two, watch your animals!! You may have been wrong and mistook a normal action for an odd one this time, but if they truly ARE acting odd, that's a warning (EDIT: though not necessarily of ammonia.) Don't ignore it.
Eienna
5000 Club Member
Glad things worked out for you!It’s back to it’s semi normal size in this picture after a few hours since lights on.
brandon429
what, exactly, are you doing in your avatar
If you will update us daily with tank pics from various angles for a couple more days that will really help our study. Excellent thread so far
Those corals wouldn't be open and happy and the fish normal looking vs showing burn symptoms if you had ammonia control issues.
Ammonia control issues can't happen with all your fish alive and among that much cycled rock: it has never happened in reefing other than on those non digital misreading kits.
Nobody is going to post you threads of it happening on digital test kits because it doesn't happen
You being so willing and quick to post tank pics is how this thread was kept on the rails
Great job holding course.
Those corals wouldn't be open and happy and the fish normal looking vs showing burn symptoms if you had ammonia control issues.
Ammonia control issues can't happen with all your fish alive and among that much cycled rock: it has never happened in reefing other than on those non digital misreading kits.
Nobody is going to post you threads of it happening on digital test kits because it doesn't happen
You being so willing and quick to post tank pics is how this thread was kept on the rails
Great job holding course.
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