Ammonia Levels...

[NeilRogers]

Using Hanna Test Kit

Today's readings: 32 Gallon Biocube

Ph 7.7
Alk 10.0
Nitrate 7
Nitrite 30 (ppb)
Phosphate .08

Temp: 77
Salinity 1.024

Ammonia .3

Ammonia has been high (in the .2 to .3 range)

Going through the 'ugly stage' but clearing

From what I have seen/read, most of the readings are good, just unable to bring the ammonia down. 4 fish (2 fiji damsels, 1 clown, 1 gramma) 1 cleaner shrimp, about 10 cleanup crew (mixed snails) and live rock/sand

Inhabitants appear healthy and doing well. Just cannot seem to get the ammonia down?

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

How old is the tank? Was it cycled?

 

[NeilRogers]

How old is the tank? Was it cycled?

2 months and has cycled

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Tanks always have trace amount of ammonia because fish are always pooping and food rotting, our testers are good enough to pick up the trace amount.

Normally I would not worry about it, but your nitrite of 30 is surprising, although nitrite is not harmful, just surprised that its that high.

I would say nothing wrong, and keep going. A tank pic is always helpful to show the health of the tank if you want to post one, but I don't think you should give it any concern. Inverts would be affected if there was ammonia.

 

[NeilRogers]

Thank you very much. The reading for Hanna for Nitrite is in parts per billion vice parts per million, not sure if that makes a diference.

 

[brandon429]

What you’re seeing isn’t a problem, it’s how that kit chooses to report the levels from a perfectly normal reef tank. No action is needed and no further testing is needed for ammonia or nitrite on this tank, at any time. Ammonia isn’t expected to be zero in reef tanks anymore, the old rules on cycling said it was supposed to be and that was incorrect.

 

[NeilRogers]

What you’re seeing isn’t a problem, it’s how that kit chooses to report the levels from a perfectly normal reef tank. No action is needed and no further testing is needed for ammonia or nitrite on this tank, at any time. Ammonia isn’t expected to be zero in reef tanks anymore, the old rules on cycling said it was supposed to be and that was incorrect.

Thank you very much.

 

[brandon429]

There was another interesting clue in the description that lent cycling info even if we didn’t know how old the system was:

Going through the 'ugly stage' but clearing

Any system in the uglies stage is already cycled for ammonia control. The microbes that process ammonia always show up on surfaces before visual invasion growths we can see. There is no time a reef tank in the uglies stage would have trouble controlling ammonia, those growths mean all the surface area is full of bacteria and now secondary layers of new growths are taking over.

.3 isn’t reef ammonia that’s an nh4 level, reefs use nh3, and that’s ten times less ~ than stated levels. Ten times less than .3 means mighty low ammonia, and that’s why all the animals are fine. No more testing is needed, ammonia can’t fail to be handled at this point as long as the tank runs normally / heating and circulation etc.

*if fish losses happen it’s not ammonia doing it, it’s skipping all disease preps. Fallow and qt is required to succeed in dry start setups we can clearly see in the disease forum help threads