Ammonia problem, need some help

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DWells23

DWells23

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we can hold course safely because your system gets better at processing ammonia over time, not less able, and 7 mos accumulation of tail-end ammonia unprocessed would really show in the pics

How long have those fish been in there

If you don't change anything regarding feed or lost animals or medication dosed, it will be neat to follow your updates and see how high the tests show for the ammonia while everything in the rank shows health and balance

The clowns are both about 3 and half months old, the goby is just under 3 months the blenny is about 2 months and the tang is just over a month i think.

Is feeding once at night fine?

Ill keep testing and posting to give a record for other people :)
 

brandon429

why did you put a reef in that
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Just got back here for an update team how are we doing

Any unoxidized ammonia would amount to be a true killer in just the length of time since last update. Can't wait to know how the suspect readings vs six required biological visual signs to prove ammonia are going
B
 

Duraticate

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Not sure if anyone mentioned adding some beneficial bacteria. I did read most of the thread. I have recently had an ammonia spike up to .50ppm. My tank is well established so different boat. I beliave my ammonia spike was caused by a mass die off of spaghetti worms since i stopped feeding for a week or so and no water changes.
 

brandon429

why did you put a reef in that
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Hunting down ammonia abnormalities is most fun

My take for your measure above is this:

After sixty days underwater all tanks are equal mature regarding ammonia processing if they can demo cycle completion after a full water change. 65 days + demonstrated cycle completion is same bac abilities as Paul's 48 yr old reef. OP had seven months and months with fish in, which builds bac populations nicely. Up above I had mentioned improvements over time...need to clarify that as bacteria don't keep stacking denser and denser on surfaces, actions like water shear and surface area limitation/bac competition from non nitrifiers controls bac colony numbers and they reach steady state fast.
We're typically -adding- wet things to our system over time of mos and years, this brings in more bac each time, and the items we keep adding all count as new places bac can adhere to as mass builds over time.

Stopping feeding in my opinion won't kill the worms in that short of duration, it may suppress the populations for resurgence later but won't kill, rot in system and remove them. We have fallow testing examples where feed was stopped much longer with no ammonia issues, they may not have had your same worm counts agreed on that variant.

Sw dieoff if applicable isnt enough to overcome 4-8~ ppm ammonia processing abilities daily from any cycled tanks, there's an error here due to the that in my opinion. Post full tank shot if possible

there is no time a suspected ammonia event occurs in reefing without a visually obvious clue in the tank as long as all fish, medication events, and filthy sandbed waste if any is accounted for. Our systems are hungry for free ammonia, they'll eat it up fast

Can't wait to see pic details on yours

How the first tank updates here will matter on your tank as well. There's similarity in these reports of test only indications, no biology. Can't wait to see pics, pics of tank are better for ammonia testing than actual test kits

Ammonia doesn't come back in the post cycle system ever unless fish, meds, or sandbeds cause it. any true event able to generate above approx six to eight ppm a day, what it takes to surpass a cycled reef with sufficient surface area, will last weeks in duration and will make clouding and smell bigtime.

No tanks so far here had any sustained ammonia ill bet, as only the test kit says it does with no other backing visual cues. Fish would be the reliable indicators, and any open corals as mentioned above, need to see and know those details at the time of the reading sample

Ps
If all his fish are dead ima have some editing to do
 
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Duraticate

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Hunting down ammonia abnormalities is most fun

My take for your measure above is this:

After sixty days underwater all tanks are equal mature regarding ammonia processing if they can demo cycle completion after a full water change. 65 days + demonstrated cycle completion is same bac abilities as Paul's 48 yr old reef. He had seven months and months with fish in, which builds bac populations nicely.

Stopping feeding won't kill them in that short of duration, it may suppress the populations for resurgence later but won't kill, rot in system and remove them. We have massive fallow testing examples where feed was stopped much longer with no ammonia issues

Sw dieoff if applicable isnt enough to overcome 4-8~ ppm ammonia processing abilities daily from any cycled tanks, there's an error here. Post full tank shot if possible

******there is no time a suspected ammonia event occurs in reefing without a visually obvious clue in the tank as long as all fish, medication events, and filthy sandbed waste if any is accounted for. Can't wait to see details on yours

How the first tank updates here will matter on your tank as well. There's similarity in these reports of test only indications, no biology. Can't wait to see pics, pics of tank are better for ammonia testing than actual test kits

Ammonia doesn't come back in the post cycle system ever unless fish, meds, or sandbeds cause it. any true event able to generate above approx six to eight ppm a day, what it takes to surpass a cycled reef with sufficient surface area, will last weeks in duration and will make clouding and smell bigtime.

No tanks so far here had any sustained ammonia ill bet.
Not sure if i am understanding correctly. So would i be getting a misreading on the test kit? I use API kits yes i said it I USE API LOL.

20180814_193631_1534297555666.jpg


20180806_084228.jpeg
 

brandon429

why did you put a reef in that
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Very nice tank and very good example by pics for us. It's handy to see if two test kits will give an equal reading, if you run your API right now on the tank does it show .25 or zero am curious

That really does look well matured and aged nicely


The way your tank would look in the morning before corals are opened, closed tight, is how I'd expect it to look during the day if ammonia truly spiked. Both those shots show open corals and they've very good sized colonies you've been feeding well! Though that's a low live rock use system, there is still some and the sandbed is providing the bulk of the surface area

If you ever have to disturb, get into, or clean that sandbed be careful as it surely easily could cause a real ammonia spike and the animals and smell would show it w no test


*in support of your post the first pic is a bit cloudy and that Goni is not fully extended :)

Ammonia hunts are so so fun and challenging. I can't recall a time where feed withholding in short duration would cause a loss of established reef organisms, they get feed from that fine sandbed you have and the bugs it lends to the water. There would be tank floc and holdover detritus moved in the current as stand in feed I'd suspect

Those anthelia or clove polyps are equally opened in both pics along with a few other corals. Admitted yours isn't a slam dunk call, but causatives aren't pinned yet, excellent addition to our hunts here. The banggai card is acting normally in first pic, he'd be panting sideways at the surface.
 
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