Ammonia spike unknown source

[WeekendShepherd]

Please help!

I have a 60 gallon AIO with sock filters and a protein skimmer. It has been running for about 7 months now.

Over this week I noticed my corals (mixed reef) not doing great- polyps shrunken, staying closed up, etc. so Friday night I decided to test everything.

While my main elements were low, the most alarming result was my ammonia. On the API test it looked like 4ppm+. Immediately I dosed prime, then did a 15gallon water change. Saturday I took a sample to my LFS and had them test it just in case my test kit was wrong, but their test came back as 3.9ppm. I changed out a total of 25 gallons Saturday after that reading. I checked my source water and that is ammonia free, so it’s something in the tank. The only thing is- my fish are acting fine. No one has died, I counted all of them, and I don’t see any dead snails and such that could be causing it.

I took these tests this morning and when I got home from work today and it looks like it’s gone up again! The 1ppm was from this morning, and the one that looks like 2ppm is from now. Please, any help would be appreciated, I have no idea what’s going on and don’t want to lose anybody.

 

[WeekendShepherd]

Are there any kids in the house?

Many years ago, there was a post on here about an unexplained ammonia spike.

As it turned out, the kids were peeing in the sump.

Oh my gosh! No, it’s just me and my husband, so I REALLY doubt there would be pee in the tank we do have cats but none of them are able to reach the tank, thankfully. Thanks for a good chuckle though!

 

[BeanAnimal]

Cleaning supplies, perfumes or body sprays, essential oil vaporizers, room freshener sprays, misters or heated wax, etc.

Anything like that at all?

 

[WeekendShepherd]

Cleaning supplies, perfumes or body sprays, essential oil vaporizers, room freshener sprays, misters or heated wax, etc.

Anything like that at all?

No not in that room, the only thing I use around my tank is ammonia-free glass cleaner to wipe the glass with.

 

[BeanAnimal]

No not in that room, the only thing I use around my tank is ammonia-free glass cleaner to wipe the glass with.

None of that stuff anywhere else in the house?

 

[WeekendShepherd]

None of that stuff anywhere else in the house?

Sure in the house, but the tank is in a completely seperate room, and at most we have those wall diffusers but not in the tank room or near it.

 

[WeekendShepherd]

Please help!

I have a 60 gallon AIO with sock filters and a protein skimmer. It has been running for about 7 months now.

Over this week I noticed my corals (mixed reef) not doing great- polyps shrunken, staying closed up, etc. so Friday night I decided to test everything.

While my main elements were low, the most alarming result was my ammonia. On the API test it looked like 4ppm+. Immediately I dosed prime, then did a 15gallon water change. Saturday I took a sample to my LFS and had them test it just in case my test kit was wrong, but their test came back as 3.9ppm. I changed out a total of 25 gallons Saturday after that reading. I checked my source water and that is ammonia free, so it’s something in the tank. The only thing is- my fish are acting fine. No one has died, I counted all of them, and I don’t see any dead snails and such that could be causing it.

I took these tests this morning and when I got home from work today and it looks like it’s gone up again! The 1ppm was from this morning, and the one that looks like 2ppm is from now. Please, any help would be appreciated, I have no idea what’s going on and don’t want to lose anybody.

Just an update for everyone following. My ammonia has been gradually going down and my most recent test I think shows .25 (please correct me if you feel it’s wrong). This is after a 15 gallon water change.
Besides that snail, I haven’t taken anything out of the tank. So far (knock on wood) I haven’t had any fish fatalities, and I even opened up my pistol shrimps cave and confirmed she was alive. So maybe this was the worst snail death ever, but hopefully things just improve from here.

Also enjoy this picture of my pistols molt, which I thought was her dead body at first but thankfully was not. Guess she was just keeping it in her cave.

 

[BeanAnimal]

Sure in the house, but the tank is in a completely seperate room, and at most we have those wall diffusers but not in the tank room or near it.

I can’t say for sure that they are a problem, but the chemicals get dispersed into the air and travel throughout the home. The same for any aerosol. Something like an essential oil diffuser or wall plugins fill the home with whatever they are dispersing. It is more concentrated near the diffuser but still travels, central air or not.

I certainly can’t tell you not to use them, but they would concern me, tank or no tank.

Personally, I avoid friend’s homes with essential oil diffusers. I don’t want to breath that stuff.

 

[WeekendShepherd]

Just an update for everyone following. My ammonia has been gradually going down and my most recent test I think shows .25 (please correct me if you feel it’s wrong). This is after a 15 gallon water change.
Besides that snail, I haven’t taken anything out of the tank. So far (knock on wood) I haven’t had any fish fatalities, and I even opened up my pistol shrimps cave and confirmed she was alive. So maybe this was the worst snail death ever, but hopefully things just improve from here.

Also enjoy this picture of my pistols molt, which I thought was her dead body at first but thankfully was not. Guess she was just keeping it in her cave.

Final update for anyone still following. Since taking the snail out and doing several more 10-15 gallon water changes, my ammonia is finally back to 0. So despite thinking 1 snail couldn’t be the root cause, that’s the only explanation I’ve found that would possibly make sense. I’m grateful and lucky none of my fish died in this process, although my engineer goby is acting homeless because I messed up his tunnels combing for any other dead inverts.

To prevent this I’ll be looking at beefing up my CuC once I’m sure my parameters are good and things have settled down so that if a snail dies in the future, it won’t just sit there fouling the tank.

Thank you to everyone who helped and gave advice! This community is great and very much appreciated.

(Photo shows my ammonia level Wednesday evening on the left, and then Thursday morning on the right).

 

[Fish Fan]

Final update for anyone still following. Since taking the snail out and doing several more 10-15 gallon water changes, my ammonia is finally back to 0. So despite thinking 1 snail couldn’t be the root cause, that’s the only explanation I’ve found that would possibly make sense. I’m grateful and lucky none of my fish died in this process, although my engineer goby is acting homeless because I messed up his tunnels combing for any other dead inverts.

To prevent this I’ll be looking at beefing up my CuC once I’m sure my parameters are good and things have settled down so that if a snail dies in the future, it won’t just sit there fouling the tank.

Thank you to everyone who helped and gave advice! This community is great and very much appreciated.

(Photo shows my ammonia level Wednesday evening on the left, and then Thursday morning on the right).

I'm still doubtful that this was all from one snail, but no matter, I'm glad that you're back on track now

 

[NJHC]

Please help!

I have a 60 gallon AIO with sock filters and a protein skimmer. It has been running for about 7 months now.

Over this week I noticed my corals (mixed reef) not doing great- polyps shrunken, staying closed up, etc. so Friday night I decided to test everything.

While my main elements were low, the most alarming result was my ammonia. On the API test it looked like 4ppm+. Immediately I dosed prime, then did a 15gallon water change. Saturday I took a sample to my LFS and had them test it just in case my test kit was wrong, but their test came back as 3.9ppm. I changed out a total of 25 gallons Saturday after that reading. I checked my source water and that is ammonia free, so it’s something in the tank. The only thing is- my fish are acting fine. No one has died, I counted all of them, and I don’t see any dead snails and such that could be causing it.

I took these tests this morning and when I got home from work today and it looks like it’s gone up again! The 1ppm was from this morning, and the one that looks like 2ppm is from now. Please, any help would be appreciated, I have no idea what’s going on and don’t want to lose anybody.

Just curious I had this problem once before on an old tank I had and I just couldn’t get the ammonia down. I don’t know what it was. I wind up doing a 50% water change. I waited five days and did another 50% water change and that seemed somehow to knock it out just an idea.