Ammonia

[ErikBurns]

Got a 120 gal reef going, it’s been up 6 years basically trouble free, just the usual hiccups. Last Saturday I did my weekly test and everything is good except ammonia, it was creeping up at a 0.25. I tested again about an hour later and it’s up at 0.5 so I added Prime water conditioner and it went back to zero after a hour. Then it suddenly shot up, and I noticed the fish were in some distress so I went to see my bud at the LFS bought 40 gallons of salt water, ammonia pads, more Prime, and some smart Star complete. Did the change, cleaned the filters without going too deep to cause a release, added the ammonia pads and some carbon. Sunday it was okay, all the life in there was accounted for, Monday it was up to 0.25 again then tested later back down. Tuesday morning I got up my wife was having a major surgery to remove some cancer tumors, she has been in the hospital over a month and all my fish, crabs conchs, feather duster were dead! The corals were sick looking. So I told the wife what happened and she said to stay home and get it fixed her sisters were at the hospital with her. The ammonia was at 4.0 I made anothe 50 gallons of new water using Red Sea reef salt using RO water I have previously made. Drained it down, cleaned the sand with the siphon moved the rocks, added more prime. We cannot figure where it keeps coming from. I’m on the rebound now, saved the corals but just decided do more is being more harmful than good. Just let it do what it’s going to do. I never feed too heavy I should add.

Stock before crash- 1 blue tang, 2 clown fish, 1 lawnmower fish, 1 stripped damel, 2 torch corals, 1 branching hammer, 3 acro’s 3 gorgonians, a cluster of candy canes and 1 mushroom, 3 emerald crabs, 6 small conchs.
Stock now- just the coral

 

[blaxsun]

Sorry to hear that. Do you have any bio media in your tank to help remove ammonia? PolypLab makes their Genesis rocks that convert ammonia and nitrites to nitrate. A Seachem ammonia alert is also something I'd invest in to stick to the side of the tank and give you more timely notification.

 

[ErikBurns]

Sorry to hear that. Do you have any bio media in your tank to help remove ammonia? PolypLab makes their Genesis rocks that convert ammonia and nitrites to nitrate. A Seachem ammonia alert is also something I'd invest in to stick to the side of the tank and give you more timely notification.

I have some in my filter but not in the tank. I will look into the Seachem alert thanks

 

[Garf]

I have some in my filter but not in the tank. I will look into the Seachem alert thanks

Welcome :). What are these filters you mention? Doubt prime will be providing any benefit to be honest.

 

[exnisstech]

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[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

It does appear that Prime is not able to do what it claims and I’d avoid using it in relation to ammonia, nitrite or nitrate.

I don’t know what caused your crash, but I expect it was not a random ammonia rise but something else that killed one or more organisms, then the dead organism spurred ammonia release that may (or may not) then be going on to kill other organisms.

 

[WhatCouldGoWrong71]

@Randy Holmes-Farley what would you recommend to use in place of Prime?

 

[kevgib67]

Wow, so sorry, that hurts!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I have a little more confidence in products that contain hydroxymethanesulfonate, such as Chlor-AM-X. Still not certain they help enough, but it’s a plausible mechanism.

 

[littlefoxx]

I have some in my filter but not in the tank. I will look into the Seachem alert thanks

I would not rely solely on the alert. Ive got one on each tank, and it doesnt really register when the ammonia is high compared to my test kits in my experience, but it does change slightly to “alert” when the ammonia is rising, and then I usually test and do a WC