Detected ammonia in established tank

[JustinMN18]

Hello,

I have a 100g tank with a 34g sump. I've had it going since October 2020. Recently, I've added a new dry rock and 2 media bricks.

I haven't tested ammonia in a long time. The red sea kit I have, I purchased in July of 2020.

I just tested ammonia because a firefish I have, I haven't seen in a while. I have no idea if it's alive, but thought since I haven't seen it, to test my ammonia. Well, red sea says it's 0.2. I fed reef frenzy about 7 hours ago.

I have a starfish, urchins, bubble tips, lps and softy corals, and other fish (clowns, fox face, yellow tang, a couple wrasses, hawkfish, clams) and they don't seem "bothered". I'm wondering what to do here. My nitrate is about 40, phosphate (using nopox) is at 0.28 (coming down from 0.36, using Hanna, but taking it slow as to not have big swings). My alk, calc, mag are all at the ideal numbers (testing daily) and I use red sea coral pro salt.

I do 10% water changes every Saturday (yesterday), and now that I see this reading I'm wondering two things.

1) could this be a bad test? Could the test kit be expired? If no sensitive inverts appear to have problems and all fish seem ok, what should I trust?

2) if I do another water change today (Sunday), how will the red sea coral pro salt impact my alk, calc and mag? Is that something I shouldn't worry about?

Alk 8.6, calcium 450, mag 1450. Dosing red sea bottles.

Sorry if this is all over the place. I'm posting from my phone, and the textbox isn't very easy to view as I type. Lol

 

[BostonReefer300]

Assuming that your tank has plenty of rock in it, you don't need to worry about ammonia unless there's a mass die off. The red sea ammonia test has a 0.2 ppm error rate, so your real level is most likely zero. I wouldn't bother doing an additional water change. I hope your firefish shows up!

 

[Azedenkae]

Hello,

I have a 100g tank with a 34g sump. I've had it going since October 2020. Recently, I've added a new dry rock and 2 media bricks.

I haven't tested ammonia in a long time. The red sea kit I have, I purchased in July of 2020.

I just tested ammonia because a firefish I have, I haven't seen in a while. I have no idea if it's alive, but thought since I haven't seen it, to test my ammonia. Well, red sea says it's 0.2. I fed reef frenzy about 7 hours ago.

I have a starfish, urchins, bubble tips, lps and softy corals, and other fish (clowns, fox face, yellow tang, a couple wrasses, hawkfish, clams) and they don't seem "bothered". I'm wondering what to do here. My nitrate is about 40, phosphate (using nopox) is at 0.28 (coming down from 0.36, using Hanna, but taking it slow as to not have big swings). My alk, calc, mag are all at the ideal numbers (testing daily) and I use red sea coral pro salt.

I do 10% water changes every Saturday (yesterday), and now that I see this reading I'm wondering two things.

1) could this be a bad test? Could the test kit be expired? If no sensitive inverts appear to have problems and all fish seem ok, what should I trust?

2) if I do another water change today (Sunday), how will the red sea coral pro salt impact my alk, calc and mag? Is that something I shouldn't worry about?

Alk 8.6, calcium 450, mag 1450. Dosing red sea bottles.

Sorry if this is all over the place. I'm posting from my phone, and the textbox isn't very easy to view as I type. Lol

It's common to measure the next lowest (above zero) reading on a lot of ammonia tests, whether API, Red Sea, or whatever else. Nothing to worry about.

Lot's of theories. Straight up error. Could be a small amount of ammonia constantly produced but yet to be oxidized measured, and likely to be much lower than 0.25 or 0.2 or whatever is measured, but the test kit's resolution can't go that low. Could be other compounds containing an amino group or something like that being measured, which is of no danger.

Either way, nothing to worry about.

 

[brandon429]

You all have wrangled this free ammonia like so many hogs at a rodeo, tied up fast and squealing on the ground. All reefs control their ammonia just fine until something like a massive fish kill from disease or hardware running overcomes natural abilities. At no time do reef tanks lose ammonia control without said insults, nicely done wrangling.

 

[brandon429]

I give you my word that in 2009 this post would have gone down very differently, we’d be on page one of thirty hunting for the cause of the death of your bacteria. In 2021, bacteria are not doubted.

 

[JustinMN18]

You all have wrangled this free ammonia like so many hogs at a rodeo, tied up fast and squealing on the ground. All reefs control their ammonia just fine until something like a massive fish kill from disease or hardware running overcomes natural abilities. At no time do reef tanks lose ammonia control without said insults, nicely done wrangling.

I just tested ammonia again this morning (about 2 hours after feeding), and am seeing elevated levels still. Last night I dosed Microbacter7 hoping maybe that would help. Anyway, I read 0.4 - 0.6 on my red sea kit, and my pH is at 8.0 (should be going up to between 8.1-8.2 by this afternoon). I dosed 1 dose of Seachem Prime for the time being, just in case this is turning into a toxic nightmare. Would you say it's a good idea to do a 10% water change this afternoon?

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

How are the other fish and inverts reacting? If you had a toxic ammonia event that likely you would see stressed fish and inverts dropping like flies.

a 10% wc wont do a thing as its removing 10% of a small problem and I think you likely have a bad test kit. If you have any crusty stuff around the reagent bottles is a good sign you kit went bad and leaked. Again, observe and add aeration if you see signs of stress.

 

[brandon429]

Prime causes false reads, your test kits aren't seneye. Ammonia is fine here

 

[JustinMN18]

How are the other fish and inverts reacting? If you had a toxic ammonia event that likely you would see stressed fish and inverts dropping like flies.

a 10% wc wont do a thing as its removing 10% of a small problem and I think you likely have a bad test kit. If you have any crusty stuff around the reagent bottles is a good sign you kit went bad and leaked. Again, observe and add aeration if you see signs of stress.

All of my fish seem ok, but my yellow tang has been hiding and not eating as much over the last few days (which is what sparked me testing ammonia in the first place). My clams, starfish, and other inverts seem fine... One of my bubble tips split last week and now I'm wondering if maybe it split because of the ammonia?

What's the best way to handle this? Haha, I have no idea. My Nitrates have been around 40 and phosphates at 0.25 this morning (using NoPox slowly to bring down).

I added 1 dose of prime.. I can add more.. And I can do water changes, but not sure how the Red Sea Coral Pro would mess with things.

 

[brandon429]

Post full tank shot pic, that's how we proof readings

Clear water

Fish position normal


Open corals

Vs


Hazy

Fish lethargic and shown that way


Closed up tight corals, from being burned.

 

[JustinMN18]

Prime causes false reads, your test kits aren't seneye. Ammonia is fine here

I just dosed Prime after I tested Ammonia at about 0.4, which seems elevated from the 0.2 yesterday. Not sure exactly what to do..

 

[JustinMN18]

Post full tank shot pic, that's how we proof readings

Clear water

Fish position normal


Open corals

Vs


Hazy

Fish lethargic and shown that way


Closed up tight corals, from being burned.

I'll post a picture this afternoon, unfortunately, work doesn't just stop for me and figuring this out haha.

Thanks a lot for your help with this.

 

[brandon429]

Take no action at all, the entire event was a false read.

Hth

Sustained Ammonia spikes are misreads

The reason you think your reef tank can’t control its ammonia is due to false training from old cycling science. That and you don’t own a seneye on the tank in question: if you did, you wouldn’t ever think your ammonia was out of control...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[brandon429]

Your original readings needed tan conversion that's what caused alarm


After tan conversion they were in safe range

Tan= move decimal over one place to the left vs current reading. That's the form of ammonia we care about.

one other funny aspect: even after tan conversion the color tube kit is still wrong heh. They can't read thousandths ppm which is where a reef of your age will run at.

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

Prime can distort most ammonia readings. Just thought of that... Stop stressing yourself out. You may have lost a fish but your tank isn't crashing.

 

[brandon429]

Hey I wonder if prime affects seneye

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

Hey I wonder if prime affects seneye

Ended up just using RODI anyways... I think. I believe I read that it does

 

[JustinMN18]

Hey I wonder if prime affects seneye

Here are some pics..

 

[brandon429]

fully jealous of that reef

 

[BostonReefer300]

I agree with the just chill out responses. Nothing is likely wrong. You'd have to have a really big fish rotting in a tank like that to give you ammonia levels worth worrying about.