Emergency Help! My ammonia went through the roof(.5)

[Makubex]

I have a 125 FOWLR with the following:

1 7" foxface
1 3" picasso triggerfish
1 3" blue hippo
1 4" sailfin tang
1 3" purple tang
2 clownfish

2 reef octopus hob skimmers(125 gallons each)
1 hob filter for 90 gallons
2 powerheads

Last time I checked my ammonia was 5 weeks ago I was in the hospital, I've never done a water change(but many of us have never done one!), just been using my ato, my ph is 8.0, salt 1.024, they eat nori with selcon/pellets/spirulina and freeze dried mysis, tank has been running since june, should I add my fluval fx6(would it help?), I havent set it up yet, I use tap water for ato which is 0 ammonia, a while ago a cardinal died

 

[Tamberav]

Are the fish acting strange at all?

Can we get a pic of the tank?

 

[Makubex]

Are the fish acting strange at all?

Can we get a pic of the tank?

 

[Makubex]

Are the fish acting strange at all?

Can we get a pic of the tank?

Only the purple tang hides from time to time, I check on em every 6 hours from the stairs(hiding my body) and they just pick on the rocks/swim around, when they see me they beg for food, they eat once every night.

 

[Tamberav]

It looks like there is plenty of sand and a good amount of live rock. Did anything happen that you think caused ammonia?

If the fish are acting normal and tank has been up since June. It sounds like the test kit is wrong.

 

[ZoWhat]

 

[Makubex]

It looks like there is plenty of sand and a good amount of live rock. Did anything happen that you think caused ammonia?

If the fish are acting normal and tank has been up since June. It sounds like the test kit is wrong.

I will get it tested tomorrow morning but unfortunately the lfs uses api, I use api too and I doubt it is wrong as we both been using it since two years ago, a while ago my cardinal died but never retrieved the body, I have JUST started feeding nori with selcon, but I MADE SURE that the nori they dont eat goes in the trash...

 

[Makubex]

That only detoxifies it, and reduces the amount of oxygen in the water, I got amquel plus which does the same thing, eventually the ammonia, etc. WILL come back, this is only like temporary

 

[ZoWhat]

....so what's stopping you from a 33% waterchange?

 

[Sebastiancrab]

I would add Prime or Poly Filter. The former will buy you some time. Suggest you do a large water change also and buy better test kits instead of API. Add an airstone until you get things figured out. Have you added anything new recently? It may be a parasite.

Poly Filter Aquarium Filter

The POLY-FILTER is for filtering and purifying both fresh and salt water aquariums. It is a formulation of a special patented material bonded to a synthetic matrix. By means of a unique proprietary process, the POLY-FILTER is made impervious to salt and is also organic loving to certain...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

 

[Makubex]

....so what's stopping you from a 33% waterchange?

Many people dont do water changes, and sometimes doing one won't fix the problem, happens and has happened to me several times.

 

[ZoWhat]

Many people dont do water changes, and sometimes doing one won't fix the problem, happens and has happened to me several times.

Ok..... Im OUT

You post an Emergency thread and we respond with using Prime and a waterchange. Both of which you shoot down

You're better serviced putting your Emergency call into your LFS....

 

[Makubex]

Ok..... Im OUT

You post an Emergency thread and we respond with using Prime and a waterchange. Both of which you shoot down

You're better serviced putting your Emergency call into your LFS....

I already told you I can use prime but that will only temporarily fix the problem, I haven't had much luck before doing water changes as it stirs up the substrate a lot bringing the ammonia even higher, as the detritus is in there kinda accumulated and rotting.

 

[Tamberav]

People who don’t water changes control nutrients in some other way. Fish can tolerate nitrates but obviously once they get too high it can lead to issues for the fish too.

Do you keep track of nitrates?

Just because you have been using API before doesn’t mean it is accurate now.

Signs of ammonia poisoning to fish are red gills, increase breathing rate, frayed fins, lethargy, going off food, etc.

If your fish are acting fine and nothing happened to add a bunch of ammonia such as a large number of fish added at once recently or die off of something large (a cardinal is not enough) then I see no reason to think the test kit is right.

Also prime may not detoxify ammonia. It has been brought to question whether it does this at all or is a false claim.

 

[Makubex]

I would add Prime or Poly Filter. The former will buy you some time. Suggest you do a large water change also and buy better test kits instead of API. Add an airstone until you get things figured out. Have you added anything new recently? It may be a parasite.

Poly Filter Aquarium Filter

The POLY-FILTER is for filtering and purifying both fresh and salt water aquariums. It is a formulation of a special patented material bonded to a synthetic matrix. By means of a unique proprietary process, the POLY-FILTER is made impervious to salt and is also organic loving to certain...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

No, I am getting a new ammonia tester, Im gonna aim one powerhead to the to top to increase oxygen, what do you mean a parasite? Is 50% enough?

 

[Makubex]

People who don’t water changes control nutrients in some other way. Fish can tolerate nitrates but obviously once they get too high it can lead to issues for the fish too.

Do you keep track of nitrates?

Just because you have been using API before doesn’t mean it is accurate now.

Signs of ammonia poisoning to fish are red gills, increase breathing rate, frayed fins, lethargy, going off food, etc.

If your fish are acting fine and nothing happened to add a bunch of ammonia such as a large number of fish added at once recently or die off of something large (a cardinal is not enough) then I see no reason to think the test kit is right.

Also prime may not detoxify ammonia. It has been brought to question whether it does this at all or is a false claim.

Nitrates are in the safe zone, before I had a bunch of soft corals which I guess kept everything on check, the ammonia was 0 ALWAYS and back then I did not do water changes, I guess now I have to do them since all my corals are gone, I am thinking if you keep corals then water changes are needed way less, is that true? Because it worked for me. Maybe I will get a few

 

[Tamberav]

If your sand bed is so filthy that doing a water change affects water quality. I think you need a different maintenance routine. If your tank has been up only since June and the sand is an issue then this isn’t going to be a solid plan long term. How is it supposed to last years if it can’t even do well after a few months?

If you don’t want to do water changes then you need to employ some other method to keep nutrients acceptable for fish as well as debris removal. Some people just stir the sand frequently enough that stuff does not accumulate since it will get caught by the fingers, others run bare bottom with lots of flow to nothing settles. Some have sandsifters.

 

[Tamberav]

Nitrates are in the safe zone, before I had a bunch of soft corals which I guess kept everything on check, the ammonia was 0 ALWAYS and back then I did not do water changes, I guess now I have to do them since all my corals are gone, I am thinking if you keep corals then water changes are needed way less, is that true? Because it worked for me. Maybe I will get a few

corals or plants use nutrients.

I still don’t think ammonia is a problem here. It sounds like you do have issues with debris.

You haven’t said your fish are acting odd, seems they are not. Fish do not act right when being poisoned.

 

[Makubex]

If your sand bed is so filthy that doing a water change affects water quality. I think you need a different maintenance routine. If your tank has been up only since June and the sand is an issue then this isn’t going to be a solid plan long term. How is it supposed to last years if it can’t even do well after a few months?

If you don’t want to do water changes then you need to employ some other method to keep nutrients acceptable for fish as well as debris removal. Some people just stir the sand frequently enough that stuff does not accumulate since it will get caught by the fingers, others run bare bottom with lots of flow to nothing settles. Some have sandsifters.

My 75 had a very dirty sandbed, NOT this 125, this one uses CRUSHED coral instead of sand to make it clean easier, theres barely ANY debri right now on the crushed coral. I feed carefully

 

[Tamberav]

My 75 had a very dirty sandbed, NOT this 125, this one uses CRUSHED coral instead of sand to make it clean easier, theres barely ANY debri right now on the crushed coral. I feed carefully

Ok, I thought you mentioned you couldn’t do water changes because of the sand bed getting disturbed. I guess you meant your 75.