Fallow ammonia question

[Reef By Steele]

I have a 210 gallon system that has been fallow well over 13 weeks. I am planning to have angels in it and am receiving my 4th angel today. Other three have been quarantined. I am planning to add all four at the same time. I am concerned about the possibility of an ammonia spike. The tank has been ghost fed from once every couple of weeks to a couple times a week. Sitting neglected as I couldn’t do water changes during my surgery recovery, I cleaned the tank yesterday. Tank has been overrun with bubble algae, grape caulerpa/chaeto performing well in the fuge, haven’t tested parameters, but I didn’t run the roller mat for the entire fallow and there has been significant algae growth in the glass which has been literally covered in iso pods, copepods, amphipods and a super tiny crustacean that looks like a 1/8-1/4 shrimp.

There are a few soft corals (toadstool, devils finger, some Zoas, cepistularia, and waving hand anthelia). Can I dose straight ammonia as I did when I originally cycled the tank to try to build a super solid bio filter, or would that hurt the biome (little critters) or the corals.

My plan be would be to dose seachem stability daily for at least a week and have 80 gallons of fresh mixed saltwater available at all times for any possible emergency. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Would prefer to add the angels one at a time, but feel my chances of minimizing aggression are a lot better by adding all together as I have done the first time (pre ich) and with tangs.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Ammonia dosing is fine, but I'd limit the amount at once:

DIY Ammonia dosing for low nitrate systems

Some reef aquaria have chronic low nitrogen availability. One indicator is very low nitrate. Nitrate dosing is a fine remedy, but it is possible that ammonia dosing may be more beneficial for some organisms since ammonia can be energetically easier to assimilate than is nitrate. For this...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Reef By Steele]

Ammonia dosing is fine, but I'd limit the amount at once:

DIY Ammonia dosing for low nitrate systems

Some reef aquaria have chronic low nitrogen availability. One indicator is very low nitrate. Nitrate dosing is a fine remedy, but it is possible that ammonia dosing may be more beneficial for some organisms since ammonia can be energetically easier to assimilate than is nitrate. For this...

www.reef2reef.com

Thanks. But shouldn’t take it to 2 each time like when I cycled the tank with nothing live in it.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Thanks. But shouldn’t take it to 2 each time like when I cycled the tank with nothing live in it.

I wouldn't. I'd add the equivalent of ~1-2 ppm spread out during the day/night.

 

[Reef By Steele]

I was reading your article and it said safe to dose .1. Thanks.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I was reading your article and it said safe to dose .1. Thanks.

I expect in this scenario you can probably go higher with each dose.

 

[Reef By Steele]

Thanks

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

You're welcome.

Let us know how things turn out.