Help i don't know what to do

[Dom]

It was set up and running with established love rock from a friend of the family's tank for about 2 weeks before I added fish. I only added the shrimp 3 days ago.

Thats was fast.

I don't know that your tank was fully cycled when you added fish. If it was, then adding all of that livestock at the same time created the ammonia spike as the bio load was greater than the existing nitrifying bacteria colony could process.

I would agree with your choice to do a water change. Do 20% of the total tank volume every other day and test for ammonia on the days you aren't doing the water change. After that, weekly 20% water changes for nutrient export and element replenishment for maintenance.

 

[NY_Caveman]

Sticking to your original question, there is nothing wrong with using distilled water instead of RO/DI water for mixing salt or top off. I did it for years on a system. Most drug stores sell it by the gallon. Some grocery stores too.

If you started the tank with live rock it should have been cycled fine in two weeks (if not immediately). You often do not perceive any “cycle” with a transfer like this. That assumes you have enough live rock (at least 15-20 pounds for a 30 gallon tank). If your test was accurate, it may be that you do not have sufficient biological filtration (live rock) for the amount of livestock you keep. It sounds like you are not too heavily stocked for a 30 gallon tank though.

 

[Dom]

I doubt its accurate. was the tank cloudy, smelly, or things dying

was the alarm purely off the test reading or the environment showed something?

If your tank was lacking active surface area, the fish don't survive the first nite. we measure lack of active surface area within ten hours, not a few weeks. so curious to know if anything died (justifies the reading) or tank looks fine/acting fine

for example, if you used Prime in the water prep or before the reading, it causes false readings. curious if thats a factor

Happy to see you showed up for this thread. I was thinking this would be right up your alley!

 

[Salty Lemon]

Here's one I see others using. I'm not sure if the filter cartridges can be replaced on this one, but at this price point, it's still reasonable as a disposable unit. For a 30g system, this should last a long time.
Aquatic Life RO Buddie +DI - 50 GPD

I used an RO Buddie (and still have it in case of emergencies) when I had a smaller tank. The cartridges can indeed be replaced and they work great.

 

[natalie_0612]

So I checked my ammonia again after work and it's down to 0.25ppm. Is there anyway that it could decrease that fast from this morning at like 530 am ? I didnt do a water change yet and I'm debating on whether or not I should.

 

[brandon429]

its not about the test kit, its about the loss within the tank. have you lost any animals or is this all test related concern

post a pic of the tank

from position of the fish, we can discern a lot about ammonia etc.

pics show cloudy or not etc

 

[natalie_0612]

its not about the test kit, its about the loss within the tank. have you lost any animals or is this all test related concern

Everything looks fine. I'm only going to by the test results. Fish are swimming and shrimp is active.

 

[brandon429]

excellent, I love this kind of thread. ammonia is the most consequential measure we work with in reefing pretty much, when its there for real we're measuring loss in your tank no tester is required to verify.

Im now 100% sure you had no free ammonia and didn't have any. the measures you are posting we've collected in ammonia misread threads.

*occasional feed spikes have to degrade from proteins into ammonia, so spikes might occur etc but in the end ammonia either kills your tank in ten hours or its not there in an appreciable manner. it never is a slow daunting buildup. you are in the safe zone. here's more ammonia misreads, to show you the frequency:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/amonia-problem-in-established-tank-help.578170/
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/frustrated-with-test-kits-which-do-i-believe.622299/


https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/1-month-of-cycling-high-ammonia.299601/#post-3666878



https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/ahhh-ammonia-spike.328633/page-3
and
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/0-5-ppm-ammonia-bad.464063/
and
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/ammonia-present.330174/

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/still-having-ammonia-issues.330213/#post-4103674

*find a seneye ammonia user and ask them how often their tank gets up to the tenths level of free ammonia

 

[brandon429]

I believe you might have had a small spike if any (cause tbd) but any enduring concern is gone for sure. ammonia is a fast acting killer when your tank is either lacking the surface area to handle a bioload, or suffering from too few bacteria, or enduring ammonia being excreted by some animal or source of protein rotting in the water.
free ammonia always, by rule, has a cause and measure we can discern without test kits. it universally causes cloudiness in tanks with bioload, it smells, and the fish swim all crazy bc their gills and sole source of ammonia elimination are burning and not working. true free ammonia causes that pain.

cycled reefs especially ones with fish are known to oxidize more than 4 ppm daily, every day. Overcoming that to cause a legit .5 is truly hard to do, without a death of a fish or a significant source of rot in the tank or source water.

 

[Baileyshouse]

Always keep a bottle of Prime handy for emergencies.

Agreed

 

[brandon429]

Cant get rid of ammonia

I have a ammonia problem and can't get rid of it. I've tried everything and searched my tank for dead snails. Ive even cut back on feeding and still can't get rid of it. I have a 13g fluval all in one feed tank and I'm worried about my coral. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

www.reef2reef.com

check this out. same issue, testing only. zero issue in the ecosystem. its a misread. when we coaxed some pics, the lysmata cleaner shrimp was the clinch win ref angle.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Walmart water by the gallon. Bring 1 or 5 gallon refill bottles otherwise distilled water, both cost effective

 

[Daniel@R2R]

Great discussion in this thread.

 

[pasquale petrovia]

I would try Dr Tims bacteria it cycles super fast

 

[mta_morrow]

Agree great discussion. IMO, in the simplest form of an answer to your concern, @brandon429 is correct. The fact that your shrimp is alive is proof that there is no free ammonia. And as @NY_Caveman said, your tank was cycled and you are under stocked. All is well, and good job watching and monitoring. And as always, when I’m doubt....ask!

 

[hotdrop]

When you get home you should check your nitrite and nitrates. That will tell you if your tank is fully cycled

 

[Tuffyyyyy]

I would try Dr Tims bacteria it cycles super fast

This is what I'm thinking too. Fluval (not great but easiest to find), Dr. Tims, Fritz, etc. - I always add some of this with a new tank even if I have seeded live rock.

 

[Dom]

its not about the test kit, its about the loss within the tank.

@brandon429

Sorry man; I have to ask... isn't it better to test in an effort to prevent loss within the tank?

 

[brandon429]

I think we should always challenge anything written on the internet including anything ill ever write /honing of science

I find testing so wildly off base and inconsistent I simply use the other means/ # days underwater factored with known boosters/1 day bottle bac added/presence of bioload not dead

post #31, he was lied to by the test. if he was using Seneye ammonia, then test away Ill back it.

lets see a current test from today, the pic of the test and the reference card/tuneup check

 

[Mykawl]

What led you to check your ammonia this morning? How’s everyone acting? What test are you using?

FWIW, I used gallons of distilled to top off my nano for a good year before I read here that I shouldn’t.

What’s wrong with distilled water?

I use Kroger’s often it tests 0 tds, tried some from Walmart it tested 8 tds. Of course ro/di is ideal and easier