HELP!!!!

Roeshelle · Jul 9, 2023

HELP!!!! I don’t understand what is happening right now. Everything was fine up until I noticed my torch was shrunken in. Then it was like a snowball. Turns out my ATO wasn’t working so my salinity was through the roof. I fixed that but then I tested my parameters and look at these numbers! What the heck! High ammonia in a cycled tank? What do I do??

Ammonia 1.2
Nitrites .2
Nitrates between 20-50 hard to tell with the Red Sea test.
PH 8
Alk 6.6
Phos .47
Cal 461

The torch is toast, is basically shredded off the base. So far everything else is ok but aside from a water change I don’t know what to do.

Also having a bacterial bloom. Ugh.

marinesnow · Jul 9, 2023

How long has the tank been up? What size is it? What livestock do you have?

Definitely a water change, as you said. As large as possible. And try to find the source of the ammonia and remove it--usually something that's been dead, or leftover food (if the tank is new).

Seachem prime can also detoxify ammonia temporarily.

Townes_Van_Camp · Jul 9, 2023

What's your current sg and how fast did you move it?

Water changes are nearly free. Start there. Go big.

Ammonia is higher than Willie Nelson. I wonder about your ammonia test results accuracy though. Nitrite doesn't matter. After those are squared up dose up your Alk and check your mag. No magnesium = lowered all and cal uptake.

You could dose mag to 1300 then hit alk.

GFO (granulated ferric oxide) for phosphates.

Sounds like you are fighting a war on multiple fronts. All of this takes time.