JohnnyHeavens
New Member
+1
On the ammonia, was it .2 before or after you moved all your rock around hunting that damnedsel? Just a thought but, It seems likely that the spike is a result of stirring everything up.
I think my clown fish is dying!
- Thread starter mepling
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On the ammonia, was it .2 before or after you moved all your rock around hunting that damnedsel? Just a thought but, It seems likely that the spike is a result of stirring everything up.
mepling
Active Member
Thank you, MikeJ. Im trying to get a handle on that now. Im not sure what got my system all outta whack. That is why I wasn't aware of any ammonia problems, my system has been running for at least 4 months (fishless cycle) and I have only had two fish in the tank (one is a bullet goby), 3 hermits and handful of snails and bout 10lbs of live rock. So my parameters have been good with such a small load. The one thing that could have whacked my tank is the start up of a new refugium. Im new at this so I must not have given my refugium proper time to cycle before starting it up. I am kind of stumped on how my Ammonia can be .15 my Nitrites can be 0 and my Nitrates can be under 20. It doesn't makes sence to me.. Low ammonia, NO nitrites but almost dangerous nitrites??
mepling
Active Member
I didn't think of the ammonia being high till after I removed the damsel and noticed little change in the clown. Then I checked the ammonia. So that could be a contributor, didn't think of that.
DontMakeNoSense
Active Member
You could always use prime in the water if you have issues with you water. It's a quick fix but not a permit one. I have noticed when I stir up my sand and move rock around it throws my tanks out of wack for about 24 hours put a little bit of prime and then test me water the next day. As far as your water changes go doing them all the time might not help to establish your tank. Based off my experience I have change quite often and it was causing my tank to not stabilize. So now I change about every 8 days. I know each tank is different.
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szutj001
Community Member
I have never found a 10% to hurt or slow down anything if nothing else do a 10 and then watch your water chemistry. Does the ammonia start to slide off after a couple days etc. Just watch it and do a 10 percent every couple 3 days it wont fix but it buys you time to figure out whats dying and or filter prob or otherwise.
DontMakeNoSense
Active Member
What type of filtration are you using? Are you just using a refugium?
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Eienna
5000 Club Member
I see this sort of thing ocasionally with FW tanks that are trying to cycle or have had their cycle disrupted. It sounds like you have enough of the nitrite-eating bacteria to keep up with the extra nitrite being produced by the extra ammonia, but not enough ammonia-eating bacteria to keep up with the ammonia itself. What ammonia is being changed to nitrite is being just as quickly changed to nitrate, thus the 0 nitrite reading but the overload of nitrate (from the overload of ammonia.)
I would suspect a dead organism somewhere. Maybe when you set up the refugium you had hitchhikers which subsequently died off.
I would suspect a dead organism somewhere. Maybe when you set up the refugium you had hitchhikers which subsequently died off.
mepling
Active Member
Yes. All I have right now is a refugium. Im interested in getting a small protein skimmer in the future but for now I have not read convincing evidence that one is necessary. A lot of conflicting arguments. Just until my live rock and sand in my new refugium stabilizes I have put some filter material in the refugium to help with floating particles. Im going to be monitoring the results weather to keep the material or not because it seems you would need the material so you can remove the decaying matter daily or every couple days. Anyways.. Everything in the tank has come a live in the last two days since I put the material in there but I did just do a 10 gallon water change.
mepling
Active Member
About the dead organisms.... When I set up my refugium, I put live rock in there and the bristle worms that were on the rocks just layed on top the sand for a week or so. Some of them may have died (most were still moving around) and when I actually started using the refugium all that dead matter could have got into the main tank. Spiking the ammonia. Thank you for suggesting that, this is another thing I didn't think of.
DontMakeNoSense
Active Member
Think I figured out you issue. I'm speaking from experience when I first setup my old 55 gallon I was just running a refugium with a protein skimmer (CPR setup) and my water parameters never fixed themselves and were always out of wack. I added a hang on the back filter emperor 400 and things started to correct themselves. I think the issue might be the refugium. I would try adding a HOB filter and see if that works. After going through the stuff I did I would have gone a different route when I bought my 1st tank.
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gmoney243
2500 Club Member
A refugium shouldnt be causing an problems and especiall one that a hob filter fixes. Ive ran fuges since i started and many other have for many many years it helps not hurts unless u doing something wrong with it.
mepling
Active Member
This video I just took a couple hours ago of my clownfish. He really bounced back and is doing great! Thank all of you for helping me save him. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUnH8H86Z0k
mepling
Active Member
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