It’s getting worse!!

[MindlessToxin]

Your ammonia numbers are going to be skewed while using copper. Some test kits are better than others. I think salifert and hanna ammonia test kits are best for copper. I always use the Seachem ammonia alert badge too for back up.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Idk if I should post here but my ammonia is reading 1.2 in Red Sea ammonia. I just did water change and it didn’t affect it (5 gallons in 23 gallon qt) the copper is finally at therapeutic levels via hannah so I don’t know what to do. More wc?

Figure that about 0.50 of that ammonia is from the copper, and that’s not harmful. That leaves about 0.7 ppm that is toxic. If you do a 5 gallon change, that will only drop the ammonia by about 20%. Then, ammonia is still building daily - so the result is, you could do a daily 5 gallon change and see the ammonia actually rise!
Water changes are a tough way to control ammonia. You should start adding “bacteria in a bottle” or better yet, use established non-calcareous filter media from a well established system. In an emergency, you can use Amquel to detoxify excess ammonia.

 

[Trillaman954]

Figure that about 0.50 of that ammonia is from the copper, and that’s not harmful. That leaves about 0.7 ppm that is toxic. If you do a 5 gallon change, that will only drop the ammonia by about 20%. Then, ammonia is still building daily - so the result is, you could do a daily 5 gallon change and see the ammonia actually rise!
Water changes are a tough way to control ammonia. You should start adding “bacteria in a bottle” or better yet, use established non-calcareous filter media from a well established system. In an emergency, you can use Amquel to detoxify excess ammonia.

they are all responding well and eating. i do have micobacter so ill start adding that. @Jay Hemdal i do have the sponge filter media that was in the DT sump currently in the QT tanks. theres like 3 peices in each plus i have the bio balls, like 12 in each 27 gallon tub. are those media ok to keep in there?

 

[Trillaman954]

they are all responding well and eating. i do have micobacter so ill start adding that. @Jay Hemdal i do have the sponge filter media that was in the DT sump for in the QT tanks. theres like 3 peices in each plus i have the bio balls, like 12 in each 27 gallon tub. are those media ok to keep in there?

 

[Trillaman954]

And this morning I lost the mandarin…I was doing ttm I guess it was too much for him. He was fat so I know he didn’t starve becaus he ate yesterday while in there

 

[MindlessToxin]

I'm sorry to hear about your mandarin goby @Trillaman954

 

[Trillaman954]

I'm sorry to hear about your mandarin goby @Trillaman954

yea..had him for over a year. finally got him fat when i put him in the 90 gal from the 20 gallon macro he was in. ate pellets and frozen. i think i got lucky because everybody said it was a difficult fish but i felt like it was my easiest.

 

[Trillaman954]

Figure that about 0.50 of that ammonia is from the copper, and that’s not harmful. That leaves about 0.7 ppm that is toxic. If you do a 5 gallon change, that will only drop the ammonia by about 20%. Then, ammonia is still building daily - so the result is, you could do a daily 5 gallon change and see the ammonia actually rise!
Water changes are a tough way to control ammonia. You should start adding “bacteria in a bottle” or better yet, use established non-calcareous filter media from a well established system. In an emergency, you can use Amquel to detoxify excess ammonia.

I’m on day 5 and now the flame angel is doing this. He keeps going to the top as if to breathe and is swimming clumsily. It’s the same fish with Popeye. Should I do something else? It’s breathing hard. I just did a water change. Copper has been consistent. Ammonia was at 1.2 last
night. The other fish seem fine.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I’m on day 5 and now the flame angel is doing this. He keeps going to the top as if to breathe and is swimming clumsily. It’s the same fish with Popeye. Should I do something else? It’s breathing hard. I just did a water change. Copper has been consistent. Ammonia was at 1.2 last
night. The other fish seem fine.

Sorry, I can't tell anything from a top down shot, that's why I always advocate strongly for a QT with lateral viewing.

What is the ammonia today? You need to test daily, or even twice a day, as it can creep up on you fast if you don't work on it.

1.2 ppm ammonia means you are still 0.70 ppm above the baseline level for amine-based copper. That's too high, you need to manage it like I mentioned last Wednesday.

 

[Trillaman954]

Sorry, I can't tell anything from a top down shot, that's why I always advocate strongly for a QT with lateral viewing.

What is the ammonia today? You need to test daily, or even twice a day, as it can creep up on you fast if you don't work on it.

1.2 ppm ammonia means you are still 0.70 ppm above the baseline level for amine-based copper. That's too high, you need to manage it like I mentioned last Wednesday.

I did everything you said, added bacteria. I also noticed in the other tank the clownfish acting odd. Then he turned around and saw one eye cloudy.

 

[Trillaman954]

Sorry, I can't tell anything from a top down shot, that's why I always advocate strongly for a QT with lateral viewing.

What is the ammonia today? You need to test daily, or even twice a day, as it can creep up on you fast if you don't work on it.

1.2 ppm ammonia means you are still 0.70 ppm above the baseline level for amine-based copper. That's too high, you need to manage it like I mentioned last Wednesday.

 

[Trillaman954]

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

O.k., the flame angel has pretty serious fin damage. How long has it had that? Any suspicions as to who is doing that?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Looks like the right eye is cloudy, is the left one also cloudy? One eye is usually an injury, but if both eyes are cloudy, it is either flukes, or a really unlucky fish with two injuries.

 

[Trillaman954]

@Jay Hemdal this is now.

 

[Trillaman954]

Looks like the right eye is cloudy, is the left one also cloudy? One eye is usually an injury, but if both eyes are cloudy, it is either flukes, or a really unlucky fish with two injuries.

Only 1 eye is cloudy, just like the flame angel. And it is also acting odd, clumsy. I caught the flame angel stuck on the wave maker, maybe it tattered it. It’s in a quarantine tank with the blonde naso, 1 anthias, 3 chromis, and the fox face.

 

[Trillaman954]

Looks like the right eye is cloudy, is the left one also cloudy? One eye is usually an injury, but if both eyes are cloudy, it is either flukes, or a really unlucky fish with two injuries.

Only 1 eye is cloudy, just like the flame angel. And it is also acting odd, clumsy. I caught the flame angel stuck on the wave maker, maybe it tattered it. It’s in a quarantine tank with the blonde naso, 1 anthias, 3 chromis, and the fox face

 

[Trillaman954]

No amquel but I have this. But you said this won’t work because it will affect the copper and make it toxic.

 

[Trillaman954]

@Jay Hemdal should I do freshwater dip?

 

[Trillaman954]

@vetteguy53081 @Jay Hemdal