Levels High After Water Change

vncvr1982

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 26, 2021
Messages
45
Reaction score
33
Location
Vancouver
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
So yesterday I did a 20% water change on my 30 gallon. All I have is rock, sand and two clown fish. This is going on my 4th week. When I started the tank I used TurboStart 900, and have monitored my chemistry daily. Ammonia has so far always been 0 as has been Nitrite, with just a tiny nitrate.

Yesterday
Ammonia .50ppm
Nitrite 2.0ppm
Nitrate 5ppm
PH 8
Salinity 1.025

Today 24 hours after my 20% water change:
Ammonia 1ppm
Nitrite 1ppm
Nitrate 20ppm
PH 8
Salinity 1.025

Should I do another water change but bigger? Or should I let it go and see what my chemistry is tomorrow? Could I maybe be in the middle/tail end of a cycle

Any tips/advice are welcome!
 

Jekyl

GSP is the devil and clowns are bad pets
View Badges
Joined
Jan 15, 2019
Messages
11,271
Reaction score
15,492
Location
Michigan
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Don't feed as much most likely. What ever they don't eat in 30 seconds remove it from the tank. Using a skimmer or fuge? Those will help with nitrates also. With the ammonia and nitrate jump sounds like there has been excess decay lately.
 

mdb_talon

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 6, 2010
Messages
4,938
Reaction score
7,753
Location
Illinois
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Looks like your tank is cycling. Dont do a water change just wait. Ammonia and Nitrite at zero does not always mean a tank has really cycled it could just mean there had not been enough organics to see them rise. It does not mean you have built the necessary bacteria needed to quickly convert ammonia and nitrite though. the fact your nitrates are now going up indicates that conversion is now happening.
 

JosephM

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Nov 22, 2020
Messages
1,561
Reaction score
1,049
Location
Lincolnton
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Sounds like maybe it never cycled? Brandon will say it’s been cycled and you’re getting a false reading. I’d say just let it be and put in some prime if you’re concerned.
 
OP
OP
vncvr1982

vncvr1982

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 26, 2021
Messages
45
Reaction score
33
Location
Vancouver
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Don't feed as much most likely. What ever they don't eat in 30 seconds remove it from the tank. Using a skimmer or fuge? Those will help with nitrates also. With the ammonia and nitrate jump sounds like there has been excess decay lately.
I have a crap Fluval PS1 skimmer. Seriously is a joke. I’m not ready for a sump just yet. Any recommendations on a decent hob skimmer? This Fluval thing just puts out way too many micro bubbles constantly, and the amount of foam it makes is ridiculous even after adjusting the collection cup and the air.

I will cut my feeding in half. I’ve been feeding about a 1/2” x 1/2” square of Reef Frenzy Nano.
 

Jekyl

GSP is the devil and clowns are bad pets
View Badges
Joined
Jan 15, 2019
Messages
11,271
Reaction score
15,492
Location
Michigan
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I have a crap Fluval PS1 skimmer. Seriously is a joke. I’m not ready for a sump just yet. Any recommendations on a decent hob skimmer? This Fluval thing just puts out way too many micro bubbles constantly, and the amount of foam it makes is ridiculous even after adjusting the collection cup and the air.

I will cut my feeding in half. I’ve been feeding about a 1/2” x 1/2” square of Reef Frenzy Nano.
About a 1/4 of that is probably enough for 2 clowns. I have an octo HoB skimmer and love it
 

Jekyl

GSP is the devil and clowns are bad pets
View Badges
Joined
Jan 15, 2019
Messages
11,271
Reaction score
15,492
Location
Michigan
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Get some simple pellet food to trade off with also. They aren't as harsh
 
OP
OP
vncvr1982

vncvr1982

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 26, 2021
Messages
45
Reaction score
33
Location
Vancouver
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Get some simple pellet food to trade off with also. They aren't as harsh
Awesome, I will check out that skimmer. I have some or the PE Mysis pellets, maybe alternate days, pellets one frozen the next.
 

Jekyl

GSP is the devil and clowns are bad pets
View Badges
Joined
Jan 15, 2019
Messages
11,271
Reaction score
15,492
Location
Michigan
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
It'll help just reducing the amount either way. I used to feed my fish like crazy too
 
OP
OP
vncvr1982

vncvr1982

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 26, 2021
Messages
45
Reaction score
33
Location
Vancouver
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Would you all interpret this as 0ppm? .25ppm or .50ppm??
 

Attachments

  • BA67CFAF-B365-4C47-BFCC-555165F0BE9F.jpeg
    BA67CFAF-B365-4C47-BFCC-555165F0BE9F.jpeg
    145.3 KB · Views: 77

brandon429

why did you put a reef in that
View Badges
Joined
Dec 9, 2014
Messages
29,493
Reaction score
23,573
Location
tejas
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Cycles do not undo, you are cycled.


if you weren’t fully cycled your fish wouldn’t live past two days, they have.

Post a pic of your tank, not the test kits I’ll show you what I think causes a very brief ammonia spike that resolved in ten mins. (Your test kits won’t show movement down for days)


your tank is fine, where the fish are in the pic will be additional proof. this is the third false stuck cycle thread in a week I’m going to start a work thread on the matter. Zero reef tanks have stuck ammonia past ten mins. We will fix your tank up first though.

do not add oxygen consuming bottled bacteria, nothing is wrong w your tank.
 
OP
OP
vncvr1982

vncvr1982

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 26, 2021
Messages
45
Reaction score
33
Location
Vancouver
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Here it is. I started the skimmer again, but the microbubbles drive me crazy.
 

Attachments

  • 890CB40C-34F7-4464-9A2E-1B0D7D88477B.jpeg
    890CB40C-34F7-4464-9A2E-1B0D7D88477B.jpeg
    313.1 KB · Views: 87

brandon429

why did you put a reef in that
View Badges
Joined
Dec 9, 2014
Messages
29,493
Reaction score
23,573
Location
tejas
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
That is a zero ammonia issue tank, the fish at the bottom breathing fine means no oxygen lacking from ammonia burned gills

they hover at the top in gray, smelly water when nh3 isn’t controlled.

when you do water changes, small bits of organic waste are kicked up and show a brief spike in total ammonia but not the bad ammonia

the tests are quick to register the change, and slow to register the requisite correction time for that much surface area which is about three minutes tops.


@Reef. when you typed earlier today about causatives for ghost reads, it applies here. Nice call.
 

brandon429

why did you put a reef in that
View Badges
Joined
Dec 9, 2014
Messages
29,493
Reaction score
23,573
Location
tejas
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
It’s good you didn’t reactively add a bunch of oxygen - sapping bacteria, as you have no lack thereof.
 

mdb_talon

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 6, 2010
Messages
4,938
Reaction score
7,753
Location
Illinois
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Cycles do not undo, you are cycled.


if you weren’t fully cycled your fish wouldn’t live past two days, they have.

Post a pic of your tank, not the test kits I’ll show you what I think causes a very brief ammonia spike that resolved in ten mins. (Your test kits won’t show movement down for days)


your tank is fine, where the fish are in the pic will be additional proof. this is the third false stuck cycle thread in a week I’m going to start a work thread on the matter. Zero reef tanks have stuck ammonia past ten mins. We will fix your tank up first though.

do not add oxygen consuming bottled bacteria, nothing is wrong w your tank.
Of course cycles "undo" in the sense you can have multiple cycles or be at 0 ammonia and not really had a true cycle. All 0 ammonia tells you is there is enough bacteria in the tank to quickly convert it at the previous bioload. If you then significantly increase the bioload in a short amount of time you will see ammonia and nitrite spike...ie cycle again.
 

brandon429

why did you put a reef in that
View Badges
Joined
Dec 9, 2014
Messages
29,493
Reaction score
23,573
Location
tejas
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
It self resolves in four mins or so, thats the big picture. What you mention is what titration test kit owners see, a false spike and delay resolve, the spike was in the thousandths ppm.

what calibrated seneye owners see is this: any reef in the world can not only carry a full bioload, it can endure direct nh3 dosing as often as you want. that means this tank above can carry so much waste handling, there’s room to instantly triple it.
 

brandon429

why did you put a reef in that
View Badges
Joined
Dec 9, 2014
Messages
29,493
Reaction score
23,573
Location
tejas
Rating - 0%
0   0   0


that’s requisite study material


-because- that thread exists, we know how Vncvr’s reef will handle a much tinier spike from a mild water change upwell.


there are no stalled or stuck cycles in reefing, it cannot occur in the arrangements we keep in the home. It can occur if we boil, freeze or medicate the water, now that’s antibacterial.

every time he feeds this tank, a small spike occurs.

the verdict on params: simply do nothing and every day the tank runs the same. Clean, no smell, no cloud, fish fine, all set.

the ammonia is already resolved you’re back in the thousandths ppm. Nitrite never mattered, cease testing for it, updated cycling rules have retired nitrite testing for many reasons, the first is that it’s a fully neutral param we don’t care if there is some.

nitrate: you have some but we don’t know how much. All titration kits for nitrate vary wildly on a given sample brand to brand, 50 ppm average difference. You can’t know your params with those tests, they’re approximation tests only.

turbo start 900 takes 48 hours max to plate onto surfaces permanently, per Dr Reefs bottle bac study thread.
 
Last edited:

Jekyl

GSP is the devil and clowns are bad pets
View Badges
Joined
Jan 15, 2019
Messages
11,271
Reaction score
15,492
Location
Michigan
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
There has to be a way to stop those bubbles from the skimmer
 
OP
OP
vncvr1982

vncvr1982

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 26, 2021
Messages
45
Reaction score
33
Location
Vancouver
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
There has to be a way to stop those bubbles from the skimmer
Yea they are irritating. I checked it today I have it installed properly, and after level is right in the middle of the Min/Max lines, have gone from the air valve complete closed to wide open. I know they say the fish don’t mind the microbubbles. But I think they do. They go and hide in the bottom corner of the tank when the skimmer is on.
 

Jekyl

GSP is the devil and clowns are bad pets
View Badges
Joined
Jan 15, 2019
Messages
11,271
Reaction score
15,492
Location
Michigan
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Did you prime it and make sure all the air is out of the system? Did it come with foam to go around the outlet?
 
Back
Top