New, and having issues with API tests

[D'sreef]

Long time lurker, first time poster. Hello everyone, I just transferred from my 25 gallon nano to a 40gallon home made AIO. I have had Fowler tanks off and on since the late 90's, breaking them down during moves or if the place I was renting was not aquarium friendly. Eitherway, I was using the "trusty" API test, and noticed my ammonia is "high" at 8ppm (for days) no matter water changes and running carbon after the changeover. Everything looks healthy, my inverts are all alive (snails and peppermint shrimp), fishy healthy ( 2 clowns, lawnmower gobie, and cardinal) all corals except my Bam Bam and rasta zoas open and happy. Also I realized from having several Fowler tanks and fresh water tank, if my ammonia was at 8ppm everything would be deader than a door nail, nitrites and nitrates look what I expect to see. Any pointers?

 

[revhtree]

Welcome to your new home for saltwater reef aquarium resources and fun! Welcome to the family! :D

 

[D'sreef]

 

[D'sreef]

 

[fishface NJ]

Welcome to R2R!

 

[ShakeyGizzard]

Welcome to Reef2Reef

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Long time lurker, first time poster. Hello everyone, I just transferred from my 25 gallon nano to a 40gallon home made AIO. I have had Fowler tanks off and on since the late 90's, breaking them down during moves or if the place I was renting was not aquarium friendly. Eitherway, I was using the "trusty" API test, and noticed my ammonia is "high" at 8ppm (for days) no matter water changes and running carbon after the changeover. Everything looks healthy, my inverts are all alive (snails and peppermint shrimp), fishy healthy ( 2 clowns, lawnmower gobie, and cardinal) all corals except my Bam Bam and rasta zoas open and happy. Also I realized from having several Fowler tanks and fresh water tank, if my ammonia was at 8ppm everything would be deader than a door nail, nitrites and nitrates look what I expect to see. Any pointers?

Welcome to Reef2Reef! I would ditch those API test. They are prone to being inaccurate. Grab some Salifert, Hanna, or Redsea Test kits instead.

 

[vetteguy53081]

 

[kevgib67]

Welcome, glad you are here!

 

[vetteguy53081]

Long time lurker, first time poster. Hello everyone, I just transferred from my 25 gallon nano to a 40gallon home made AIO. I have had Fowler tanks off and on since the late 90's, breaking them down during moves or if the place I was renting was not aquarium friendly. Eitherway, I was using the "trusty" API test, and noticed my ammonia is "high" at 8ppm (for days) no matter water changes and running carbon after the changeover. Everything looks healthy, my inverts are all alive (snails and peppermint shrimp), fishy healthy ( 2 clowns, lawnmower gobie, and cardinal) all corals except my Bam Bam and rasta zoas open and happy. Also I realized from having several Fowler tanks and fresh water tank, if my ammonia was at 8ppm everything would be deader than a door nail, nitrites and nitrates look what I expect to see. Any pointers?

API is ok for reference but not reliable often producing false results or misread. Recommended is Hanna or Salifert brand. I personally would not rely on a master kit for $30 to sustain hundreds of dollars in fish and coral. I recommend taking a water sample to an LFS that does not use API or Spin tests and see what readings they come up with and to compare with yours.
There are often Hanna kits on R2R marketplace quite reasonable in price

 

[Asm481]

Get a hanna high range nitrate test. If you have nitrates you don't have appreciable ammonia. Once you are running for a while you won't test ammonia. API tests aren't known to be real accurate.

 

[Fish Styx]

Greetings and welcome to the reef. My advice would be to invest in better test kits. As has already been said, API kits aren't terribly accurate.

 

[Utubereefer]

Welcome to the club

 

[Peace River]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!!!

 

[Fish Fan]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

 

[Biokabe]

Welcome! Yes, get rid of API. As has been mentioned, API is notoriously inaccurate, and in a properly cycled reef tank you should never see free ammonia. I can't even remember the last time I tested for it. The only time it's really necessary is when you're doing the initial cycle on a tank; after that, any resulting ammonia will be as a consequence of something else that's happened, and you'll know about whatever caused the ammonia spike long before you would see appreciable levels of ammonia on a test kit.

 

[Jimbhoy13]

Welcome to R2R. As advised, don’t use API. Use Hannah, Red Sea or Salifert.

 

[FrugalReeferJon]

 

[1112-425XL]

 

[Shnetts]

Welcome to r2r!!!