New tank ammonia help

[sharkdancer]

I started my 49 gallon tank June 4th, cycled with one and only and added liquid ammonia.. on august 4th I added a damsel and a clownfish (per lfs) today is now August 8th and ammonia is at .82 (used hanna checker). Using aquaready hfm. (I also cant figure out how to turn on the protien skimmer without it over flowing)

I messed up ive only been testing with strips for nitrates and nitrites which have stayed very low so I thought I was okay...

Now is my tank not cycled fully? Ive done so much research but still have so many questions...

I added a chemi pure pouch.
What am I doing wrong.
What should I be doing.

 

[KrisReef]

What are the fishes doing" If they are not stressed, ignore the tester. If they are, do a water change.

Does the water look cloudy, or smell slightly acrid?
Post a picture!

 

[sharkdancer]

My glass is kind of dirty (my two year old likes to put his face on the glass) but the water looks clear/the same as before I added the two fish.. they are acting normal I guess. Definitely calmer than the first two days.. still eating and swimming around. But I read you should stop feeding if ammonia is going up

 

[KrisReef]

My glass is kind of dirty (my two year old likes to put his face on the glass) but the water looks clear/the same as before I added the two fish.. they are acting normal I guess. Definitely calmer than the first two days.. still eating and swimming around. But I read you should stop feeding if ammonia is going up

Did you use any "ammonia binding" or "detoxifying" chemicals that are sold at LFS? I believe those can mess with ammonia test results. I suspect this is what has happened here?

What I SEE, and what you said is that the fish are calm (not gasping or moping) and the water is clear. That says ammonia is not elevated, and doubly so since the aquarium was cycled with bacteria for a month or two!

feeding lightly is always a good idea. They don't need much to live on. What do you feed them?

 

[KrisReef]

Oh, forgot to say Two year olds are fantastic! Congratulations.

 

[sharkdancer]

Oh, forgot to say Two year olds are fantastic! Congratulations.

Thank you! And feeding flakes there are two different kinds, I dont remember the brand off the top of my head...

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I would suggest to invest in a test kit, not API as its not accurate enough, salifert is a good brand.

I'm not sure if you're aware, but adding a damsel as the first fish is not advised. Damsels are very territorial and aggressive, and once it claims its territory, it might be difficult to add new fish.

 

[sharkdancer]

I would suggest to invest in a test kit, not API as its not accurate enough, salifert is a good brand.

I'm not sure if you're aware, but adding a damsel as the first fish is not advised. Damsels are very territorial and aggressive, and once it claims its territory, it might be difficult to add new fish.

I have hanna checkers i was just using the strips to be easy. () and the damsel is what the lfs recommended. Against what I read i got it anyway

 

[sharkdancer]

I would suggest to invest in a test kit, not API as its not accurate enough, salifert is a good brand.

I'm not sure if you're aware, but adding a damsel as the first fish is not advised. Damsels are very territorial and aggressive, and once it claims its territory, it might be difficult to add new fish.

Which saliferts do you reccomended. And how often should I be testing each thing.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Which saliferts do you reccomended. And how often should I be testing each thing.

Once the tank is cycled, you shouln't need to test ammonia and nitrite anymore. I would say nitrate is important, and probably phosphate too as your tank goes into the "ugly stage". The hanna phosphate test is superior to all others but obviously much more expensive.

Once you get corals, then you'll also need at least the alkalinity test. Other tests could be useful such as calcium and magnesium, but honestly I've never tested magnesium and I test calcium maybe twice a year.

I have mature tanks so I don't test so often anymore, but if you are new to the hobby, its good to test 2-3 times a week to understand your water make up and trends the tank might take.

 

[sharkdancer]

Once the tank is cycled, you shouln't need to test ammonia and nitrite anymore. I would say nitrate is important, and probably phosphate too as your tank goes into the "ugly stage". The hanna phosphate test is superior to all others but obviously much more expensive.

Once you get corals, then you'll also need at least the alkalinity test. Other tests could be useful such as calcium and magnesium, but honestly I've never tested magnesium and I test calcium maybe twice a year.

I have mature tanks so I don't test so often anymore, but if you are new to the hobby, its good to test 2-3 times a week to understand your water make up and trends the tank might take.

I have hanna nitrate hr, phosphate, and ammonia currently... okay thank you!