Problem with ammonia in a cycled tank

[Lee belk]

I have had my tank fallow since January because of velvet and I have had an hard time with quarantining my new fish ich and infections prolonging me getting them back in the main tank ive been leaving it long periods of time inbetween feeding the clean up crew I had a real bad grain hair algae and bryopsis problem I used rx to clear it up it took a few doses more then it suggested ive noticed my ammonia has gone up to 5 im worried its crashed and dont know what the outcome is going to be or what to do I did notice my nitrates drop fast and started to feed more but forgot all about it with been at my qt a lot of tge time could someone help me out

 

[Spare time]

Just put some seachem prime in their to make it non toxic (or seachem amguard or really any ammonia detoxifyer). If fish are in there, also get a bottle of either dr tims, microbacter xlm, or fritz turbo start (others work but these are faster).

 

[Lee belk]

I've been adding colony into it ill get some tomorrow ive not got fish in there just coral and cuc

 

[Spare time]

I've been adding colony into it ill get some tomorrow ive not got fish in there just coral and cuc

You can add all of the bacteria (the whole bottle) if you haven't. Just remove carbon (and similar) or filter pads so they don't catch it.

 

[Brady4000]

+1 add live bacteria. Sounds like you may have starved the bacteria of ammonia, leaving them with nothing to eat.

I vote for fritz turbo start. @Azedenkae put me onto a thread awhile back showing it works the fastest.

 

[Dan_P]

I have had my tank fallow since January because of velvet and I have had an hard time with quarantining my new fish ich and infections prolonging me getting them back in the main tank ive been leaving it long periods of time inbetween feeding the clean up crew I had a real bad grain hair algae and bryopsis problem I used rx to clear it up it took a few doses more then it suggested ive noticed my ammonia has gone up to 5 im worried its crashed and dont know what the outcome is going to be or what to do I did notice my nitrates drop fast and started to feed more but forgot all about it with been at my qt a lot of tge time could someone help me out

How are you measuring ammonia? What is current level?

 

[Lee belk]

+1 add live bacteria. Sounds like you may have starved the bacteria of ammonia, leaving them with nothing to eat.

I vote for fritz turbo start. @Azedenkae put me onto a thread awhile back showing it works the fastest.

I was thinking the same thing bud

 

[Lee belk]

How are you measuring ammonia? What is current level?

Its at 0.25 to 0.5 inbetween

 

[Dan_P]

Its at 0.25 to 0.5 inbetween

What test are you using?

Don’t forget that most kits measure total ammonia. Depending on the temperature and pH, the amount of toxic NH3 is a fraction of what you measure, say about 10% or 0.025 - 0.05 ppm. A level to keep an eye on but not to panic over. I think you said you had a CUC and coral and they weren’t dying off, further evidence that you do not have an ammonia issue.

 

[Lee belk]

I use salifet and api they both read tge same ill keep an eye on it and keep feeding the shrimp am I best feeding small amounts everyday so it doesn't cause a huge spike

 

[brandon429]

Lee check this work out, let me know if your tank is the first outlier

also post pics of your reef pls, full tank shot thats the best ammonia proofer around this side of a hach meter:

Sustained Ammonia spikes are misreads

The reason you think your reef tank can’t control its ammonia is due to false training from old cycling science. That and you don’t own a seneye on the tank in question: if you did, you wouldn’t ever think your ammonia was out of control...

www.reef2reef.com

Dan was the first to explain tan conversions to me. I’d read it a decade+ ago in Randy’s ammonia article but it didn’t sink in till recently


I bet no reef tank about to show details yours is going to show in pics can fail to control its ammonia in a safe range. Dont add anything or buy offsets, nothing is wrong is the full chips ante bet. I think no reef tank without clear and obvious causative can fail to control its ammonia safely. The last time I saw a reef I’d believe couldn’t control it was the one recently where he put an entire jar of food in all at once…something that obvious is required. I truly believe the recurring patterns sans any outliers in that thread are proof you too had no free ammonia issues.

the most convincing example link buried in there is the one where for twenty pages folks using digital ammonia meters dose cycling ammonia directly into running reefs and it’s oxidized right up in four minutes, all tanks. Your reef is certainly not being dosed with cycling ammonia, yet if it was, you still wouldn’t have an issue.

 

[Lee belk]

Will do bud ill post some pics in the morning