Ammonia Spike

[irishindoexpat]

Hi guys.

So on saturday i did a 10 percent water change as usual.
then last night i did a water test for ammonia and it was off the chart.(made me sweat for a while) decided to wait till the next day to see if any changes would happen. ie i just did another water test and....hmmm its not showing as bad as last night ?

 

[toromp]

How long has the tank been running? What's your sticklist like?
What is the total water volume of ur tank?
Notice any fish or inverts missing?

These questions would help us get a better understanding of ur tank and why the ammonia spiked

Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2

 

[irishindoexpat]

Just over 3 months.
i have a purple yellow and sohal tang, golden heart trigger, clarkii couple of damsels a gobie a blenny and some doctor shrimp

tank is a 220gallon

no fish missing. having said that my lanmower blenny is hard to find sometimes. blends into the rock

 

[shaginwagon13]

Just over 3 months.
i have a purple yellow and sohal tang, golden heart trigger, clarkii couple of damsels a gobie a blenny and some doctor shrimp.

That seems like a lot of fish for only a 3-month old tank. Has it been 3 months since it was finished cycling or 3 months since you first started the system up?

 

[hollister]

Water readings will vary from morning to night from normal tank activity. For best readings test in the morning around the same time.

 

[shaginwagon13]

Water readings will vary from morning to night from normal tank activity. For best readings test in the morning around the same time.

I have heard of PH varying from morning to night but never Ammonia...

 

[irishindoexpat]

That seems like a lot of fish for only a 3-month old tank. Has it been 3 months since it was finished cycling or 3 months since you first started the system up?

Thanks for the reply. its 3 months since i have had the tank...i know what you are about to say and my cheeks are red....so....i understand and genuinely feel very bad for my fish right now....

Any advice would be welcomed with open arms.

 

[Waddleboy]

how old is your test kit? They do go bad after some time. If it truly is an ammonia spike you are having something die off and something that your bioload cant keep up with... you need to figure out that source and once you do you can stop it (obvious i know but sometimes obvious is the answer). My first advice was have your kit tested against a LFS to make sure your kit is accurate. Its strange for a cycle (even if partially cycled) to generate such a large ammonia spike

 

[irishindoexpat]

i am sending it off to my lfs 2moro to be checked. i will have a full test done for piece of mind.

Can i use seachem prime to help with reducing the ammonia and of course also do water changes to bring it back down ?

 

[zoafarm]

What are you feeding your fish, and how much?

 

[worm5406]

IMO

Check your water source. Levels.

Do a larger water change. To at least save the fish.

It does not look like the cycle is finished.

Get rid of the red face and put on your game face. You are now in it and need to save these guys/gals.

Get one of the liquid test kits from your LFS (yeah the one with the test tubes) Test your water. Not only your tank but your source. Make sure it is not coming in from some where else. Are you using tap water?

You can stop by and get a bad of ammonia/carbon reducer but this is not fixing the REAL problem.

 

[irishindoexpat]

What are you feeding your fish, and how much?

I feed spectrum pellets once in the morning and later at night.

 

[irishindoexpat]

IMO

Check your water source. Levels.

Do a larger water change. To at least save the fish.

It does not look like the cycle is finished.

Get rid of the red face and put on your game face. You are now in it and need to save these guys/gals.

Get one of the liquid test kits from your LFS (yeah the one with the test tubes) Test your water. Not only your tank but your source. Make sure it is not coming in from some where else. Are you using tap water?

You can stop by and get a bad of ammonia/carbon reducer but this is not fixing the REAL problem.

Have my lfs delivering water to me in the morning. i am using seachem test kit at the moment for testing my water but again i will have it tested by them tomorrow i also just noticed i am missing my pair of dart fish.... i live in a country where water from the tap is a no no. but since last night i decided to go out today and buy an RO unit and i will do my own water from now on and ordered a bucket of reef salt. so it will be easier for me to do water changes.

 

[toromp]

Maybe add some microbacter 7, could be that the bacteria in ur tank hasent fully developed for your bioload, being a 220g tank should have taken a bit to cycle, how many pounds of love rock do you have in your tank?

Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2

 

[irishindoexpat]

Maybe add some microbacter 7, could be that the bacteria in ur tank hasent fully developed for your bioload, being a 220g tank should have taken a bit to cycle, how many pounds of love rock do you have in your tank?

Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2

Roughly 10-12 pounds tops 15

 

[Waddleboy]

Roughly 10-12 pounds tops 15

wait you only have 15lbs of rock? For a 220 gallon tank? That might be your first problem. What are you using to maintain filtration?

 

[FlyFishGuy]

Agreed. Unless you have a typo in the amount of live rock, almost no method of biological filtration technology can support your livestock load (in 3 months of developing, if ever). The microbacter 7 would be a wise addition - except there is nowhere for the bacteria to colonize.

What I might do is add live rock - but in a controlled fashion. Rubbermaid tubs are good for this situation. You can buy the necessary amount of live rock (another 200 lbs) and allow it to cure in the rubbermaid tub over a period of weeks - slowly adding 20 lbs every few days to the display tank to avoid spikes from die-off. Use a protein skimmer and a couple powerheads in the tub. Light is optional, but 4-6 hours a day after the first few days is absolutely fine. Do not change the water until the ammonia in your 'curing tub' has reduced to almost zero, then change almost all of it (75%).

You might look into moving the fish to quarantine or a friends tank until you've got the situation under control. PITA - I know, but the sohal alone is the cost of 1/3 of the live rock you need.

 

[on the spot]

...last night i did a water test for ammonia and it was off the chart...

i have a purple, yellow, and sohal tang, golden heart trigger, clarkii, couple of damsels, a gobie, a blenny, and some doctor shrimp...no fish missing...

9 fish, 4 big ones.

I'm going with operator error on this one - I would expect ammonia off the chart to be lethal.

You have a sand bed in your tank?
how long have you had the fish?
how long from adding the first to the last fish?

A picture would really help us help you.

GL

 

[irishindoexpat]

Agreed. Unless you have a typo in the amount of live rock, almost no method of biological filtration technology can support your livestock load (in 3 months of developing, if ever). The microbacter 7 would be a wise addition - except there is nowhere for the bacteria to colonize.

What I might do is add live rock - but in a controlled fashion. Rubbermaid tubs are good for this situation. You can buy the necessary amount of live rock (another 200 lbs) and allow it to cure in the rubbermaid tub over a period of weeks - slowly adding 20 lbs every few days to the display tank to avoid spikes from die-off. Use a protein skimmer and a couple powerheads in the tub. Light is optional, but 4-6 hours a day after the first few days is absolutely fine. Do not change the water until the ammonia in your 'curing tub' has reduced to almost zero, then change almost all of it (75%).

You might look into moving the fish to quarantine or a friends tank until you've got the situation under control. PITA - I know, but the sohal alone is the cost of 1/3 of the live rock you need.

I have a sump under the tank with crushed coral and also seachem matrix with seachem perigen and also filter pads and bioballs i also have a skimmer under there. i may be wrong about the live rock so i will upload a photo in the next few minutes

 

[irishindoexpat]

9 fish, 4 big ones.

I'm going with operator error on this one - I would expect ammonia off the chart to be lethal.

You have a sand bed in your tank?
how long have you had the fish?
how long from adding the first to the last fish?

A picture would really help us help you.

GL

here is a photo tx i have a sand bed and under that there is crushed corals the tangs i have only added recently like 2 weeks apart. and i have had the small fish from the get go.