Ammonia trouble?

IBroughtPopcorn

IBroughtPopcorn

New member
After my ammonia and nitrites were 0 for a few days I did a 110 gallon water change, that's about a 50% water change. A few days later I added 20 turbo snails to combat the HA breakout that I developed during the cycle. For the last 3 days I have a reading of ammonia of .25! Can the decay of algae cause algae? Should I do a 100% water change? I would like the ammonia down so I can transfer my lawnmower blenny to eat the algae on the rocks.


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Thanks guys. Will read the bottle when I get home from work. I will also stop making salt water. I have 110 gallons made now. I think it will stay good until I need a water change. Right?


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Are you using API ammonia test? If you are, i would suggest getting a different test brand, salifert is a good one. API notoriously reads .25 no matter what. Google it and you will see a million posts on this. If you aren't using API, then time and prime for the snails should take care of it. How much rock do you have in the tank? How did you cycle the tank?
 
WWIII said:
Are you using API ammonia test? If you are, i would suggest getting a different test brand, salifert is a good one. API notoriously reads .25 no matter what. Google it and you will see a million posts on this. If you aren't using API, then time and prime for the snails should take care of it. How much rock do you have in the tank? How did you cycle the tank?
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I have about 120lbs of rock in the tank that I acid washed and bleached. I soaked the rocks in RODI water afterwards. I started my cycle with SmartStart and a enough ammonia chloride to bring my Ammonia level to 4 ppm. Before I did the smart start and ammonia chloride I did a few ghost feedings. I think the food is part of the reason for the huge amount of hair algae. Of coarse there are other factors to that as well. I will be ordering a new ammonia kit from BRS. I am thinking about getting the seneye. Anyone have an opinion? Does anyone know how reliable the water level detection is in the seneye? Wondering if I can incorporate it into my apex programming.


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Ammonia trouble?

Mr D smack said:
Maybe be add some prime. Most importantly is to sit back and be patient
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With all this algae, it's hard for me to be patient. I have never had algae like this before. This stuff is thicker and bushier than an 80's bush! Lol. Seriously though. Was thinking about scraping off the glass with the pumps off and sucking it up with a vacuum during a water change. But I will heed to your advise and chill out. I have been keeping the lights off for the last few days. I think I'm stressed about it because I have not had an algae problem in my 29 cube but I already have one in this tank.


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Last edited:
Yup, patience is key. Add some ammonia neutralizer if it gets any higher. Don't change any more water and just let the algae do its thing....part of a new tank is the cycle.
 
Nanook said:
Yup, patience is key. Add some ammonia neutralizer if it gets any higher. Don't change any more water and just let the algae do its thing....part of a new tank is the cycle.
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Looking back on my last tank setup, I was using the same API test kit. Now I know that the Nitrate and Nitrite solutions are bad. I think I started putting lives in the tank before it was cycled. Poor fish had to suffer I guess. I am lucky that the tank has survived and thrived for this long.

Also, just so I clearly understand, no water change, add some prime, do or do not transfer my LM blenny from my other tank to help get rid of the algae? You say let it do its thing, will it die and disappear or do I need to let the snails eat it? So far they don't seem to like the rocks, just the glass. I moved them to rocks every night and only a few have stayed on the rocks.


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If you have ammonia, I wouldn't add any fish or inverts just yet. I would manually pull it out every few days until you are zero nitrite and ammonia...then add inverts and your blenny.
 
Post some pics. I must have started coming back here after you set it up. I didn't realize your tank was that big or that you acid dipped and bleached your rocks. What other type of equipment do you have skimmer, gfo reactor just curious
 
Nanook said:
If you have ammonia, I wouldn't add any fish or inverts just yet. I would manually pull it out every few days until you are zero nitrite and ammonia...then add inverts and your blenny.
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Ok Thank You. Weird that I have 0 nitrite and .25 ammonia for days. Maybe it is my test kit. I will order another one now.


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Just let it cycle. I would give it a week or two and see what your trates are. Then I like manual removal of the algae as the nutrients go with it. I'd wait a couple days and track the ammonia. The things with snails are they easy what they want to. Maybe in a couple days they'll migrate to the rocks but they typically don't eat long algae. If possible take your water to a lfs to be tested.
 
BryanCaruso said:
Post some pics. I must have started coming back here after you set it up. I didn't realize your tank was that big or that you acid dipped and bleached your rocks. What other type of equipment do you have skimmer, gfo reactor just curious
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New GFO and carbon dual chamber reactor, ASM G4 Skimmer, calcium reactor (not in use yet), and a UV sterilizer (also not powered on yet). My back glass has so much algae it waves back Ian forth with the powerheads.
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I just googled green hair algae right after a cycle. And it seems like a lot of people have had it. I usually get brown diatoms, the green hair a little , then cyano part of the uglies. How many bottles of smartstart did you use
 
BryanCaruso said:
I just googled green hair algae right after a cycle. And it seems like a lot of people have had it. I usually get brown diatoms, the green hair a little , then cyano part of the uglies. How many bottles of smartstart did you use
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One big bottle that was just more than the required amount for my size system. I do have some diatoms in my lower flow areas, but my power heads ( 2 pp20s and 2 pp8's) are too big I guess. I have them maxed out at 40% a few hours a day and the rest of the time between 20%-30%. I cant seem to get them pointed correctly to get them to stop blowing my sand around. I figured in a few weeks/months the sand will grow enough build up to stay in place.


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