amonia problem

[aloysiusblue]

i just tested my tank for amonia and it is at .06 is there any way of getting that level down without starting all over?

 

[Blown 346]

How new is the tank? If it is newly setup the tank is cycling and you want that. But do not put anything live in it.

 

[bertoni]

Also, do you mean 0.6 ppm?

 

[aloysiusblue]

i already have live rock and snails and hermit crabs in the tank. it has been up for about 3 weeks or so

 

[bertoni]

Okay, I would just wait and let the tank settle a bit. Secondary ammonia spikes like that aren't too uncommon, and 0.06 ppm is probably not too hard on the animals. You could do some water changes, maybe 25%, if any animal is looking unhappy.

 

[aloysiusblue]

the store by my house sells this bacteria. they told me that i could put that in the tank to speed up the filter cycleing process. does this sound like a good idea or not?

 

[bertoni]

I think it's probably not going to help. I'm pretty skeptical about bacteria products, but you could try it. There are very mixed reports on those product.

It probably won't hurt anything in the tank.

 

[Blown 346]

Ading thr bacteria wont hurt anything, but could cause a bacteria bloom or another cycle. Bacteria that is put in bags doesnt live very long.
IMO it would be a waste of money, the tank will straighten itself out on its own.

 

[dots]

One of the hardest things to learn is patience and when to use it.
Now is that time to exercise it, and remember to go slow in stocking to allow the tank to regain its balance.

 

[Poncho 53]

I went to the Coral Reef store with Aloysiusblue and the guy told him to do a complete water change (basically starting over) then add the bacteria and wait a few days to add anything live. He said that adding the bacteria without doing a water change with high Ammonia levels will simply kill the bacteria. Any truth to this?

 

[Blown 346]

What they told him was a lie and they are only trying to spend your money on something you dont need.
The reason the ammonia is up now is because the tank is cycling, the bacteria is feeding off of the dead bacteria and will multiply. Until this happens the tanks levels will fluctuate until the bacteria catches up. Once that happens the levels in the tank will 0 out.
When you have a cycle the ammonia and the nitrite go up, when the cycle ends the nitrite wil become o. The ammonia might not be totally 0 so a small water change will do that.
You never want to add anything living until the cycle is over, otherwise you run the risk of killing anything you ad during the cycle.
After the cycle is over which can take weeks, you will want to add a cleanup crew. Which consists of snails, crabs.

 

[aloysiusblue]

okay sounds like i will just keep the water. i'll pry throw some of that bacteria in just because it dounds like it will either work or not work. after that cycles overnight i'll try doing a 5 gallon water change and then just wait six more weeks or so and see where i am at. does this sound like a good plan?

 

[Desert Aquarium]

I didn't see, how big is the tank?

Your last post said you intend to add bacteria, let it sit overnight, then do a water change. That sounds counter productive and completely against the patience philosophy.

If your tank seems through with the cycle (Nitrites zero, etc) but you have 0.06 (as posted) then I would do a water change only proportional to your tank size (I'd say 10-20% or so) and test it for a few days. If it's still there, do another.

Adding bacteria from a bottle/bag is only going to throw off the little balance that your tank has gained.

 

[bertoni]

I would limit the water change to about 25% of the tank volume at one shot, to avoid adding stress to any life on the rock. Waiting and doing an ammonia test from time to time sounds like a fine idea. You could do a few 25% changes as long as the ammonia is over 0.5 ppm or so, if you have the time and energy.

 

[TippyToeX]

aloysiusblue - What test kit are you using?

 

[aloysiusblue]

it's called FasTesT. it's a color matching test.

 

[bertoni]

The FasTest ammonia kit worked well for me. It might be worth getting a second test run, since test kits can go bad. So far, though, everything sounds reasonable to me.

 

[TippyToeX]

Eh, I've never had luck with them. If you do test again, I'd suggest trying another brand if you have the chance.

 

[robharold]

I have same problem. I recently put in some GARF grunge then after several days did 10% water change but ammonia is exactly the same. Any ideas? plus I just checked it again today 10 days after water change.

Thanks

 

[robharold]

Oops. I meant to add no change to ammonia. and Nitrites are very low.