Constant Ammonia

[BlueMoonFox]

29gal, 33ish lb live rock, 10 lb live sand, had the tank up for about three months. A leather, zoas, a few lps, and a few sps and a false Percula. Salinity 1.026, pH 8.4, cal 400, temp 79, dK 10, nitrate 0, nitrite 0, phosphate 0. Ammonia 0.50! For two months. I did the initial cycle, took about a month and ammonia had dropped, nitrite came up. nitrite dropped, nitrate came up then subsided. Added a bit more live rock and some corals, small ammonia spike. Since then the ammonia sits about 0.50ppm (previous posts was reading fresh water ammonia scale).

Water changes (3-5gal) every two weeks brings it down to ~0.25, but never fully disappears. Within the week it creeps back to 0.50 and sits. I've added NiteOut and another bacteria in a bottle in the beginning to cycle. The clown fish and all of the coral seem quite happy and are growing fantastically. Should I try another round of bacteria or let it do its thing. I would say it is just an error with the test kit, but it does drop after a water change and climbs back within 7 days.

 

[GaG8tor]

I would say do 3-5 gallon water changes weekly

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[xanthurum]

I wouldn't worry about it. Just do what the Beatles sang about and Let it Be.

 

[CStrickland]

Sometimes that happens when the rodi unit isn't up to snuff, and also when there is a cat litterbox in the same room. Are you using zero tds water? What is your routine for making and storing it?

 

[thegrun]

What brand of test kit are you using? I suspect API.

 

[BlueMoonFox]

I started with weekly water changes but only recently backed off to every other week.

I am using API. I know it is not the most accurate, which is why I suspected it. The fact that it dropped after the water changes makes me think there is still something.

The rodi unit is about 6 months old and reads out at not quite zero, but single digits which is good. I will typically mix the salt into a 5gal Home Depot bucket with a power head and heater the day before.

 

[gone fishin]

I would get another test kit to verify the ammonia, then go from there. good luck just my 2 cents.

 

[Potatohead]

What brand of test kit are you using? I suspect API.

This would be my guess. Basically if API says .25, you have none. lol

 

[LED Jack]

Your ammonia levels should be zero if you are not overfeeding. It is possible to see a spike if you were to add some softies that were attached to decent sized piece of live rock and there was some die off. Otherwise as others have stated I would say the test kit is wrong.

 

[Bldgengineer]

For reference I tested my api kit with distilled water and I got 0.25. Get a different test kit. Even if it's just for ammonia

 

[BlueMoonFox]

Sounds like a plan. Like I said, I haven't really worried about it with all of the livestock being happy. Just wanted to get a second opinion. Thanks for all of the advice!