First nem help!

[Geissijs]

So I added my first anemone last night. Nitrate =0
Nitrite =0
Ammonia =0
PH = 8.2
Salinity= 1.024

Everything Looked good, wide open the whole time and all day today.

Came home from work about 2 hours ago, decided to test water.
Nitrate =0
Nitrite =0
Ammonia =.25/.50
PH = 8.2
Salinity =1.024
I fed the nem a piece of shrimp just now, opened up and took it like a champ, my concern is that he is the cause of the ammonia spike,
is this a bad sign?
He ate, that's good right, but could he be still on a downward slide?
Tank has been up for 9 months, running skimmer, pulling good color, lots of live rock and few tank mates, 150 w mh, but they have not been on since he came in. I was running the 65w actinics tonight. Any suggestions?

 

[pyithar]

do water change and add some prime or amquel. maybe your tank doesn't have enough bacteria population to process the ammonia right away.

 

[Sapelo]

What kind of nem and what do you mean by "a few tank mates?"
Is this your 29 gallon or the nano from your sig line?

 

[Deefish714]

Tank doesn't seem cycled. Salt seems low.

 

[Geissijs]

This is the 29, the 10 I couldn't get off the sig line. Tank has been up for months, 1 occelaris clown and 1 fire fish. They've been in the tank for months. Cuc with a few snails and a few hermits, and 1 coral banded shrimp. I had a hermit kill a snail about a month ago and the tank water parameters never moved. I looked for anything dead or missing and everything is fine.

It's a rbta, about 3" when it was open. Seemed to be happy, I got him from a guy who had the parent from which it came, I got the rock he was holed up in to keep from any possible damage to the foot. I just did a 10% water change earlier in the week in preparation for the nem. I'm going to do another water change and get another test. Hopefully it'll just be a faulty test and a beginners worried overreaction.

 

[T Haynes]

Tank doesn't seem cycled. Salt seems low.

1.024 is pretty standard

 

[sde1500]

Tank doesn't seem cycled. Salt seems low.

Plenty of tanks run around that level. The last time I checked my salinity, my tank was right at that, and all corals were happy.

OP, are you using an API test kit? I believe I've read they can give false readings of ammonia.

 

[Dkuhlmann]

API can give a false positive but his kit previously showed no ammonia.

 

[albano]

IME, Lighting is more important to the rbta than feeding it

 

[Dkuhlmann]

As long as it's healthy that's very true, if it's bleached it won't benefit from the lights and needs to eat small meals every two or three days until the zooxanthellae build back up.

 

[albano]

As long as it's healthy that's very true, if it's bleached it won't benefit from the lights and needs to eat small meals every two or three days until the zooxanthellae build back up.

Since he got it yesterday, I figured that it was in fairly good shape to start with...

 

[Dkuhlmann]

Not if it's bleached, would be best to see a picture to make sure

 

[T Haynes]

Plenty of tanks run around that level. The last time I checked my salinity, my tank was right at that, and all corals were happy.

OP, are you using an API test kit? I believe I've read they can give false readings of ammonia.

not "they can" its "they do" lol ive never gotten an accurate read with them

 

[davocean]

It would be better to raise your salinity to 1.025-1.026
Hard to imagine adding the nem causing a rise in amo, but I suppose it could have expelled water and if it came from less than desireable conditions a maybe I guess, it's a smallish tank so it would not take much.
Keep on WC's
Normally we let a nem settle in before feeding, but I guess good it did eat, but I'd lay off for a week maybe, only if it was bleached would I spot, and mysis would be my call.
They can go completely w/out spot feeding as long as they are healthy and light is sufficient

 

[LostShoopuf]

I got the rock he was holed up in to keep from any possible damage to the foot.

I assume you added in that rock? Possible mini-cycle?

 

[Geissijs]

I've concluded it was not a faulty test because the next day the ammonia was closer to 0 and nitrite was present, the exchange in the process. now the nitrate is showing a bit and ammonia is 0 and nitrite is 0. The tank he came from was immaculate, clean and spot on levels, very mature tank of over 10 years and very sps heavy. I think it expelled some waste and that in combination with the new rock may have caused a small cycle. I have algae all over everything now. Problem solved, thanks. Sg holding strong at 1.025