High ammonia in 24 year old tank

[highergroove]

So, I had a 25 year old yellow tang die yesterday adn thought it was old age - everyone else seems fine. However, today I ntoiced my Foxface hiding in the rocks and thought he was dying - he's not because he came back out swimming around later. However, it prompted me to test all my paramters which I hadn't done in awhile. My ammonia is 0.5ppm!!! I have no idea what the cause is. I mostly was testing nitrates because I have been tryint to bring that down - it was pretty high for a logn time and I wanted to start introducing new fish and coral - I hired an aquarium service to help. Nitrates are 20ppm now, phosphate is >1 but way less than 3. Nitrite is 0. But that ammonia....I pulled the yellpw tang out last night shortly after he died (I was watching him bc it was relatively quick and I couldn't get to him but after he died, he floated up). The only other big fish I have is a foxface and maybe a pajama cardinal who disappears fro weeks on end and comes back. My tank is 300 gallons plus 120 in the sump. Deep sandbed. Last water change was 2 weeks ago - they did large water chnages but everyone has been fine until now. Tank is way understocked.

I did add in some agae/phtoplankton frozen food which is new the last few days but I don't think I have fed that for a few days. I feed Rod's Fish Only and pellts and occasional seaweed.

Thoguhts?

 

[wvned]

Some dechorinators will give false readings with some ammonia tests...
Stirred something up out of the sandbed...

No thoughts except keep testing and see if it's going up, down or staying the same. I havent tested for ammonia since I set up my tank. I would never know.

 

[griss]

I'd have to agree with Ned, could be a false reading, an expired test kit, bad test reagents, or (not pointing fingers) user error with the kit. You might want to get a second kit and/or take a water sample to the LFS to get it tested.

With such a long established tank, low bio-load, and a high water volume, I'm perplexed how you could suddenly have such high ammonia.

Unfortunately, zeolite (used in freshwater aquariums to remove ammonia) isn't effective in saltwater. So, again agreeing with Ned, keep an eye on it, maybe do more water changes.

Are you using RO or RODI for your topoff and water changes or are you using tap water? Some water companies use chloramines to treat water. I'm not a chemist but, I think I remember the Chloramines break down into ammonia and nitrogen among other things.

 

[highergroove]

I'd have to agree with Ned, could be a false reading, an expired test kit, bad test reagents, or (not pointing fingers) user error with the kit. You might want to get a second kit and/or take a water sample to the LFS to get it tested.

With such a long established tank, low bio-load, and a high water volume, I'm perplexed how you could suddenly have such high ammonia.

Unfortunately, zeolite (used in freshwater aquariums to remove ammonia) isn't effective in saltwater. So, again agreeing with Ned, keep an eye on it, maybe do more water changes.

Are you using RO or RODI for your topoff and water changes or are you using tap water? Some water companies use chloramines to treat water. I'm not a chemist but, I think I remember the Chloramines break down into ammonia and nitrogen among other things.

I guess it could be a faulty reading although I tested twice. It was 0 a couple months ago when I tested. I use water from the LFS that they ring when they do water chnages and I have an RO/DI system for top off

 

[highergroove]

Some dechorinators will give false readings with some ammonia tests...
Stirred something up out of the sandbed...

No thoughts except keep testing and see if it's going up, down or staying the same. I havent tested for ammonia since I set up my tank. I would never know.

I thought about the sandbed getting stirred - that is a possibility - I have 2 jawfish. Also the tang was in the back in a spot that looked like it might have been stirred a bit (he was having issues before this and was elsewhere).

 

[griss]

Hmmm, if you tested twice and still got the same reading, it could be an expired kit and/or bad reagents in the kit. Or, it could have something to do with the sand getting stirred up. Please keep us updated and best of luck getting this resolved.

I assume the LFS that does water changes uses RO or RODI?

 

[wvned]

Do you run a skimmer? More for aeration than anything in this case.
No bristleworm or flatworm treatments, anything like that.
New live rock just added?

 

[jrill]

How bout from the dead tang

 

[highergroove]

Hmmm, if you tested twice and still got the same reading, it could be an expired kit and/or bad reagents in the kit. Or, it could have something to do with the sand getting stirred up. Please keep us updated and best of luck getting this resolved.

I assume the LFS that does water changes uses RO or RODI?

Yes, they do.

 

[highergroove]

How bout from the dead tang

He died about an hour or two after that post and he ended up floating up to where I could get him and I pulled him out.

 

[highergroove]

Do you run a skimmer? More for aeration than anything in this case.
No bristleworm or flatworm treatments, anything like that.
New live rock just added?

I do run a skimmer. Have not run any treatments, other than adding beneficial bacteria which I have been doing about 1/2 cup a day for a few weeks - to help process anything and reduce nitrates/phosphates