TANK CRASHING? High Ammonia! Sick Fish? Help!
- Thread starter lakee911
- Start date
aurorafish
New member
Amonia cycle is Amonia, nitrate, then nitrites. Once you amonia level starts to drop the nitrites will probably spike a little, that will be a good sign. Long term the mangroves will help your system. Good luck,
aurorafish
New member
most ammo lock type products are hydrosulfites, the ammonia stays in the system but becomes chemically bound so its wont hurt the fish, in theory.
crpeck
Premium Member
When I was raising some clownfish, I had one batch where the ammonia got away from me and I was forced to use Ammo Lock for a couple of days because it was a stage in the larvae's development where a water change was too dangerous. Some of the babies in that batch stayed really, really small and I always wondered if the Ammo Lock might have stunted them a bit.
marilynrn711
Premium Member
Salinity: 1.0215
Is this a typo?
Is this a typo?
marilynrn711
Premium Member
I dont know but maybe low for live rock. I tried to search it but cant find anything. I keep mine at 1.026 but have a reef tank.
crpeck
Premium Member
The lower salinity is easier on the fish since he doesn't have corals. He's good at that level.
IMHO in a FOWLR you don't need to wait 3 - 4 weeks for that next water change either. Until you figure out what's creating such an aggressive ammonia problem, I believe those water changes are your best hope. It sounds like you're bringing temp, pH and salinity in line with your change water before you do the change. Any stress from the water change to fish has got to be less than the stress of ammonia at that level.
I'm still really stumped at what could be creating that kind of ammonia level in a 120. It doesn't seem to make sense. Have you tried a different test kit for independent verification of the number?
IMHO in a FOWLR you don't need to wait 3 - 4 weeks for that next water change either. Until you figure out what's creating such an aggressive ammonia problem, I believe those water changes are your best hope. It sounds like you're bringing temp, pH and salinity in line with your change water before you do the change. Any stress from the water change to fish has got to be less than the stress of ammonia at that level.
I'm still really stumped at what could be creating that kind of ammonia level in a 120. It doesn't seem to make sense. Have you tried a different test kit for independent verification of the number?
lakee911
New member
I had my water tested at the LFS.
Ammonia < 0.25ppm
Nitrite 0.0ppm
Nitrate 50ppm
Alkalinity was a little on the low side
pH 8.2
It would seem that perhaps I had a bad test kit. I bought a new one and I'm going to test my water again tonight with both. A different LFS and I have both been getting higher nitrates so I'm not complaining (but I'm not convinced either).
This still doesn't explain the fish problems though. Hopfully they're still only stress related. No change this AM--everyone is still eatting except the Chromie in the corner. :worried:
I'm going to pare down the 30Gal water change to 15Gal tonight and see how things look in a day or three.
Thank you
Jason
Pandora
Premium Member
I think it does explain the fish problems/missing shrimp, I don't see any serious problems elsewhere. ANY ammonia above zero causes a great deal of stress. A large tank of this size minimizes the size of spikes, but does not eliminate them. Since you moved in December, you can essentially count this as a tank which has struggled to restart a new cycle from that point.
aurorafish
New member
Hey, thats great news, make sure to check it again in a few days, the ammo-locking product you put in has probably helped drop it down. Now maybe you should tell us what that Moorish Idol has been eating? In the wild they pretty much eat only sponges by all accounts I have read. Its my dream fish.
Pandora
Premium Member
I agree with that, ammonia spikes are often very fleeting (thank goodness for that), it's more a matter of not having a powerhouse of bacteria to convert it fast enough, and having a little bit of lag (sometimes, as little an hour of detectable ammonia can leave a path of destruction). The flagfin I would watch for a day or two, because there are cases of cloudy eye getting better on its own, and sometimes treatment can be more stressful than the disease. It's always a balancing act, I try to be conservative where possible; even just the act of catching and confining a fish can be very traumatic, doubly so when they're weak. If the water is improved, his natural immunity may be able to fight it off on its own.
However, if he continues to act funny and that eye looks cloudier (you can check my link, click on www, and then from my site, click on the Disease button; there are many more cases/photos of cloudy eye to compare with there that are worse), have a hospital tank ready to take him. You will need a broad spectrum antibiotic, usually tetracycline or kanamycin. Eyes are tough because they are such a great medium for bacteria to grow as a secondary infection.
lakee911
New member
I'll keep an eye on it. I'm really relieved.
The Moorish Idol will eat just about anything I throw at it. I feed Formula One, Formula Two, Spirolina Flake (not sure if it has sponge--need to look), Brine Flake, Spirolina Frozen (has some sponge in it) and Brine Frozen. Occasionally will throw in some small pieces of lettice or raw spinich. I've tried to mix it up as much as I can to make sure they get a balanced diet. The Moorish Idol will pick at some of the live rock and or substrate too. He seems to be eatting fine and that's the trouble I've heard--always eatting. He's a pretty tough guy, patroling the tank almost 24/7 (quiets down a couple hours per night). Very territorial.
I think my Idol came from Florida, drove up from a wholesaler about a year ago. I'm lucky to have him.
dchao
New member
Wow, you have an MI. Can you take a picture for us? And also check out this MI thread:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=607477
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=607477
