Trouble with QT tank

Shellyfish

Shellyfish

New member
I have a 90g tank set up to QT an orange shoulder tang, bluethroat trigger and one spot foxface. There is an aquaclear 110 running on it, with media seeded from my 150g reef. The trigger is showing ich so I need to treat, but am currently having issues with my ammonia. I've added a sponge filter and have been doing daily %25 water changes. The ammonia stubbornly is staying at 1mg/l (according to 2 seperate api tests). Could my tests be wonky? When I test the reef it's at zero. Why can't I get the ammonia down?
 
Ok, just for fun I tested a batch of saltwater I just made- I got .50mg/l??? Should there be any ammonia in freshly made saltwater? I also tested the water without any salt to see if it was my water or my mix, no ammonia in the water.
 
I'm trying to get rid of the ammonia, but my water changing doesn't seem to be doing anything.

I was mistaken about the ammonia in the fresh saltwater, it was 0.
 
I'm trying to get rid of the ammonia, but my water changing doesn't seem to be doing anything.

I was mistaken about the ammonia in the fresh saltwater, it was 0.
 
How long did you seed the media? Is it the sponge that comes with that AC powerfilter? Are you currently treating the tank with anything? I know copper will give a false-positive for ammonia; not sure about other meds.
 
The media had been seeded in my reef for about 4 weeks. It is actually a sponge for an XP3, that I put in the aquaclear along with a few aquaclear sponges. I did start treatment with copper but used some cupramine to remove it when I thought the ammonia was high. I wonder if there is still some in there? The fish are acting completely normal, eating well, no heavy breathing.

Is there any accurate way to detect ammonia if copper is in the tank?
 
4 weeks is not enough time to seed a sponge for more than one small fish unless high ammonia was present during that time. If you have access to instant ocean bio spira you can go that route to boost the bacteria population. An ammonia alert badge will work while using cupramine. Seachem ammonia test kit will also work.


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Hmm, I'm pretty sure there would not have been high ammonia present. I could also have been longer than 4 weeks, but it certainly wouldn't have been any longer than 6 or 8. I'll have to look for that bio spira, I've never seen it. Would cycle have any affect?
 
Shellyfish said:
Hmm, I'm pretty sure there would not have been high ammonia present. I could also have been longer than 4 weeks, but it certainly wouldn't have been any longer than 6 or 8. I'll have to look for that bio spira, I've never seen it. Would cycle have any affect?
Click to expand...

At 4 weeks, you're kind of in a grey area as to whether or not enough bacteria have been able to colonize that sponge. I also recommend using the Seachem ammonia alert badge with cupramine. Don't take it's reading as absolute, but IME it's roughly accurate.

Btw, I didn't understand this statement:

Shellyfish said:
I did start treatment with copper but used some cupramine to remove it when I thought the ammonia was high.
Click to expand...

Did you mean to say you used cuprisorb to remove the copper??
 
Sorry, that should have said cuprasorb to remove it, not cupramine. I had started to treat as I suspected the trigger had ich. when I got the high ammonia reading I panicked and figured I should fix that first so I used the cuprasorb. The trigger does have ich for sure so I do need to treat but was hoping to get the ammonia under control first.
 
For what it's worth, I went through a similar situation and the Seachemwebsite states that cupramine will cause a false ammonia reading. Their multitest ammonia kit apparently reads the correct ammonia without being affected by the amines in cupramine that make the API tests inaccurate. I would get the seachem test kit ASAP and verify the true ammonia concentration and have the bio spira on hand if it's truly high.

Good luck!
 
Use Amquil to control the ammonia. Buy a Seachem ammonia badge to keep an eye on your ammonia. Treat the ick with cupramine. The cupramine with skew your standard ammonia test but the Seachem badge will read correctly.

You will also need a copper test. The your water twice a day for the first week or until the copper level stays constant.
 
I'm going to have to put in an order for some of this stuff. there isn't a big saltwater community where I am and not a lot of stores that carry salt stuff. Until I can get the stuff, should I hold of on the cupramine and keep going with the water changes?
 
If your fish are eating and relatively energetic than I would say hold off on cupramine until you get the biofilter established. It doesn't have to be Biospira, you can try any brand of "bacteria in a bottle" and that should help somewhat. I second the Seachem Ammonia Alert badge for an accurate reading. Also if you can get your hands on a Polyfilter, that will help with ammonia until the biofilter builds up a little.

Please do not use an ammonia detoxifier (like Amquel,etc) if there's still any trace of cupramine in the tank - the mixture of these two is supposed to be deadly!
 
Too funny - I got interrupted while writing that post and caribfan posted in the meantime the same thing almost! great minds think alike :)
 
MellowReefer said:
If your fish are eating and relatively energetic than I would say hold off on cupramine until you get the biofilter established. It doesn't have to be Biospira, you can try any brand of "bacteria in a bottle" and that should help somewhat. I second the Seachem Ammonia Alert badge for an accurate reading. Also if you can get your hands on a Polyfilter, that will help with ammonia until the biofilter builds up a little.

Please do not use an ammonia detoxifier (like Amquel,etc) if there's still any trace of cupramine in the tank - the mixture of these two is supposed to be deadly!
Click to expand...
Totally disagree. I have done this more times then I can remember. Amquil and Cupramine are fine together. I would not suggest something that I don't do myself.
 
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