Ammonia in QT

[Rlumenator]

You are correct- I put the Regal in last Sat. The sponge was cleaned in salt water. I am using the water from my reef for the water changes. I have a large Rubbermaid container that I mix up my salt from the RO/DI. I don't have anything else besides the Aquaclear on this 20 gal QT. The fish is eating and not breathing heavy.

 

[Anonymous]

I have a couple pieces of advice.

1. Ignore Beaslbob, routinely testing that level of ammonia in an established reef tank is NOT a sign of a good reefkeeper nor one you would want to emulate.

2. I have found that doing very large waterchanges on a tank that is trying to cycle just prolongs the cycle. As long as the ammonia level is not actively rising higher just do minimal or no waterchanges.

3. You may think that because the Quarantine tank was set up for a couple of weeks with old tank water and all the levels were fine that it was cycled. It was, but the addition of a fish throws the entire system out of wack and another cycle starts. Nothing to worry about, its just as the bioload in the tank goes up it takes time for the bacteria that converts the ammonia to nitrites and then into nitrates to catch up.

4. Cleaning the sponge that is doing the filtering in your QT tank will also throw things out of wack unless the sponge is cleaned properly. You want to simply rinse it out in some of the tank water that you are going to throw away. Don't rinse it out under the faucet, don't clean it with soap or bleach, and don't rinse it in a bucket of freshwater. I normally just take it and swish it in the bucket that contains the water I just took out of the tank, right before I add my new salt water back to the tank.

Hope that helps.

 

[Anonymous]

I have a couple pieces of advice.

1. Ignore Beaslbob, routinely testing that level of ammonia in an established reef tank is NOT a sign of a good reefkeeper nor one you would want to emulate.

...

.

With no adverse affects over 4 years it would seem testing at .25ppm (lowest on the kit) is not a concern. Perhaps nothing more then the accuracy of home test kits. I hope that advice was not lost in the flame beaslbob advice.

 

[Anonymous]

I have a couple pieces of advice.

1. Ignore Beaslbob, routinely testing that level of ammonia in an established reef tank is NOT a sign of a good reefkeeper nor one you would want to emulate.

...

.

With no adverse affects over 4 years it would seem testing at .25ppm (lowest on the kit) is not a concern. Perhaps nothing more then the accuracy of home test kits. I hope that advice was not lost in the flame beaslbob advice.

Beaslbob, if you want to continue posting this kind of advice, you could at least post a current picture of your tank so the readers can see how great your tank is....

 

[Rlumenator]

I have been doing 40- 50% water changes daily, because the ammonia scares me. My reef reads zero, and always has. I didn't know an established reef could read ammonia- with live rock,etc.

 

[Anonymous]

Skip the large water change today then and see what happens to the Ammonia tomorrow.

 

[Rlumenator]

Okay- I didn't do one today... hope all will be okay! If the ammonia reads the same tomorrow - is it status quo- if it goes up- then what??

 

[Anonymous]

If it goes up too high then two things need to be done.

1. Figure out what is in the tank that is decaying
2. do a water change just big enough to manage the ammonia

 

[ChrisRD]

It's possible that the filter wasn't adequately seeded with bacteria. When you say the sponge was "aged" how was this accomplished?

Another possibility is that your filter is undersized or just isn't able to provide adequate biofiltration.

 

[Rlumenator]

#1- without yesterdays water change theammonia has almost doubled- there is nothing rotting in the QT tank.
#2-The sponge was aged about 2 weeks in the sump of my 3 yr. old 160 gal. reef tank- this is how I have always aged them in the past. This is my first experience with the ammonia problem . I will do a large water change, as that is what was lowering the ammonia. Not doing one, has raised it. to Wait for it to "cycle" could mean a dead Regal tang.

 

[Anonymous]

#1- without yesterdays water change theammonia has almost doubled- there is nothing rotting in the QT tank.
#2-The sponge was aged about 2 weeks in the sump of my 3 yr. old 160 gal. reef tank- this is how I have always aged them in the past. This is my first experience with the ammonia problem . I will do a large water change, as that is what was lowering the ammonia. Not doing one, has raised it. to Wait for it to "cycle" could mean a dead Regal tang.

Another possibility is that your filter is undersized or just isn't able to provide adequate biofiltration.

I am going to have to go with ChrisRD. The amount of waste the tang and his feedings are producing must then be too much for your filter.

Is there anyway to get a skimmer on your QT tank? Do you have any extra filters lying around?

One last idea I have is to increase the circulation in the QT tank. Poor circulation is the cause of this type of problem sometimes. Do you have a powerhead you can stick in there? I didn't see you list anywhere if there was one in there or not.

If you can't get the ammonia to come down by increasing the filter or skimming then you must bring it down with waterchanges....

 

[Anonymous]

Is this the kind of sponge filter that draws water throught the sponge with an air stone?

If so, I find that they are way under rated for a quarantine tank. In a QT you usually have a fish that is too big for the tank and no other good filtration like a skimmer.

I use a sponge filter rated for a 30 gallon tank in my 10 gallon QT. I use an air pump twice too large to power it. As a result, I have more than enough surface area for the bacteria and more than enough air powering it and oxygenating the water.

Sounds to me like your sponge may be too small for that fish.

 

[millstreetzoo]

I have the same problem with my 10 gallon QTank. Ammonia is 1.0+ Nitrite is .5 and Nitrate is 20. It has been set up for about 3 weeks and there has been nothing in the tank for 2 weeks. I plan to use the tank to isolate new fish. I am running a filter rated for a 30 gallon (Aqua Clear 30). I had put the sponge in my main tanks filter for 1 week prior to running it on the tank. I also use water from my main tank for water changes. I would have thought that the ammonia would start going down by now. I added a 1/2 cup of sand from the main tank yesterday to see if that will help. I certainly could not isolate any sick or new fish in my Q tank with the levels this high. The only thing that brings it down to acceptable levels are 2 -50% water changes daily (1 morning and 1 evening) and double doses of prime.

 

[skylab1]

It's really sad to see you guys going back and forth trying to get ammonia down to 0 in a QT with no success. I run a 10 gallon QT also with aqua clear 30 filter and I have 0 reading across the board after 24hours, without use prime or daily waterchange. Water change are done every 2 weeks with fresh mix saltwater only, not old water from other tanks. (change water with an old water? Are you people nuts?)

It's sad sad and sad...

 

[ChrisRD]

Skylab, if you don't have anything constructive to add to the thread then please don't bother posting.

 

[Anonymous]

It's really sad to see you guys going back and forth trying to get ammonia down to 0 in a QT with no success. I run a 10 gallon QT also with aqua clear 30 filter and I have 0 reading across the board after 24hours, without use prime or daily waterchange. Water change are done every 2 weeks with fresh mix saltwater only, not old water from other tanks. (change water with an old water? Are you people nuts?)

It's sad sad and sad...

Do you have live rock in that tank?

 

[Anonymous]

Dawn

Hopefully the ammonia is continuing to go down.

I do have a question on the operation of your QT, mainly because I don't run one.

Did you keep this up for awhile (i think so) before adding the tang?

And did you keep some bioload (like a molly for instance) before adding the tang?

Just wondering.

 

[Anonymous]

Dawn

Hopefully the ammonia is continuing to go down.

I do have a question on the operation of your QT, mainly because I don't run one.

Did you keep this up for awhile (i think so) before adding the tang?

And did you keep some bioload (like a molly for instance) before adding the tang?

Just wondering.

I have been instructed not to call you names, not to call you an idiot, not to ask you where you pull your ideas out of or anything of that nature.

Even though I am not allowed to do any of those things, I just want you to know I am thinking them....

OH YEAH BABY, I'm A thinkIN!!!!

:twisted:

 

[Anonymous]

:lol: IBTL & B

 

[Anonymous]

IBTB Come back soon Knuckle!