HIGH AMMONIA

[TURK357]

Ive been keeping a 75 reef for about 2 years now and all is well. I stocked the tank over a 6 month period after initial setup and haven't added any specimens since. However I found an excellent specimen of fox face rabbit fish and decided to buy him.

I set up a 10 gal quarantine tank using water from my main system, all parameters were perfect. I'm using an aquaclear 50 power filter with a mesh bag full of bio media that has been laying in the bottom of my sump since the tank was set up. (for use in a quarantine or hospital tank)

I put the fish in the quarantine tank and after 2 days I tested. Ammonia was off the chart ! I did a 50% pwc, and filled an air driven corner filter with substrate from my main system,the next day its off the chart again !

How can the ammonia be so high with an established filter bed and conditioned water ???

 

[TURK357]

As it turns out, my test kit must be faulty !?! I bought a different one and the ammonia is at a safe level. what's confusing is that the old test read normal in my main tank,and high in the quar. tank :? Test kits are a pain in the @$$!!!

 

[Anonymous]

Yes, they are. What test kit are you using?

 

[TURK357]

The old one was Instant Ocean brand, The new one is a Quick Dip strip type. I assume that it's reading OK because if the ammonia was as high as the I.O. kit indicated the fish would have been belly up.