Ammonia spike

prolx · 09/02/2007, 12:02 PM

I was testing my water today like I do every other day. I was going to go purchase some snails and the ammonia level spiked to 2.0 and Nitrates were 20, nitrite 0, ph 7.8. All I have in the tank is a 2.5 inch sandbed and 40# of live rock in a 55g. No fish, snails, crabs nothing. I took about 20 gallons of the water out and replaced with water that I had made up a week ago in jugs. The tank was setup on July 11th and had never seen an ammonia level that high . What could have happened ?

six.line · 09/02/2007, 12:46 PM

~scratching head~

Not sure. You could have had a hitch hiker on the rock bite the big one without seeing it. Things are so hard to find in and about the rock work. I thought my starfish died in my 29 gallon and 1 week later he appeared out of some remote crevice.

The more important question is, will the spike go down?

Keep up on the water changes, run some activated carbon, and make sure your'e growing chaeto in the refugium.

HTH

prolx · 09/02/2007, 01:09 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by six.line
~scratching head~

Keep up on the water changes, run some activated carbon, and make sure your'e growing chaeto in the refugium.

HTH

I dont have a refugium. Is that a bad thing ?

ginger7286 · 09/02/2007, 01:22 PM

Has the tank been seeded with good bacteria? I do not have a refugium either, I would not worry about that we all have preferences for our filtration system. I would check the rock closely. You may have bad things living there or something may died that you did not know you had ie., large crab(s), sea cucumber etc. Check every crevasse for anything slimy, rotting, in general anything NASTY.

six.line · 09/02/2007, 02:28 PM

It's not a bad thing or a good thing. It's a thing you just have to deal with. I like them, and I think that they're infinitely beneficial if you have the means to set one up. You'll find that there are few absolute necessities to keeping a reef system (except for the obvious basics... i.e. a fish tank, salt water, fish, and other critters.

)

Aquarist007 · 09/02/2007, 02:39 PM

how long has your tank been cycling?

Aquarist007 · 09/02/2007, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by capn_hylinur
how long has your tank been cycling?

oops I just read July 11--sorry.
the spike is probably caused by the curring of the live rock. Live rock can take up to months to be fully curred and can hold alot of stuff in it--nitrates, dead stuff which contributes to ammonia.

do you have a protein skimmer--probably first in importance as far as biological filtration .

prolx · 09/02/2007, 02:57 PM

I have a protein skimmer made by Coralife. Im running a Emperor 400 filter. I was thinking of purchasing a Marineland Tide pool 2 setup, are they any good ?

09/02/2007, 12:02 PM	#1
prolx Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: illinois Posts: 125	Ammonia spike I was testing my water today like I do every other day. I was going to go purchase some snails and the ammonia level spiked to 2.0 and Nitrates were 20, nitrite 0, ph 7.8. All I have in the tank is a 2.5 inch sandbed and 40# of live rock in a 55g. No fish, snails, crabs nothing. I took about 20 gallons of the water out and replaced with water that I had made up a week ago in jugs. The tank was setup on July 11th and had never seen an ammonia level that high . What could have happened ?

09/02/2007, 12:46 PM	#2
six.line Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Logan, UT Posts: 775	~scratching head~ Not sure. You could have had a hitch hiker on the rock bite the big one without seeing it. Things are so hard to find in and about the rock work. I thought my starfish died in my 29 gallon and 1 week later he appeared out of some remote crevice. The more important question is, will the spike go down? Keep up on the water changes, run some activated carbon, and make sure your'e growing chaeto in the refugium. HTH __________________ This post approved by Mrs. Sixline. assign <= six.line(#FFFFFF && string("nerdy")) Current Tank Info: 30 gallon with 10 gallon sump

09/02/2007, 01:22 PM	#4
ginger7286 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Lake Worth, Florida Posts: 728	Has the tank been seeded with good bacteria? I do not have a refugium either, I would not worry about that we all have preferences for our filtration system. I would check the rock closely. You may have bad things living there or something may died that you did not know you had ie., large crab(s), sea cucumber etc. Check every crevasse for anything slimy, rotting, in general anything NASTY. __________________ Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways totally worn out shouting "Holy crap...what a ride!" Current Tank Info: 125 Reef Tank, Precision Marine equipment with a live rock/sand filtration. 30G. Nano with 2 percs and a beautiful little Flaming Prawn Goby.

09/02/2007, 02:28 PM	#5
six.line Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Logan, UT Posts: 775	It's not a bad thing or a good thing. It's a thing you just have to deal with. I like them, and I think that they're infinitely beneficial if you have the means to set one up. You'll find that there are few absolute necessities to keeping a reef system (except for the obvious basics... i.e. a fish tank, salt water, fish, and other critters. ) __________________ This post approved by Mrs. Sixline. assign <= six.line(#FFFFFF && string("nerdy")) Current Tank Info: 30 gallon with 10 gallon sump

09/02/2007, 02:39 PM	#6
Aquarist007 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Hamilton, Canada Posts: 28,240 Blog Entries: 1	how long has your tank been cycling? __________________ I prefer my substrates stirred but not shaken Current Tank Info: 150gal long mixed reef, 90gal sump, 60 gal refugium with 200 lbs live rock

09/02/2007, 02:57 PM	#8
prolx Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: illinois Posts: 125	I have a protein skimmer made by Coralife. Im running a Emperor 400 filter. I was thinking of purchasing a Marineland Tide pool 2 setup, are they any good ?