Ammonia spike after tank move.

laeelin · 12/01/2015, 12:15 AM

For more information on my situation check HERE

TLDR version...

My dad gave me his 90g tank.

The tank is stocked with:

2 x Clownfish
3 x Blue Chromis
A few corals.

NO cleanup crew. No snails, no hermit crabs.

The tank has been established for about 10 years before the move.

I had access to a 55g. I set it up with a 20g sump here a moved the fish and live rock from his tank into mine Sunday afternoon.

I did NOT move the sand.

Tonight - Monday night - I show an ammonia spike of 2 ppm.

The fish look fine to me ( no rapid breathing ), and they are still coming out and swimming around.

The coral on the other hand are all "closed up"

I assumed that moving would result in an ammonia spike, but I didn't expect it to be so high.

It's 1am here - and I'm filling buckets from my RODI, but I plan on waiting until tomorrow morning for the water change.

I hope that's not a mistake, but I don't have enough saltwater for a large change right now. I work from home tomorrow so I can spend the morning making water changes as needed.

I guess I'm just looking for confirmation that this sounds reasonable and for suggestions if I should handle things differently.

Thank you!

nuttyd · 12/01/2015, 12:18 AM

Its quite normal after a move. Disturbs alot of deitrius that causes the spike. Some Prime will be your quickest option.

laeelin · 12/01/2015, 12:33 AM

That is good to hear.

I understand prime throws off the ammonia test kits after you use it.

I assume that the "thows off" just means that the test kit will still register the bound ammonia, but the mini cycle should continue as normal and the ammonia test will still read 0 after the cycle completes?

Thank you.

laeelin · 12/01/2015, 10:41 AM

Last night when I tested the tank the color of the test was much darker than 1.0 pmm, and looked close to 2.0 ppm.

This morning (8 hours later) I tested again before adding the prime and It's almost the exact color of 1.0 ppm.

Is that difference possible ( .50 to 1.0 drop in 8 hours ), or am I looking at user error?

Edit: I just realized that I used the freshwater color strip today. So it's actually even lighter than 1.0. It's probably about .75 instead.

laeelin · 12/01/2015, 10:50 AM

As a side note - walking out of the LFS with just prime was hard! My 3 year old (and my inner 3 year old) both kept saying "Just 1 one Royal Gramma or Firefish!"

nuttyd · 12/01/2015, 12:53 PM

It is quite possible. with having aged rock and sump, the mini cycle from the move is usually controlled in a day or two. quick spike then back to normal relatively quickly.

12/01/2015, 12:15 AM	#1
laeelin Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Gainesville, FL Posts: 134	Ammonia spike after tank move. For more information on my situation check HERE TLDR version... My dad gave me his 90g tank. The tank is stocked with: 2 x Clownfish 3 x Blue Chromis A few corals. NO cleanup crew. No snails, no hermit crabs. The tank has been established for about 10 years before the move. I had access to a 55g. I set it up with a 20g sump here a moved the fish and live rock from his tank into mine Sunday afternoon. I did NOT move the sand. Tonight - Monday night - I show an ammonia spike of 2 ppm. The fish look fine to me ( no rapid breathing ), and they are still coming out and swimming around. The coral on the other hand are all "closed up" I assumed that moving would result in an ammonia spike, but I didn't expect it to be so high. It's 1am here - and I'm filling buckets from my RODI, but I plan on waiting until tomorrow morning for the water change. I hope that's not a mistake, but I don't have enough saltwater for a large change right now. I work from home tomorrow so I can spend the morning making water changes as needed. I guess I'm just looking for confirmation that this sounds reasonable and for suggestions if I should handle things differently. Thank you!

12/01/2015, 10:41 AM	#4
laeelin Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Gainesville, FL Posts: 134	Last night when I tested the tank the color of the test was much darker than 1.0 pmm, and looked close to 2.0 ppm. This morning (8 hours later) I tested again before adding the prime and It's almost the exact color of 1.0 ppm. Is that difference possible ( .50 to 1.0 drop in 8 hours ), or am I looking at user error? Edit: I just realized that I used the freshwater color strip today. So it's actually even lighter than 1.0. It's probably about .75 instead. Last edited by laeelin; 12/01/2015 at 10:55 AM.

12/01/2015, 12:18 AM	#2
nuttyd Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Coral Gables Posts: 520	Its quite normal after a move. Disturbs alot of deitrius that causes the spike. Some Prime will be your quickest option.

12/01/2015, 12:33 AM	#3
laeelin Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Gainesville, FL Posts: 134	That is good to hear. I understand prime throws off the ammonia test kits after you use it. I assume that the "thows off" just means that the test kit will still register the bound ammonia, but the mini cycle should continue as normal and the ammonia test will still read 0 after the cycle completes? Thank you.

12/01/2015, 10:50 AM	#5
laeelin Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Gainesville, FL Posts: 134	As a side note - walking out of the LFS with just prime was hard! My 3 year old (and my inner 3 year old) both kept saying "Just 1 one Royal Gramma or Firefish!"

12/01/2015, 12:53 PM	#6
nuttyd Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Coral Gables Posts: 520	It is quite possible. with having aged rock and sump, the mini cycle from the move is usually controlled in a day or two. quick spike then back to normal relatively quickly.