Ammonia concern

Mstark11 · 08/14/2012, 10:44 PM

Ok, so I finished my cycle some time last week and added in a very small one-spot foxface (around an inch long) and got 2 turbos, and a cleaner shrimp from my LFS. Well, one of the Turbos was, im guessing, dead before I took him out of the bag and I didn't realize it until later tonight when my Seachem hanging ammonia alert started changing colors.

So I did a 5gal water change on my 55 galon tank, and the alert seems to be back to the 'no ammonia' color. But now I'm a little distressed that my Foxface has been wedging himself into rocks and he missed dinner. I did try to target feed the shrimp and that scared the pants right off the foxface, and ever since then he's been sorta loafing around.

Would less than 0.05 ammonia seriously harm a very young fish over the course of 6-7 hours? or did I just manage to scare the poor guy into avoiding the front of the tank like the plague? He did camo up and sort of drift around in his little cubby hole for an hour or so after I pulled the dead snail out.

PR_Reefer · 08/15/2012, 12:59 AM

If the fish was added in the last few days, he might be still getting used with his new home. I dont think that only 1 snail will cause a spike in ammonia. Check your parameters every day and make sure you really finish with the cycle.

thegrun · 08/15/2012, 08:54 AM

+1, ammonia can come and go at the tail end of a cycle, it's always best to wait a week after your ammonia and nitrite levels drop to zero before adding livestock. Ammonia becomes an issue at about .4 ppms (this can vary depending on your water temperature and ph).

08/14/2012, 10:44 PM	#1
Mstark11 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Alamogordo, NM Posts: 274	Ammonia concern Ok, so I finished my cycle some time last week and added in a very small one-spot foxface (around an inch long) and got 2 turbos, and a cleaner shrimp from my LFS. Well, one of the Turbos was, im guessing, dead before I took him out of the bag and I didn't realize it until later tonight when my Seachem hanging ammonia alert started changing colors. So I did a 5gal water change on my 55 galon tank, and the alert seems to be back to the 'no ammonia' color. But now I'm a little distressed that my Foxface has been wedging himself into rocks and he missed dinner. I did try to target feed the shrimp and that scared the pants right off the foxface, and ever since then he's been sorta loafing around. Would less than 0.05 ammonia seriously harm a very young fish over the course of 6-7 hours? or did I just manage to scare the poor guy into avoiding the front of the tank like the plague? He did camo up and sort of drift around in his little cubby hole for an hour or so after I pulled the dead snail out.

08/15/2012, 12:59 AM	#2
PR_Reefer Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Spokane, Wa Posts: 116	If the fish was added in the last few days, he might be still getting used with his new home. I dont think that only 1 snail will cause a spike in ammonia. Check your parameters every day and make sure you really finish with the cycle. __________________ Air Traffic Control aint easy and who said the saltwater hobby was? For every problem in life there is a solution. Current Tank Info: 75G and 20G Sump/Fuge with Aquac 120 skimmer (Mag 5), LR,LS and chaeto in the Fuge, Mag 9.5 Return Pump, 100Lbs of rock in DT and 60 Lbs of LS.

08/15/2012, 08:54 AM	#3
thegrun Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Garden Grove, Ca Posts: 17,023	+1, ammonia can come and go at the tail end of a cycle, it's always best to wait a week after your ammonia and nitrite levels drop to zero before adding livestock. Ammonia becomes an issue at about .4 ppms (this can vary depending on your water temperature and ph).