Ammonia question HELP!

[Jmedic25]

I really am frustrated here....I have been set up for over 2 months now. I am still getting .25 of ammonia every 3-4 days. All I use is prime and I do a pwc every time I see a little green on the API...The test kit is brand new. I have 0 Nitrites and 5 nitrates. I have a emperor 400 supercharged with sechem matrix. I have a trickle/ sump setup with bioballs and dead liverock. I dont overfeed, Im not overstocked. All my fish are juvies 6 labs, 3 zebras, 5 demasoni. I have 20 fry in the fry box all very small. The biggest fish is a pleco who is 10 inches long. I know he need a new place. Am I keeping stuff too clean, I feel like the BB has not grown yet...My filtration should be crushing that ammo but its not. I want to change the water but I feel like I should just prime and let the ammo stay .25 so I grow some BB. HELP! Tank is a 75

 

[CraigMac]

Did you ever test the water from your faucet? Maybe the ammonia is coming from that?

 

[kenbob]

Even if your tap has ammonia the BB should take care of it in a day or so. Doesn't sound like your cycle finished.

 

[Hholly]

I'm going through something similar since I rinsed my filter and removed the carbon(and probably most of my BB). Wondering the same.

 

[kenbob]

This is happening to me too ever since I changed my substrate to sand. I have about 20 ppm nitrates. I am trying seachem stability to see if it helps. My tap water has .25 ammonia. One of my tanks is fine. 0 ammonia 0 nitrite and 20 nitrate. I will report on my findings.

 

[Jmedic25]

Yeah Kenbob, let me know about the stability product. I also switched to sand about a month ago. I think that started my cycle over. Now im not sure what to do. Do I allow ammo to be a little high?? like .25 to .5. I need to grow some BB but I keep changing my water. Without ammo BB cant grow. So what do I do? The guy at the LFS said to let it go for a week at least. Then test and change if needed. Im going to add some prime no matter what to detox the ammo. Im already noticing the fish hiding more and not wanting to eat today. I added some rocks and a piece of driftwood, so they could be freaked about that...

 

[kenbob]

Keep doing the water changes. Keep ammo below.25. What are your parameters? Ammo nitrite nitrate.

 

[Dreamingdragon]

Yes I did test it. To much chlorine in it- and to much other stuff that could kill my fish. So thumps up for the WCD.

 

[D-vanhorn90]

Yeah Kenbob, let me know about the stability product. I also switched to sand about a month ago. I think that started my cycle over. Now im not sure what to do. Do I allow ammo to be a little high?? like .25 to .5. I need to grow some BB but I keep changing my water. Without ammo BB cant grow. So what do I do? The guy at the LFS said to let it go for a week at least. Then test and change if needed. Im going to add some prime no matter what to detox the ammo. Im already noticing the fish hiding more and not wanting to eat today. I added some rocks and a piece of driftwood, so they could be freaked about that...

detoxing the ammo starves your bb. Just let it go and the bb will handle it. never use amml lock or anything of the sort. It just reverts the cycle again cause it renders the food, ammonia, useless to the bb.

 

[HN1]

Have you been cleaning out your bioballs and chamber? I'd probably start there and see if there is any improvement. Nice sump.

 

[Jmedic25]

detoxing the ammo starves your bb. Just let it go and the bb will handle it. never use amml lock or anything of the sort. It just reverts the cycle again cause it renders the food, ammonia, useless to the bb.

No thats not correct. Prime detoxifys the ammo but dosnet hurt BB.

Have you been cleaning out your bioballs and chamber? I'd probably start there and see if there is any improvement. Nice sump.

Thanks, Yeah I love the sump, I just added some dollar store pot scrubbers to the bio chamber. I seeded them in my old aquarium. I think im mini cycled. No I dont clean anything. I did change gravel for sand a month ago. I really stay on the water changes if the ammo gets even a little high. Im just going to change the water if it gets above .25

 

[epiphysis]

Do you still have the packaging of the scrubbers? If you do check the info, sometimes they put an anti-bacterial substance in the scrubbers. I found that out one day reading the very fine print on one such packet.

 

[HN1]

Thanks, Yeah I love the sump, I just added some dollar store pot scrubbers to the bio chamber. I seeded them in my old aquarium. I think im mini cycled. No I dont clean anything. I did change gravel for sand a month ago. I really stay on the water changes if the ammo gets even a little high. Im just going to change the water if it gets above .25

Nice. I'm due for a trip to the dollar store. Thanks for the reminder. lol

Try doing a good "gravel vac" on the bio balls with your PWCs.

 

[Jmedic25]

Nice. I'm due for a trip to the dollar store. Thanks for the reminder. lol

Try doing a good "gravel vac" on the bio balls with your PWCs.

I cant the bio balls are in the trickle down part of the sump. They arent submerged the just get rained on. No buildup on the bioballs at all. The tank is just so clean. Im really thinkning about using some seachem stability. Ive read a lot of stuff on it and it looks good. Everyone knows prime is the best product for dechlor. I really like and trust seachem. Ill give my tank another week with no PWC and if its not cycled ill try some stability. The fish seem better tonite. Ive just discovered 2 demasoni holding so im doing something right.

 

[HN1]

If your tank is clean and your fish are happy, healthy, and reproducing... your test kit is in question. Congrats!

 

[Jmedic25]

If your tank is clean and your fish are happy, healthy, and reproducing... your test kit is in question. Congrats!

Man I have 2...Both API both in date...I shake the soultions...Tubes are clean....I feel confident i never properly cycled. Or I jacked my biofilter up when I switched substrates on a 1.5 month old setup. OR i ran a weeks worth of Metro to stop some bloat....OR it could be a combo of everything and not one particular thing....IF im going to walk the line and allow a bit of ammo to exist, what would you cap it at? .25 .5 I feel like im changing the water too much.

 

[HN1]

I'd cap it at .25. When it approaches that, I'd do a 50% (or larger change). You may be into a mini-cycle as you suspected, but if so it should not last long.

 

[Jmedic25]

I'd cap it at .25. When it approaches that, I'd do a 50% (or larger change). You may be into a mini-cycle as you suspected, but if so it should not last long.

Roger that

 

[kenbob]

If you cap it at .25, watch your fish. My fish started getting ammonia burns from .25 ammonia. That is why I am trying the stability. I want to protect the fish.

 

[Jmedic25]

My main concern with the stability product is having to keep using it forever. Ive read mixed reviews. The ones who love it say they need to keep dosing thier tanks weekly...Prime should protect the fish somewhat. Im watching them like a hawk. They are all looking fine so far