levels of ammonia

[VivaNemo]

I cycled my reef tank for a week and decided to add a damsel and a xenia coral...after performing PH . ammonia , nitrite and nitrate test I saw my ammonia is between 0.25 and 0.50 ppm.. are my new friends in trouble? if so, what should I do?

 

[Bectan01]

Yes they are, large water changes will keep the amm down but will prolong your cycle (that's what you get for rushing! A longer cycle) there are products you can add to lock ammonia usually not recommended but since you have livestock it might be a good idea. My advice is to take it slow, nothing good happens fast In Saltwater how big is the tank? Just so you are aware damsels are aggressive fish and don't get along with most other species so keep that in mind when looking at other livestock...

 

[AquaRick]

Check out one of AA's articles on cycling:

The (almost) Complete Guide and FAQ to Fishless Cycling - Aquarium Advice

 

[VivaNemo]

Yes they are, large water changes will keep the amm down but will prolong your cycle (that's what you get for rushing! A longer cycle) there are products you can add to lock ammonia usually not recommended but since you have livestock it might be a good idea. My advice is to take it slow, nothing good happens fast In Saltwater how big is the tank? Just so you are aware damsels are aggressive fish and don't get along with most other species so keep that in mind when looking at other livestock...

really?!! wow...I got poor advice at a aquarium store, they told me it was safe. I currently have a 30 gallon tank. Should I just leave it alone than, until it completely cycles? because I really don't want make things worst by adding chemicals.

 

[Bectan01]

No traceable levels of ammonia is safe for fish, having said that damsels are hardy little meanies so it might make it through. Do you have your own test kits? Liquid ones? It is best you test water yourself and do plenty of research, this is a great forum for advice if you are not sure about anything. Remember pet stores are out to make money and unfortunately they can give questionable advice to make a sale. What is your plans for the tank? What does your set up look like?

 

[VivaNemo]

Yes i have my own liquid tests..im jus not sure if i need anymore because like i mentioned, im new to this...i have plans of puttin an awesome reef tank with a nice amount of corals to give it beautiful color..i want to place fish but a reasonable amount because i dont want my fishes to feel cramped up in a 30 gallon..but im really focusing on lots of coral..

Heres how it looks right now after 9 days

 

[TheTodd]

Yeah...really bad advice from the LFS. It will almost always take 4-6 weeks for a tank to properly cycle. There are additives with bacteria that can speed that up (less than a week using Dr Tim's One & Only). How were you cycling the tank?

Knowing that your LFS is questionable, I suggest using sites like this moving forward. These are experienced people that are not out to make a buck off of you. Another good resource when it comes to picking fish is liveaquaria.com. Pay attention to both compatibility and suggested minimum tank sizes.

 

[huma-huma]

Yeah...really bad advice from the LFS. It will almost always take 4-6 weeks for a tank to properly cycle. There are additives with bacteria that can speed that up (less than a week using Dr Tim's One & Only). How were you cycling the tank?

Knowing that your LFS is questionable, I suggest using sites like this moving forward. These are experienced people that are not out to make a buck off of you. Another good resource when it comes to picking fish is liveaquaria.com. Pay attention to both compatibility and suggested minimum tank sizes.

+1. its prob in your best interest to just accept beforehand that most LFS will give you misleading or completely wrong info (intentionally or unintentionally). if possible, id find a suitable temporary home for the damsels and coral, then go about cycling your tank properly. you don't want to get started off on the wrong foot in this hobby because it can get expensive really quick. (more so than normal). also id recommend a source of RODI water if you are planning on going heavy on the corals. also a decent skimmer

 

[VivaNemo]

I was basically doing the normal thing which was the live sand, threw some live rock in there, the perfect amount of salt, i do have a instant ocean protein skimmer a heater which keeps the water at about 79-80 F, a Rio + 400 aqua pump power head for circulation, and a solarmax H.O for lighting..since i started off with a regular tank that use to be for fresh water fish i use a fluval 206 canister filter..i also checked my ammonia, nitrite and nitrate a lil while ago and they seemed to go down..the ammonia is a 0ppm nitrite is also at 0ppm, and my nitrate went up to 10ppm..but i dont kno how long thats going to last..

 

[VivaNemo]

As for my domino damsel i havent seen em all day ?

 

[Mebbid]

When the LFS tests the water they can't tell if it's from a cycled tank or not. All they will know is if the tank has levels of ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate in it. While they should have asked about the tank cycle; it's common for them to avoid it. These kind of things happens very very frequently in fresh water where people will let their new tank water sit for a day, bring it in to be tested, and the leave the store with a full load of fish.

 

[huma-huma]

A very coon mistake people make is the thought of " well since my newly established tank water is showing 0 trites and 0 trates, it means im ready for fish"... How is a tank supposed to cycle when you just leave it sitting there empty with no source of ammonia?? Lol

 

[VivaNemo]

A very coon mistake people make is the thought of " well since my newly established tank water is showing 0 trites and 0 trates, it means im ready for fish"... How is a tank supposed to cycle when you just leave it sitting there empty with no source of ammonia?? Lol

Source of ammonia? I dont understand can you explain?lol

 

[VivaNemo]

Source of ammonia ? I dont understand can you explain? Lol

 

[huma-huma]

In the fish hobby, sw or fw, a full "cycling" of a new tank needs to be accomplished before adding fish. Since the nitrogen cycle is fueled by ammonia, and theres no natural source of onia in a new tank (its fishless) you need to provide a source of ammonia. Dead shrimp and pure ammonia are 2 examples.

 

[VivaNemo]

Oh ok i see...thanks

 

[Contrerasvic]

I believe ur tank is not fully cycled and u shouldn't be adding so many things after a week

 

[TheTodd]

If you search, there are articles all over the Net that explain how the nitrogen cycle works. It is important to understand how this all happens and its not terribly difficult to understand either. Like was already pointed out, you can't just throw rock and sand in some saltwater get the beneficial bacteria that you need. It starts with ammonia and once everything is established, it needs ammonia to continue. Thankfully, your fish will provide that once things are rolling.

 

[VivaNemo]

Should i get a regular tap water filter for adding and making water changes to my saltwater tank or a RO/DI system ? Thx

 

[huma-huma]

Should i get a regular tap water filter for adding and making water changes to my saltwater tank or a RO/DI system ? Thx

A regular tap water filter ( like a brita filter) isnt designed to bring tap water TDS ( total dissolved solids) to 0. A rodi unit will not only bring your tds to zero (100% pure water) but will also de-ionize it) www.bulkreefsupply.com has several models of ro/ rodi units and they are decently priced. Id recommend the 4-stage value plus model, not only do you get the dual-inline TDS meter, but you get a pressure gauge,membrane flush kit, and auto shutoff valve built in already.