Utterly terrible test results in the matter of 1 week! Please help!!!

[csoutherland]

75 g reef
1 yellow tang
1 arrow crab

November 24, 2013
pH: 7.8
Ammonia: .5
Nitrite: .25
Nitrate: 5

December 1, 2013 (today)
pH: 7.8
Ammonia: 8.0!
Nitrite: 2!
Nitrate: 80!

What am I doing wrong????
I have no clue what to do other then getting supplements and doing water changes. Really frustrated and could definitely use some help from people who know what they are doing so if you do then please respond!
Thank you.

 

[bribo12]

75 g reef
1 yellow tang
1 arrow crab

November 24, 2013
pH: 7.8
Ammonia: .5
Nitrite: .25
Nitrate: 5

December 1, 2013 (today)
pH: 7.8
Ammonia: 8.0!
Nitrite: 2!
Nitrate: 80!

What am I doing wrong????
I have no clue what to do other then getting supplements and doing water changes. Really frustrated and could definitely use some help from people who know what they are doing so if you do then please respond!
Thank you.

How long has the tank been setup? What are you dosing? Sounds like the tank is cycling. Either that or your test kit is wack

 

[csoutherland]

I set it up over 3 1/2 weeks ago. I swore it was already cycled before

 

[bribo12]

How's the yellow tang doing? Those test results seem like they would kill him quickly. Also, how did you cycle the tank?

 

[csoutherland]

Using live rock. And I can't really tell. He seems to stay in the cave a lot and gets scared when I come around. I don't see any signs on him that I think would be bad

 

[MJSerik]

Maybe try retesting a few times

 

[bribo12]

Yeah it could be the test kit. How's the arrow crab?

 

[csoutherland]

What could be wrong withy the test kit? It's the API brand,

 

[Zactheninja]

When I cycle tank unusually find the forth week is usually about the peak of cycling. And for saltwater tanks cycling takes longer.
You should take the tang and arrow crab to the lfs.

 

[csoutherland]

Would it be safe to put them in my other 29 g tank for a little bit?

 

[carey]

Putting them anywhere but that ammonia filled tank would be good. I would either return the fish and finish cycling or you can do ALOT of big water changes. If you leave the fish in there they will die, those are some extremely high numbers.

How much live rock do you have and where did it come from?

 

[csoutherland]

How long could I safely keep the tang and arrow crab in my 29 gallon?

 

[carey]

I wouldnt go longer than a couple weeks, kinda depends on how large the fish are. I am also sad to say they may have been poisoned beyond your ability to fix, so the sooner the better. There is the chance they may not make it after the ammonia levels they were in, but your best bet is to act fast and it may be enough.

 

[Mebbid]

I am going to agree with carey here. What exactly did you do to cycle the tank?

 

[csoutherland]

Used live rock

 

[Gregcoyote]

Ammonia poisoning affects the gills first. Rapid breathing. Really stresses the fish out. They would be better off in a fresh mixed salt tank of about any size than in the ammonia. Put something in the 29g QT tank for the tang to hid in so he can feel secure as possible. Then consider what to do with him. Acclimate them properly when you transfer them. I fear you jumped the gun on stocking the tank. JMO.

 

[carey]

Like I asked before, how much live rock did you add to cycle and where did it come from? That actually can make a difference as all live rock is not created equal. If you dont have enough it doesnt have enough BB to process the ammonia of the fish you have, if you got it from a pet store it may not have been cured which could account for the obscenely high ammonia readings.

 

[csoutherland]

Well when I posted my results before everyone thought my tank was cycled so I just went with it. But I guess it's all just a learning experience

 

[Mebbid]

Well when I posted my results before everyone thought my tank was cycled so I just went with it. But I guess it's all just a learning experience

For trouble shooting purposes we really need to know the exact steps you took for setting up your tank.

Was the live rock bought online, at a fish store, or from another hobbyist?

If it was bought from a fish store or another hobbyist how long did they have the rock in and how was it stored?

How long did you wait after adding the rock to do your first test for ammonia?

 

[csoutherland]

I bought my tank and 40/100 pounds of live rock at the same time. The live rock was previously in another tank that the guy who sold me everything so he had multiple tanks. Then I bought 20 pounds of base rock from someone. And then I bought 40 more pounds from the guy I bought the tank from and he said it was 1/2 base and 1/2 live. It took about a week until I had everything so I had all the rock in large bins of saltwater in the meantime. Then I put everything in the tank and added some tap water conditioner and some beneficial bacteria. 3 days later I did a water test and my results came back great. I posted on hear for people's opinions and some said it could be cycled and some said it isn't. So I waited a week and I got the same exact readings and posted again and almost everyone said I should be cycled. So it was about 12 days and I went and got a yellow tang. That was about 2 weeks ago. And 1 week ago I got the arrow crab. I do water changes each week on Sunday and test my water. I add the beneficial bacteria and tap water conditioner a few times a week. I also used a bottle of API ammo lock. And so this is all that's happened.