Qt trouble

[Morticus]

I bought my first fish yesterday, a royal gramma. I had my 10g qt running with heater, air bubbler, and filter. The two parts of filter media had been sitting in my sump for a week and a half now so I assumed it had built up enough bacteria to take care of one gramma. Acclimation went fine, but today I test the perimeters and I have .5 amm and .25 nitrite. The gramma is just hanging out in one of the corners not moving much... what should I do?

[Phyl]

In one day you went from 0 ammo to .5?! That sounds all but impossible to achieve! Did you feed already? If so what and did you leave the food in the tank or siphon it out? Don't leave any food left behind from feedings. I'd do a 50% water change today and 20% more the next two days... Test the ammo each day and change water as necessary.

[Morticus]

I dropped about a tenth of a flake in yesterday and today, and didn't syphon it out. I don't have any aged saltwater right now, but I can mix some up now, should I still do the water change today?

[revhtree]

As far as the gramma is concerned......they tend to be very skiddish and will hide, or lay under things and not move at all. Give it sometime, and get the water parimeters in check.