Unable to get rid of high toxic levels of ammonia

[Pawznklawz]

I'm battling with high toxic levels of ammonia. I was doing 10% water changes every 2 days and then I did 50% water change and it made ammonia worst lost 1/2 of live stock. Yesterday I drain all the out of the tank and added fresh saltwater tank that I bought from the fish place and added bacteria. This morning the ammonia levels are still very high and toxic, ph is much better. PLEASE ME! I'm trying to save the remaining coral

 

[mr_X]

How old is this tank?
Where is the ammonia coming from?
What is in it right now?

 

[Pawznklawz]

The tanks is 7 months old and was doing great until a starfish died 2 weeks since then everything went out of control. I was working 15 hrs and in the morning it was alive but when I came home it was dead so I remove the remains. And I started doing 15% water changes every 2 days for a week but it go worst and worst every time I did the water changes and by then I lost all
My fish and 1/2 of the coral. 3 days ago I did 50% water change and added bacteria and prime but ammonia when out of control, the tank turn white so
Yesterday I did 100% water change and cleaned the filter. The water I bought from the aquarium place. This morning the ammonia is still high 1ppm but the ph is a lot better , 8.0 it was 7.4 before the water change.

 

[Pawznklawz]

Alive right is cluster of polyps and the hairy mushrooms are not looking good. Snails are still alive and some hermit crabs are still alive. It's a 28g nano cube.

 

[mr_X]

How long did you have the starfish?
How many fish total did you have in the tank and what type of fish were they?

 

[Pawznklawz]

It was a orange linkia star fish. It only lasted 7 days and I'm not sure why it died. I had 3 fish purple fire fish, 6 line wrasse and a diamond back goby. It's a 28g nano cube but the fish are all dead. I also had a sand swifter star fish that died due to the ammonia toxic. She was fine before the ammonia levels rise. But I took out the other star fish before it died in the tank.

 

[mr_X]

Linckia stars are hard to keep. Most of then have been exposed to air during collection and they are already doomed before you even buy them. A sand sifter will starve to death in a nano anyway. They really have no business in closed systems, unless the tank is humungous.

 

[Sniperhank]

The death of two large starfish along with being 'heavier' stocking can point to why there is ammonia in the tank. Just overwhelmed what bacteria was in the tank. Water changes will bring the ammonia down.

 

[Mebbid]

If a water change is making the ammonia worse are you disturbing the sand bed or using tap water?

 

[Pawznklawz]

Thank you for the advice. The starfish were gifts and I did a stupid mistake not researching then before accepting them. I was advice by the aquarium staff to drain all the water and and to add bacteria to cycle the tank. I drained all the water out and added bacteria 4 days ago. On the 3rd day I added 2nd dose of bacteria. The tank looks bad and it's very cloudy, barely can see the remaining live rock. I had the water tested at the aquarium place and they said the parameters are what they suppose to be while cycling the tank. They told me to leave it alone an a wait until it cycles. A will be getting water tested by them every week. I'm still concern about the tank, it looks terrible very cloudy, it looks like smoke is flowing inside the water. I'm not sure if the aquarium place is telling me the right advice.

 

[jwh0818]

You really should purchase your own test kit.

 

[mr_X]

Thank you for the advice. The starfish were gifts and I did a stupid mistake not researching then before accepting them. I was advice by the aquarium staff to drain all the water and and to add bacteria to cycle the tank. I drained all the water out and added bacteria 4 days ago. On the 3rd day I added 2nd dose of bacteria. The tank looks bad and it's very cloudy, barely can see the remaining live rock. I had the water tested at the aquarium place and they said the parameters are what they suppose to be while cycling the tank. They told me to leave it alone an a wait until it cycles. A will be getting water tested by them every week. I'm still concern about the tank, it looks terrible very cloudy, it looks like smoke is flowing inside the water. I'm not sure if the aquarium place is telling me the right advice.

Normal for a cycling tank means whatever livestock you have in there, if any, will be subject to ammonia poisoning. I would put down the bacteria bottle and wait it out at this point. Don't accept any more gifts for a while

 

[Pawznklawz]

Thank you for the advice. I'm still new to the saltwater aquarium system. Today the cloudy water is beginning to clear up. Three are still 2 cluster of polyps and 1 of mushrooms still alive. I do have my testing kit but I will double check the water with the aquarium place. Thanks.