Ammonia Spike After Power Outage.. canister filter danger   7/2/06
Hi,
<Hello there>
Thank you for your excellent site.  I'm a former fresh water hobbyist turned salt water since Oct. of last year.  Your site has been a huge help in the last year.  I have always found ample information without having to write but have experienced my first major problem.  I was hoping for a second opinion on my plan of action to deal with this.  My livestock include one sailfin tang (I know he'll need a bigger tank and will provide for him), 2 clarkii clowns (mated pair), one blue damsel, one red knobbed starfish, one banded serpent star (a brown w/ darker brown striped brittle star not sure if that's the correct name as I've never found his exact pic on your site),
<There are many such species>
3 blue legged hermits, a cleaner shrimp, and live rock with various little hitchhikers.
I have a 72 gallon, hex tank, that has been running for almost 9 months.  It cycled well last year and I thought that I had made it through the flooding in the area that had shut the power off several times without trouble.  I discovered this morning I was wrong.  My ammonia level was slightly elevated (normally it is 0, nitrite, and nitrate zero, pH 8.2, temp around 72) this morning it was 0.25 ppm for ammonia.  I found out my magnum 350 was the problem.
<For other readers this is a canister filter... would "go anaerobic" with cessation of power/flow>
Although it had come back on after the power returned it wasn't primed and therefore never was really working.  Like I said I'm a beginner since my fresh water always had hang on whisper filters.
<And these are hang-on power filters... open to the air>
So now I know that I've got to check that when the power goes off.  I got the 350 running, but stupid me over looked that the little water left in the intake and return tubing had gone bad.  It caused my ammonia to spike to 1.0 ppm. I was horrified.
So I added the recommended dose of ammo-lock 2 as an emergency stop gap after doing a 25% water change.  I plan to do another 25%water change in two days.  
<Any ammonia will hopefully be gone before this>
I will also stop by the LFS to pick up some stress zyme to add after the next water change.  I thought that that may offer some help to replace any bacteria harmed from this large a disturbance in the cycle (I had vacuumed the sand, changed out some of the decor, and changed out the filter media before I turned on the filter and sent that horrible water into the tank).
<Yes, best to vent initially...>
I will continue to test and do changes as needed to keep the ammonia, etc in control.  Does this seem a good plan?
<Yes... though, as stated, likely all will be rectified in short order on its own>
  I had been planning to add some more live rock, would now be a good time to do so?
<Not for a few weeks>
I feel like an idiot for not realizing the filter wasn't moving water and then letting that water into the tank.
<Happens... a common mistake.>
Soon after I set the tank up my father was diagnosed with cancer and ten days later my father in law had a heart attack.  Things are only starting to get back to normal so I'm not as observant as I should be with the tank.
<Good that you recognize these influences, events... Even better that you are able to keep all in perspective. In a/the grand course of things, the aquarium is "small potatoes"... Put emphasis where emphasis lies>
Sorry for the long email, I was trying to give all the needed info.  Thanks for all the help and hard work.
-Ali
<Thank you for sharing. Bob Fenner>

Ammonia On the Rise - 10/9/06
Hi everyone,
<Greetings! Emerson here with you today.>
I'm having a big problem with my ammonia. 1 week ago, all parameters were fine, and when I tested this week, ammonia was at 1 ppm! Nitrates were also up to 40-50 ppm, nitrites 0, Ph 7.9. We did a major water change, (24 gallons on a 55 gallon tank) and tested later that day. The nitrates went to about 30, and the ammonia was .33. I tested again this morning and the nitrates are down to 20-30 (maybe from the refugium?), but the ammonia is back up to .75 in one day! What do you think could have caused this?
<Poorly established biofiltration, overfeeding, possibly rotting materials brought in with uncured rock etc etc etc.>
We do have a few new, strange types of algae that are growing so fast it even grows on the snails, but my husband says he doesn't think there's any hair algae. I added Amquel + to the tank this morning to see if that will help. I assumed yesterday the raised ammonia was probably due to overfeeding. (I feed three times a day, small amounts, once flakes, once artic pods -we have a mandarin- and once frozen foods of all different types.)
<Your mandarin is likely doomed. Please read: http://wetwebmedia.com/mandarins.htm >
Foolishly, before we did the test yesterday, we added a baby cleaner shrimp and a very large (2") spotted snail (sorry, I can't remember what it's called.) We added the giant snail because the green algae was getting out of control on the glass and on the live rock.
<Algae is to be controlled with proper feeding and nutrient export (water changes and skimming). Adding snails is a band aid approach, and not addressing the cause of the problem.>
Both creatures are doing fine. Really, I just forgot to test first.  Could the addition of these two cause such a rise in ammonia in one day? Is it more likely the algae, and if so, what types could do that so I can try to identify it?
<No regarding the shrimp/snails, and no, algae did not cause your ammonia spike.>
When will I be able to safely do another water change? How soon is too soon? It's going to need to be done ASAP I'm sure, I'm just not sure when that would be.
<You need to be doing 30% or more changes daily until the ammonia is under control. Please test for ammonia and nitrite (you may see nitrite rise soon) daily until both tests read 0, and then continue to test a few times a week to be safe. You are having serious issues with biological filtration and should stop feeding your fish for at least a few days. Please read through the articles and FAQs regarding water quality here: http://wetwebmedia.com/marine/maintenance/index.htm >
Thanks so much for your help with my stupid mistake of adding new creatures without testing first. And thank you in advance for any help you can give me with ammonia.
<You are welcome. Please read as much as you can on the website, and you can save your critters! Best of luck.>
- Jennifer

The batfish alone gets 2 feet! (4/3/2004) 
In response to your questions my collection consists of a 7" imperator, 4" Asfur, 6" Maculosus, Flame, 5" Grey, 2" Annularis, 6" Koran, 6" Navarchus, The Navarchus is not doing well it is eating but it looks like areas around its head are sunken in? I have a 7 " tall Orbic Bat and a cleaner shrimp oh and I have a 4" Passer angel, 4" Queen 3 Damsels, 2 3" Raccoon butterflies. <*Gape* your tank is massively overstocked. You really should read our FAQS regarding your fish and the stocking FAQ archives as well. The overstocking alone probably explains your recurring ammonia problems> There has been no deaths or MIA's Filtration: besides the two tidepool II's I use a Ocean Clear for main Mechanical filtration but the Tidepools have that 3 tray system for media and I have blue pad in the top trays then 2 bags of Chemipure <I highly recommend using Poly-Filter until you conquer the ammonia> in each filter and finally seeded Bio Stars in the bottom trays I have a 35 watt UV and a Berlin hang on the back Skimmer with the Turbo pump and it is in my sump. the best I can do is change water weekly because my RO unit only makes enough water to do that. <Distilled water can be purchased from your local grocery store> chemically my PH is 8 my Amm. is .25 ppm and the nitrite is at 10.0ppm. <Possibly deadly, most definitely in the long term. 25% water changed daily or every other day, consider dosing the tank with Amquel+ from Kordon, see below> I was treating a fungus with Maroxy about a month ago. I did do a Maracyn treatment about 2 to 3 months ago <another possible cause, especially coupled with the overstocking> and I keep a low level of Coppersafe in the tank <Hmm...not sure if I would recommend this for long term use. I'll get others' opinions and get back to you> I did use a large bio wheel from my over a year old 80 gal with these exact fish in it and I feel that bio wheel was fully seeded with the good stuff. <Amazing they survived in a tank of that size> The tank has a great development of brown and green algae and the fish are showing no signs of stress all are eating like pigs <another source of ammonia>. Any help would be great!!! 
<Find new homes for most of your fish or triple your tank size. In the meantime, 25% water changes daily or every other day, dose Amquel+ for a quick removal of the ammonia and nitrites (do half the recommended dose, wait a day, and do the other half. Rapid water chemistry changes of any type is stressful for all inhabitants). Do purchase a Poly Filter (or several) and use them to help control the ammonia. The Poly Filters will absorb your copper, as well (which I personally wouldn't maintain, additional stress on the biological filter among other things). Start feeding less: temporarily, I recommend only every other day. Again: find new homes for your current inhabitants quickly.> 
thanks  Kirt
<Anytime> 

Ammonia spike caused by gravel vac?
<Hey Richard, Mac here>
My FOWLR tank has been running for over 8 months, with the ammonia cycle long since completed.  Tank is a 125 gal with dual overflows, sump, 50-micron filter bags attached to overflow hoses going into sump, AquaC EV120 skimmer, Mag Drive 1200gph return pump, 2 powerheads in tank (300gph each), 130lbs LR, aragonite substrate about 1-2" deep. <Nice>
Livestock includes yellow tang, royal gramma, six line wrasse, chalk bass, green Chromis, dragon goby, and Foureye butterfly.
A note on the Foureye:  your site shows that it is a poor choice for an aquarium.  The store had it labeled as an Atlantic Reef Butterfly.  It looked cool, was not expensive, and they said it would get along with my other fish, so I bought it.  I then looked it up on your site, found a picture, and realized the exact species.  While I never would have bought it had I read your site first, I must say that the fish was doing quite well during the two weeks before the sudden death.  There was no indication that he would not survive.  He did not eat what I was feeding, but was constantly picking at the rocks.  Looking healthy after two weeks, I assumed he was getting whatever food he needed. <Just a note, he probably was, the problem with them in a reef tank is that eventually he will start eating things you don't want him to eat. Like corals, feather dusters, etc.>  
Back to the problem.  My testing has always shown zero ammonia and nitrite, nitrates about 20.  <Tad high on the nitrates, you really should try to take them down a bit more> On my LFS advice, I have kept the salinity very low (1.017 SG) to prevent parasite infection. The store keeps their tanks at 1.015 and the fish look great, even the ones that have been there for months.
Last weekend, my Foureye butterfly and dragon goby both died a day apart.
LFS said the butterfly had what looked like ammonia burn.  He had reddish patches under the skin, with no other signs of abuse.  He looked and acted perfect the day before. The store tested my water and did find ammonia to be about .25. <hmmm, just a note here too.  It might be a wise idea for you to invest in some test kits at some point.>
Both of these deaths came after I did a water change and vacuuming of the entire substrate. LFS now thinks that my vacuuming released an ammonia spike into the tank.  Looking back through my logbook, <very important you are to be commended> I do find that a number of my fish deaths (unfortunately there have been many) did happen within a day or two of a cleaning.  They now tell me not to vacuum the substrate, that it interferes with the biocycle going on underneath. <The filtration system you are using is the live rock system with a bacterial bed in the sand.>  Is this true?  <This is a wonderful system and is working for a lot of people.  Your fish store is correct in saying that when you vacuum out the sand you are pulling out both the bacteria and probably lots of wonderful creatures and animals that make your sand bed both fascinating and functioning.> What do you recommend as a cleaning regimen to go along with water changes?  <Definitely keep up the water changes.  If you think you are seeing a lot of detritus on the sand there are creatures that you can use to clean them that will not disturb your bacterial bed.  Narcissus snails, fighting conchs, even several of the serpent stars will do a wonderful job with that.  Most fish will not bother a serpent star either.  You could always do some gentle vacuuming of just the very tip top of the sand.  In fact, I have been known to get my net and grab something off the sand.>  If my vacuuming didn't kill the fish, any ideas on what did?  <Technically its not the vacuuming but the ammonia rise that did the killing.  But your disturbing the sand bed could have caused the levels to rise.  Its good that you are jumping on this and trying to figure out what could have gone wrong.  Butterflies are more sensitive to ammonia levels and that's probably why he was the first to go.  Since your tank is fish only, I really would recommend getting an ammonia test kit.  You can make the ammonia level go up by massively over feeding the fish and then their waste products. Ask me how I know this?  Been there done that!  Seriously we all probably have. Having the kits at home will help you to get a jump on this and do a water change before there is a big problem.  Good luck with this.>

AIRBORNE AMMONIA ENTERING TANK SYSTEM
Hello all, firstly, I would like to extend a thanks for all of the work done by the crew.  Secondly, this is not a question so much as a warning.  I had a disturbing situation arise in my 'fish room'.  I am in the process of placing a few corals in a DIY acrylic grow out system.  I had been testing perimeters regularly.  The other day, while testing the ammonia level hit 1.0ppm.  I couldn't understand how this could have happened.  There are no fish, just 6 small photosynthetic coral pieces in roughly 120 gallons, none were in any state of decay.  I then tested a tank that has had several pieces of live rock for several months, this had 0.5ppm.  I then tested my make up and top off water, that hit 1.0.  I proceeded to test the water out of the DI unit, 0.0ppm, then the tap, 0.0.  I also cross checked using 3 different test kits.  At that point I concluded it had to be coming in from the air.  After some thought, I recalled that two days earlier I had noticed, through a nasty aroma, that my grand daughter had neglected the cat litter pan.  The pan is down the hall from my fish room.  I put two and two together, I was injecting the air borne ammonia into all of my water.  Since water changes were out, I immediately put an ionizer/air cleaner in the room, loaded the tanks with carbon, and placed the filter pads I had been culturing in a well established  aquarium into the tanks.  I have not lost anything as of yet, some things are not looking great, but time will tell.   The moral is if it is in the air, it will find its way into the tank. << Wow, what a story.  Here is another example.  You can set up a salt water tank in your backyard.  Wait a couple weeks, and you'll have algae growing in it.  The question many people have is where did that algae come from?  And, how can a marine strain find its way to wherever you are.  Well the answer is that tiny little spores from the ocean are actually carried all the way across the continents in rain clouds and the like.  So I guess just about anything is possible. >>
Enjoy the 4th, God bless America.
Ed  
<<  Adam B.  >>

Ammonia Questions ??
Hi Bob
<John>
I have the following problem, please help! Sorry for the long email but giving some history.
I have a 3 foot tank that I set up as a quarantine tank. I took some media (ceramic balls) from the trickle filter, some media (ceramic balls) from the sump and 100 litres water from my display tank (Running for 10 Months) and placed it in the quarantine tank canister filter.
Also added an AquaClear 200 filter on the tank with only a new sponge for media  to build up some bacteria. I put a piece of live rock (as big as two fists together) in the tank as well.
I put a clown trigger which I bought in the QT tank for a week. I checked the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate twice daily. For 7 days everything was fine within acceptable limits. The fish also looked good with no signs of any disease. I put it into my display tank. (I know this is a bit soon but needed the QT for other fish). I bought 3 regal tangs of about 50 - 60 mm each.
(These are scarce in my town so I had to get them!)
<Not an easy species to keep alive... do check into Pablo Tepoot's food line "Spectrum"... about the only thing I've seen that works to get this species going in captivity... especially when small as yours are>
They where flicking in the shop before I got them so I put
them in the QT.
The salinity at the LFS was 1.018 so I lowered my QT salinity to 1.018.
PH is at 9.5
<9.5? This is WAY too high. Please read re and adjust slowly down to 8.2-8.4>
and temp at 27.5 to 28 C.
On day 2 of putting the new fish in QT I dosed Red sea Paracure (copper) at 0.3 as recommended to clear the infection on the fish (they had "white-ish" marks on them and still flicking, not sure if ich or Oodinium).
On day 3 started to see ammonia 0.25 ppm on the card.
On day 4 ammonia was at 0.5 ppm on the card (Red sea copper test kit) so I did a 25% water change with water from my display tank. Ammonia down to 0.25. Added Paracure to get back to 0.3 (Nitrite and nitrate is near to 0)
On day 5 ammonia was back at 0.5 ppm so I did a 25% water change again with water from my display tank. Ammonia down to 0.25 again. Added Paracure to get back to 0.3 (Nitrite and nitrate is near to 0).
The fish seem fine now and are not flicking any more but still have small "white-ish" patches on them.
Here are the questions now as I need advice on what to do next:
1. The Paracure label said that it does not affect the bacteria in the filter. Is this correct?
<Doesn't appear so, but...>
If so why do I have the ammonia problem?
<Likely the copper or lowered spg killed off or induced a physiological check in your nitrifiers>
2. Technically the tank should be cycled as it has all the water from the display tank as well as the filter material. Is this correct?
<Was likely, but as stated one or both of the medicants and altered spg bumped off or stalled the process, processors>
2. Does the lower salinity have an impact on a) the biological filter,
<Yes... will kill most microbes>
b) copper dosing and c) ammonia?
<Yes>
3. According to the Red sea ammonia test kit NH4+ is less harmful. This it the 0.25 to 0.5 that is measured on the card. How bad is this for fish and how long can fish handle this amount of ammonia. How does it affect the fish?
<Mmm, hard to state... weakened fish livestock may die as consequence in hours, days at this concentration. 1.0 ppm is almost always toxic within hours, days>
4. According to the Red sea ammonia test kit NH3 is toxic ammonia. This value is about 0.016 when calculated at 0.25 NH4+ and 0.032 at 0.5 NH4+. How bad is this for fish and how long can fish handle this amount of ammonia. How does it affect the fish?
<Good question... once again, not a black/white scenario, but as an added source of "stress", any detectable ammonia/ammonium is bad news>
What I thought of the problem is that the biological filter is failing and therefore the ammonia spikes. How can I fix this problem (Would it helped if I put in some Hagen Cycle?
<This product might help... as might adding some more filter media from your established system, but the best move is to change out good percentages of the water with used as you've been doing... and possibly risk dipping the Regal/Clown/Lineatus tangs and moving them to the display>
Any recommendations please of what to do next as I would like to keep the fish in QT for at least another 2 weeks.
Thanks for the help and excellent web site.  
Regards
John Squier
<The "call" is up to you. I would dip/bath these fish and move them. Bob Fenner>

Re: Ammonia Questions ??
Hi Bob
<John>
Thanks for the info. I made a typing error - PH not at 9.5 its at 7.95 sorry.
<Ahh, much better... as you're likely aware, ammonia/ium is much, MUCH more toxic at higher pHs>
One more thing, after reading about lowered salinity I could not find anything on the topic that it would effect the biological filter.
<Does so my friend... think about osmotic shock... for instance... the simple use of "salt" mouthwashes, astringents to kill... single-celled organisms of pathogenic nature... the nitrifying bacteria are... single-celled organisms... Too much, too soon change in specific gravity stalls them physiologically, kills them>
Could it be the combination of lowered salinity and copper that caused my filter to crash?
<Yes, easily>
Do you perhaps have any links where I could find more info on this please.
<More on what? Please use the Google search tool on the homepage... www.WetWebMedia.com with key terms that describe what you're looking for>
Your recommendation <The "call" is up to you. I would dip/bath these fish and move them. Bob Fenner> Would you do this because of the negative effect of the ammonia? Do you think 9 days of copper treatment is enough?
Thanks
John
<Yes to both... the advantages/risks of moving the stock are shifted greatly to the former. Bob Fenner>

Ammonia... killing off one's biofilter
Mr. Fenner, Thanks for all your help in the past.
<Welcome>
I have been battling ammonia the past couple weeks, and I lost a lot of fish. 
<Mmm... what are fishes doing in such water?>
I seem to have gotten it under control today. I have had my tank setup for about 6 months. I suddenly got a tremendous (off the scale) ammonia spike that I could do nothing to fix immediately. 
<From?>
I don't understand. I'm thinking I might have somehow caused new tank syndrome. I did replace my CPR BakPak skimmer with an ETSS reef devil, but the downward spiral started a couple days before that. I did keep my biomedia from the old skimmer and put it in a ventilated container and floated it in my sump. I don't know if that would do any good anyway.
<Should have>
Somehow, I think I killed off all the beneficial bacteria.
<I agree... or overwhelmed the system with proteinaceous material... did someone toss in a bunch of food... might an animal have died and you not caught it?>
I was reading all the posts and I think it was from excessive vacuuming of the DSB. it was so dirty though. I wanted your opinion on this observation: Immediately after 2 ammonia spikes settled down, the deep sand bed was covered in a rusty brown substance. That's what I vacuumed away. Is there any correlation between this "stuff" and the ammonia level going back to zero? 
<Yes... the brown stuff are likely diatoms, other algae... that need the ammonia to be gone, nitrate (product) to flourish>
It's just odd that the sand is white, and my ammonia is through the roof, and then finally the ammonia is gone, and instantly the sand is brown. Well, I still have 1 dogface puffer and 1 striped damsel left, and I don't want to go vacuuming if its gonna finish them off too. I'm really surprised they made it. My ammonia scale only goes to 2, and it was definitely way over that!
<Yikes>
Also, what do you think about Chemi-clean?  It's supposed "removes disease causing red Cyano bacteria, oxidizes trapped organic sludge and sediment. Chemi Clean also clarifies aquarium water to crystal clear and promotes ideal enzyme balance." 
<... not a good idea... Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/maralgcidefaqs.htm>
I started having the troubles when I added this in conjunction with B-ionic Calcium Buffer, and Ruby Reef Kick Ich.
<Oooohhhh... This is the source of your trouble... you actually killed off your nitrifiers...>
I think maybe it all had some unknown effect.
<Yes, for sure>
I read something on your site about one of these effecting pH, which might affect ammonia? Thanks for your time, I read your posts daily.
B. Robinson
<The "Clean" product... kills microbes... including your beneficial bacteria... the "kick" product does nothing (but flavor food), the B-ionic is a fine product (for pH, alkalinity). More study, less chemicals my friend. Bob Fenner> 

Kent Salt vs. Coralife
Hi, Thanks for your quick reply.  I will do the 24 hour fresh/24 hour salt aeration.  Though I have to say, the other way has saved my butt, since I have had an ammonia jump .4 (dead snail...found it) having lower PH has probably saved the fish's life!  Would you agree? <It sure helps> I was told AmQuel + was a bad product for saltwater, but to me neutralizing ammonia and nitrates seem paramount!  What do you think? <In an established system without overstocking and good maintenance, ammonia should never be a problem.> I have been doing several partial water changes with no real affect on ammonia, except when I neut. it with AmQuel, it does come back the next day.  I have taken out all the live rock and swished it around, dug through my 1 - 1 1/2" sandbed (where I found a Nass. snail chowing the remnants of something...took it away from him, I mean...ewww!)  I did a 50% water change and added AmQuel + but my ammonia is back to .4.  What is the deal?  I am using fastest ammonia test and it has worked right in the past few weeks.  I figured because this is a powder it would read right, and it did, just to have the ammonia come back.  WHAT IS GOING ON????? <Adding AmQuel prevents the bio system from readjusting to the levels it needs to be at since it quells the ammonia, and that's why I believe it is coming back.  I don't believe in using this stuff as a routine.> Should I just move everyone to a QT and let the tank
"cycle"???  It is about 8 weeks old and the contents are:
3" Yellow Tang "bubbles"
2' Spotted Snake Eel "spot"
2" White Molly..... "molly"
(4) 3/4" Neon gobies
8 little hermits
2 Nassarius. snails
4 left of the "turbo" really small
3 BIG Turbos "Larry, curly and Moe"
1 sandsifter "Patrick"  PS: Do they eat leftover food....shrimp, silverside slivers?
1 3" BTA
Would they be okay in a 20 gallon??? <No> I think I may have to leave the BTA snake eel, star, snails and crabs in tank as the QT has the treatment for tail rot.  Need advise!! <Your tank is overstocked with the two foot eel in there, that is just adding to the ammonia problem.  I have a rule of thumb....one cubic inch of fish per five gallons, that is cubic not just length.  James (Salty Dog)>
Thanks! <You're welcome>
Carrie :)

Ammonia and Nitrite Emergency 6/6/05
Hi Crew, my name is Justin and I am having a bit of a problem on the action I should take with the screw-up I just made. I have a 55 gallon salt water tank with a moray eel in it. Since I am a beginner I decided it would be a really good idea to clean my filter (you guys probably know where I am going with this). So I rinsed my Eheim 2028, and all of the media of course, in tap water. From reading on this really helpful website (and lack of common since), I realized I just sent all of my beneficial microbes down the drain. <Hmm... this can be a problem.  More because of the chlorine rather than the rinsing itself.>
So everything seemed fine for 2 days then BOOM ammonia that was 0 is 1.5 and nitrite that was less than .3 is now .9. I am terrified for my eel, he seems fine, but I'm worried my microbes will not come back fast enough. I have 40 lbs of live sand and 20lbs of live rock I am hoping that they will help. I am sorry if some one has asked a similar question but I could not find it after an hour of searching. Well I hope you can get back to me soon and help me with my problem. Thanks Justin  <Your live rock and sand should easily meet the filtration needs of your tank.  I would consider removing the canister filter for a more thorough cleaning and monitoring the water chemistry closely.   If the ammonia or nitrite get any higher, I would institute a couple of large water changes, but otherwise, let them come down naturally.  Best Regards.  AdamC.>

Ammonia Spike! 8/3/05
Hello WWM Crew,
<TJ>
Great site. Very, very helpful. I'm on your site almost everyday, it's amazing how much can be learned here. Now, on to why I'm writing to you. I have a 55 Gallon FOWLR. Emperor 400, Tetra Whisper Power Filter 60 and a counter current skimmer. Tank mates are 2 Ocellaris Clowns, 1 Purple Tang and 1 Yellow Tang. A couple of hermits and 2 Lysmata shrimp. Approx 50lbs of live rock and 35lbs of live sand. Sorry to go on but I want to provide you as much info as possible. I do a 5 gallon water change EVERY week. In 3 years this has never happened. My ammonia level is HUGE 8.0ppm??
PH 8.2, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 20ppm.
I have been doing daily water changes of 10 gallons for 2 days trying to bring it down. This morning I changed 25 gallons and tested about 6 hours later and still a very high ammonia level.
At this point I collected up tank mates and moved them into the quarantine tank where it's safer. I did another 10 gallon water change on main tank, removed all live rock looking for something....anything dead or dying and found nothing. Any suggestions? Am I missing something??
Any comments / suggestions are most welcomed.
Thank you
TJ
Ontario
<Some event may well have killed off your nitrifying (biological filter) bacteria... But first off, I would "check the checker" here. Have your ammonia test kit checked out... You might be best advised to switch out or add a good deal more live rock... to re-set, re-establish nitrification here. There are instances, trends toward "microbial wars" in older systems... that result in your experience. Bob Fenner>

Re: Ammonia Spike! 8/4/05
Mr. Fenner,
Thank you for your response. By the way, great book! I think my ammonia test kit is ok. I get acceptable levels when testing my quarantine tank. All the same I will have it checked.  I will as well switch out some of my older live rock for some new....
<This is the best long-term solution here>
I assume that I now play the waiting game. Isn't it strange that it is so hard to look at a tank with nothing in it?
<Perhaps... for some>
Thank
you very much for all that you (and the rest of the gang) do here.
Regards,
TJ
<Welcome my friend. Bob Fenner>

Caulerpa racemosa raising ammonia? Indirectly 7/18/05
Hey guys,
<And gals>
I bought a handful of racemosa Caulerpa last week and placed it in my sump.  When I got home that night, all my racemosa skipped over my baffles and got sucked into my pump.
<Oh oh>
I saw racemosa floating everywhere.  I know that this type of Caulerpa releases back several compounds.  I immediately checked my water parameters and  ammonia levels spiked up to 1ppm from 0!  I did a large water change ( about 40%), checked my ammonia afterwards and it fell to 0ppm.  I also tried to remove as much of the Caulerpa as possible.  My  fish and corals are ok.  This week, the levels jumped up again but to .5 ppm.  I've never had an ammonia problem.  I did another water change and now the level is down to .25.  I also cleaned my prefilters thinking that there maybe some decaying Caulerpa hanging around.  What else to do you guys suggest I do?  For how long?  I hope that this ammonia problem levels out soon.
Nilesh
<Keep monitoring your water quality, watching your livestock for signs of overt stress... I would place activated carbon, a pad of Polyfilter in your filter flow path... Likely the Caulerpa stressed the livestock, which produced extra ammonia... Bob Fenner>

Ammonia... from a cat litter box... possibly 7/14/05
I was wondering if you could help me with my 125 gallon tank.  I've  had the tank for 2 years and ever since it has been giving me problems.   I've had fish grow large and then die.
<...>
This year alone, it has been disastrous.  All my fish die and there seem to be a fungus in the water  that would not go away.  
No matter what medication I would use or how many  times I'd do a water change, nothing would help.  In fact, the water changes would shock the fish and they would ultimately die.  
<Bingo>
One  day, a friend suggested that perhaps the cat's litter box may be causing the  problem, seeing that it's right next to the tank.
<Interesting... a possibility... ammonia can be introduced in this fashion... best to move these apart>
I have another 46 gallon  tank across the room away from the litter box that has never given me any  problems.  As she explained it, cat urine contains ammonia and the large  tank may be absorbing it.
<Yes>
I moved the litter box to
another room and  bought new fish.  They seem to be doing ok, but it's too soon to  tell.  Could this be my problem???
<Yes indeed. Bob Fenner>
Thank you,
George

Ammonia Issues / Moving Tanks - 07/06/05
First off with the specifics:
45 gallon tank
40lbs. of Aragamax Sand
50 lbs. of live rock
BakPak 2 skimmer/filter
Bio Wheel 200 filter (added recently)
3 power heads for water movement
Heater
Dual compact fluorescent lamps
<<Okey Dokey>>
The tank has been set up and running for 7 months, but recently I have had a massive spike in my ammonia levels and the inhabitants are dying off.
<<Uh oh>>
We recently moved the tank from it's prior space (like 50 feet across the room).
<<Hmmm...>>
Before the move, all the water properties were fine, but now it's like the tank has started defending itself and killing everything inside.  First some snails, then a starfish, then a few crabs, a couple of fish, and now all that is left are 2 snails, 3 crabs, and a damsel.
<<Did you remove/replace the rock and substrate when you moved the tank?>>
I have read many of the postings, but not sure what I should do at this point.  So far I have tried: removing all the dead creatures, routine 25% water changes, adding stress zyme, adding a second filter (bio wheel 200), bacteria cultures, raising the temperature in the tank.  I am trying to use as little chemical additives to let the tank right itself naturally.  I have tried everything short of removing all the substrate and starting over.
Nitrate is 0
Nitrite is 0
pH is 8.4
Ammonia is 2.0ppm
Alkalinity is 300
Where should I go from here?  What should I try to get this tank
back on it's feet?
<<I think your tank is cycling.  If you pulled the substrate to move the tank and then put it back in the tank you are experiencing a huge bacterial dye-off which is spiking your ammonia.  Your best option is to remove the livestock and let the tank go through/complete its cycle again.>>
Thanks so much for your input
Jay
<<Regards, Eric R.>>

Ammonia Issues (Maybe Not The Substrate) - 07/07/05
Thanks Eric for the response.  When we moved the tank all we did was; laid the live rock flat on the tank, removed 75% of the water, moved the tank, replaced 50% of the water, re-stacked the live rock, then added the remaining 25% of the water.  All the time replacing the water with a pre-mixed salt water solution (not the same water that was originally from the tank).  Now, I guess it would be possible that when adding the replacement water we possibly stirred something bad that was settled under the sand (kind of like a red tide scenario).
<<Possibly...but not likely unless you really "dumped" the water in creating a large disturbance of the sand bed...and if this sand bed is sugar-fine and had proper water flow over it I doubt you had/have anything "bad" in it anyway.  Besides, most "bad" substances disturbed in a sand bed are hydrogen sulphide which actually dissipates rather quickly in a good flow...often with no more harm than a bad smell.>>
After reading through more of the FAQ it looks like the best plan of action may be as follows (please correct me if I am on the wrong
track).
1) Add more live cured rock to re-activate the cycle and introduce
more NATURAL bacteria to the system.
<<This will likely only extend the cycle at this point, very little "cured" live rock actually is...there's no profit in "holding" rock, if you get my point.  You can do this...just be prepared for the cycle to start over.>>
2) Increase the water temp to about 83 degrees
3) Longer light cycles
4) Continue with water changes to bring the ammonia levels down
<<I wouldn't bother with the water changes until the cycle completes, may even extend the cycle...but the livestock needs to come out.>>
Please let me know if I am on the right track with these suggestions.  I do not have a quarantine tank, so I cannot move the livestock.  Not that losing a damsel, a few snails, and crabs is a big deal but death is still death and I would feel bad for tormenting an animal like that.
<<Then remove them and give them away/back to the store.>>
Thanks again for suggestions
Jay
<<Jay...I can't say for sure what caused your ammonia spike (maybe simply disturbing the live rock), but the deaths and ammonia readings indicate something is definitely amiss.  Give the tank a while to cycle/process the ammonia (minus livestock) and see if things improve...write in again if things don't start to get better in a few weeks.>>
BTW: Your website truly rocks for answering many difficult scenarios that us hobbyists come across.
<<From one hobbyist to another...Regards, Eric R.>>

Ammonia spike  11/24/05
Hi,
<Hello>
Yesterday morning I noticed a fish was missing, after searching I found it dead, and then I removed it. It was not the ammonia that killed it, most likely it died from being harassed by a larger fish. However, after testing for ammonia I found it to be at 0.5 ppm.
<Likely from the dead fish decomposing...>
I did a water change yesterday, only 5% that's all the water I had pre made. This morning I tested again and the ammonia is about 1.0 ppm. Why is it still climbing?
<The ongoing result...>
I did another water change this morning about 20%. So far nothing has died because of this. All that is in the tank is a 4-stripe damsel, a yellow tang, and several crabs and snails. the tank is 50 gallons, and has 45 pounds of live rock. Is there anything I can do other than keep up with the fast water changes?
<Relax... likely this spike will solve itself shortly... Do skip feeding till the ammonia is below 1.0 ppm>
Will the bacteria in the tank eventually take care of this excess of ammonia? And if so how long should it take?
<Yes, and a few days at most>
Please help and thank you,
Jed
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>

Live Rock Turning White, Fish Choking on Their Own Waste - 11/22/2005
Hi,
<Hello.>
I'm new. I have bought a 50g Uniquarium for a FOWLR system. The tank is cycling now with three damsels.
<Please read up on fishless cycling in the future.>
Ammonia is at about 2.
<Poor fish.>
I have added about 15 lbs of LR over the last few days. Today I noticed that the LR is losing much of the color and turning white. Am I killing the LR and will it be lost forever?
<Yes and no. Some die off to be expected, again POOR fish.>
Is there anything I can do to help? I'm buying a venturi skimmer in the morning. I have 1 50/50 fluorescent tube. Do you think it is the poor light or ammonia turning the LR white?
<Lighting is weak but the initial cycle is at work here. The skimmer will help, but water changes and optimal conditions must also be maintained. All should be fine (except those POOR FISH).>
What can I do?
<Wait.>
Thanks
<Welcome.>  
<<Who are you, you who answered this query?  Marina>>

Ammonia in anemone tank  12/16/05
Hi guys,
I have 29 gallon tank that I recently added a green bubble tip anemone to.
<Smaller systems are fraught with much more potential problems...>
The tank has been established a little over a year now and is doing wonderfully.  Before I purchased him, my tank levels were perfect even though the tank was pretty heavily stocked.  I had a pair of true Percs, a rock blenny, a spotted mandarin, a tiger sleeper goby and a royal Gramma.  
Ammonia, Nitrate and Nitrite 0 and pH around 8.2.  After having him for about 3 weeks I have no problems, but my ammonia has risen to almost 1.0 ppm
<Yikes...>
(I just checked it about 5 min. ago).  My anemone isn't showing any signs of problems from the ammonia, but I did decided to get rid of a few of a couple of the fish.  The Gramma and blenny were sold to the LFS the other day.  I have also been doing water changes with what seems like absolutely no results.
<Good, clear descriptions>
  My question is could it be possible that with all the water changes I've done recently, have my beneficial bacteria levels dropped low enough that they can't keep up with the ammonia?
<Possibly... but more likely the anemone is producing more ammonia... metabolic, stress... than the present circumstances, bacteria can accommodate>
And is there anything else I can do to lower the ammonia levels?  Thank you guys so much for your help, I'll keep you posted on my progress.
<Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/nh3marfaqs.htm
and the other Related FAQs linked above, the sections on Anemone Systems, Biological Cycling... basically, continuing water quality monitoring, changing, scant feeding, leaving the biological filtration be... should solve this in time. Bob Fenner>