0.5 ppm ammonia bad??

[toddrparr]

Hi all,
I’ve got a 32 gallon biocube and I’ve been sitting on 0.5 ppm ammonium for a couple of weeks. I change my floss every 3 days, weekly water changes 10% (did a 10 gallon change on Sunday). I’m running purigen and chem pure along with chaeto in my rear compartment. Stocking wise, I’ve got 2 clowns and a cuc in the tank presently. 30 lbs live rock, 15 lbs sand. Weird thing is, all my corals are doing awesome. I don’t get it...

 

[Jason mack]

What test kit are you using .. some will give a false reading when very low or 0 ammonia

 

[toddrparr]

I have the api kit. My lfs tested it on Saturday, they supposedly use the Red Sea kit, although I didn’t witness it first hand.

 

[ndrwater]

I have the api kit. My lfs tested it on Saturday, they supposedly use the Red Sea kit, although I didn’t witness it first hand.

Did they get the same results?

 

[toddrparr]

Yep. I did the 10 gallon water change after that.

 

[ndrwater]

How old is your tank... Sometimes, if the tank is still new, leaving the tank (and beneficial bacteria) to do it's thing will solve the problem.
Messing with filter media, doing larger water changes can have a detrimental effect in a very young system.

 

[brandon429]

i love ammonia tracing threads

from a tank pic, we can discern if you have ammonia (chemists cringe/rise up etc)

post full tank shot pic

have you used prime or any water additives to make water

 

[toddrparr]

It’s 4 months old, so still an infant. I was planning on watching it. Unless it shows signs, sick fish/corals.

 

[ndrwater]

It’s 4 months old, so still an infant. I was planning on watching it. Unless it shows signs, sick fish/corals.

4 months is young, but not super young. If it were me, I'd let things ride for few weeks. Revisit the Ammonia test, and see what transpired.
More likely than not, the Ammonia will be gone. Sometimes doing nothing is the best thing to do...

 

[toddrparr]

Doesn’t look like 0.5ppm

Have not tried prime or anything else, just turbo start during the initial cycle.

 

[ndrwater]

Look fine... Like I said.. let it ride...

 

[brandon429]

this is a no ammonia tank lets find out what the truth is.

rationale: there's no mechanism possible after a cycle completes (even unassisted cycles are done before 4 mos, that's coralline rock, it was already cycled when moved here most likely) for a normal bioload to constantly be under par in the presence of both live rock and sand and all animals behaving normal. *if bac are lacking, the ammonia compounds daily, there is no mechanism for bac to be consistently oxidizing 3.5 ppm ammonia and not the full 4 ppm (an average known oxidation in 24 hrs amnt for cycled tanks using live rock and sand)

that lysmata/dead in 15 mins if there was .15 true ammonia. its our mine canary

I will link this thread here, with a massive collection of other misreads too, and picture analyses.
even if you were adding well water that had raw ammonia, that tank would either eat it up or be compounding and animals dead + stink + clouding within two days.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/the-microbiology-of-reef-tank-cycling.214618/

 

[toddrparr]

Thanks, I will keep an eye on him. He is always active and just flies around the tank.

 

[brandon429]

these tracing threads always have neat nonconforming details as well, you mentioned a totally separate test agrees w the free ammonia? usually its just one that's unverified, or, the keeper used Prime and its locked ammonia in a nonharmful state still registering

id still like to know why the test misled if that's the case

can you post the two testers side by side just to see if anything stands out, or if a light green to you is a light yellow to me etc

 

[toddrparr]

I didn’t see the text at the lfs, mine was definitely green. I had my wife verify. I did forget about it while it was developing, it sat for 20 minutes or so...

 

[starypotter]

I didn’t see the text at the lfs, mine was definitely green. I had my wife verify. I did forget about it while it was developing, it sat for 20 minutes or so...

My API kit consistently runs a reading of .25 no matter what so maybe yours just runs a bit high as well.

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

Having an arch in the exact center of your aquascape is known to cause ammonia spikes.

 

[toddrparr]

Having an arch in the exact center of your aquascape is known to cause ammonia spikes.

How so? I have really good circulation through it.

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

How so? I have really good circulation through it.

lol, sorry I was just joking around.

 

[toddrparr]

lol, sorry I was just joking around.

No problem, I probably would do the same thing... hard to convey sarcasm in text.