14 year old reef Ammonia

[Mellisawp]

hello everyone,
I have a very mature reef 125g, I had a canister filter go out. 1 of my 2 100gphs. I replaced it with the only other one I had a brand new 150gph canister. I didn’t think about it at the time but I discarded the media. I am currently experiencing ammonia at 0.25 . Nitrate and nitrite 0, phos 0, and ph a wee bit low 8.0. I am making water at the moment for my 2nd 25% water change.
I currently only have a LTA, Percula clown, lightning maroon, Sailfin Tang and a skunk back , maxima clam and multiple corals and ALOT of love rock.
I have never messed up like this before feel very disappointed and embarrassed. Any pointers would be great

 

[Crabs McJones]

hello everyone,
I have a very mature reef 125g, I had a canister filter go out. 1 of my 2 100gphs. I replaced it with the only other one I had a brand new 150gph canister. I didn’t think about it at the time but I discarded the media. I am currently experiencing ammonia at 0.25 . Nitrate and nitrite 0, phos 0, and ph a wee bit low 8.0. I am making water at the moment for my 2nd 25% water change.
I currently only have a LTA, Percula clown, lightning maroon, Sailfin Tang and a skunk back , maxima clam and multiple corals and ALOT of love rock.
I have never messed up like this before feel very disappointed and embarrassed. Any pointers would be great

Welcome to R2R!

#WelcometoR2R
What test kit are you using to determine your levels? Does anything look upset in the tank?

 

[Mellisawp]

Everything seems happy and normal except my torch coral but that thing is a grump lol. I am using the API marine drop test kit. I really need to go digital

 

[Mellisawp]

Also I have a 3 inch crush coral bed, my original thought on throwing out the old media was with the live rock and amount of bed it would stay balanced out

 

[Crabs McJones]

Everything seems happy and normal except my torch coral but that thing is a grump lol. I am using the API marine drop test kit. I really need to go digital

In my experience, the API Test kit has been known to have false ammonia readings. Salifert or Red Sea are two of my personal favorites and in my opinion much more accurate.

 

[Mellisawp]

Am I safe assuming if my clam is happy all is well lol

 

[Mellisawp]

I will get one of those kits ordered ASAP, I have used this brand for so long but the color chart is slightly different and I’m getting old lol. Do you have any experience with digital? Would that be a better option? Me personally I always thought good old chemical reaction was best when checking water

 

[Crabs McJones]

I will get one of those kits ordered ASAP, I have used this brand for so long but the color chart is slightly different and I’m getting old lol. Do you have any experience with digital? Would that be a better option? Me personally I always thought good old chemical reaction was best when checking water

The only digital test that i've ever used is the Hannah Alkalinity tester. No experience with anything else unfortunately.

 

[Lasse]

I have no experiences with API test but with others using the same methodology - they often show wrong measurement - and surprisingly often just 0.25 ppm. No nitrite - looks well - I should not vorry very much over this readings but follow it up during the coming weeks. I have the same standpoint as @Crabs Mcjones

Sincerely Lasse

 

[Lasse]

I would probably look at sea chems ammonia alert but with a 14 year old tank I would not take any NH3/NH4 test at all

Sincerely Lasse

 

[Mellisawp]

I agree all NH3&NH4 tests have been zero for so many years no clue why I keep doing them lol. Thank you all very much you have been great! I seriously thought I may have caused it to hard cycle and would experience my first crash. But know I’m more optimistic. Thanks again

 

[MnFish1]

I have never checked ammonia

 

[vetteguy53081]

Reading looks decent. API is Not A Reliable kit and i would get a second opinion with a water sample from your LFS
A water change will not your ammonia number down a bit

 

[Mellisawp]

I am thinking of ordering that leave in alert system it alerts of changes in temp, salinity,ph and ammonia. I still need to research reviews as to accuracy but I feel it will majorly free up time and the overall cost of test equipment. I’m still weighing this option but if anyone has pros and cons to this it would be great

 

[vetteguy53081]

I am thinking of ordering that leave in alert system it alerts of changes in temp, salinity,ph and ammonia. I still need to research reviews as to accuracy but I feel it will majorly free up time and the overall cost of test equipment. I’m still weighing this option but if anyone has pros and cons to this it would be great

In my eyes, physical water teat is best but you have nothing to lose ( just hate for you to rely on it to find out you are getting false readings.

 

[tankstudy]

If your concerned about a false positive reading with API, run a control test. If your using RO/DI water, run a test on a freshly made batch of saltwater. It should show you 0 ppm ammonia.

I keep calibration fluids and etc or know how to make them for a lot of the things I keep. If the kit is bad or something isn't calibrated, your calibration tests will let you know pretty quickly.

I've used API for many years against many other kits and they work very well. I find the biggest issue with them is the glass test tube that comes with the API test kit does not seal completely. Depending on how hard you shake or invert the test tube you could lose a lot of the chemical mixture which for the 2 part API test kits could change your results.

As for the 0.25 ppm ammonia. I would buy a bottle of bacteria. Turn off your pumps. Pour the contents into your canister filter and let it sit for a few hours and then fire it back up.