Ammonia - corals are not opening

[khittik]

Hi all,

Waterbox 20 gallon
Lighting: AI Prime 16HD
CaribSea life rock 20lbs
CaribSea special grade live sand 20lbs
Tank age: 4 months old (started on 1/8/22)
AIO filtration: 1 filter sock (with filter floss in), 2 bio sponges, bio-balls, Biohome Ultimate marine 1kg, Seachem De-nitrate, activated charcoal

Water parameters (Natural Sea Water from UK big supplier)

Salinity: 1.025
Temperature: 25C
Ammonia: more than 8ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate: 6ppm
Phosphate: 0.03ppm
PH: 7.8
Calcium: 450ppm
Magnesium: 1350ppm
KH: 10.5dKH

I have just done tests today again after two big 50% and one 25% water changes. The ammonia remains more than 8.0ppm. But Seachem Ammonia Alert remains around 0.05. But my two clown fishes are alive which I believe most of them are ammonium. My corals are not opening well. See the pictures attached. Can you help please? Are these corals dead? Are they producing ammonia to the tank or my tank is not or was not cycled properly. My tank ammonia never goes down to 0ppm before but now it has gone so high.

Please help.

 

[SlugSnorter]

API tests are not good at all, get redsea or sailfurt

I trust the ammonia alert. What corals are those? maybe angry because they are buried in the sand, lighting is bad, or flow is too high.

The tank is also pretty young

 

[PokeFish]

API tests are not good at all, get redsea or sailfurt

I trust the ammonia alert. What corals are those? maybe angry because they are buried in the sand, lighting is bad, or flow is too high.

The tank is also pretty young

looks like green star polyps

 

[khittik]

API tests are not good at all, get redsea or sailfurt

I trust the ammonia alert. What corals are those? maybe angry because they are buried in the sand, lighting is bad, or flow is too high.

The tank is also pretty young

Green Star Polyps and zoanthid. Before they open fully. Are they dead?
Duncan and hammer coral slightly open.

 

[SlugSnorter]

Green Star Polyps and zoanthid. Before they open fully. Are they dead?
Duncan and hammer coral slightly open.

oof, tank way too young. those guys should be on rocks, not half buried in sand...

 

[khittik]

oof, tank way too young. those guys should be on rocks, not half buried in sand...

Thanks So they are not dead?

 

[SlugSnorter]

Thanks So they are not dead?

not sure. Need picks when lights are on. Do you have an LFS with a RedSea or Sailfurt test kit in stock? If you're only using API, your params could be (and very likely are) different. Please give me pics of the rocks in the tank as well.

 

[melonheadorion]

gsp, you can practically grown in toilet water, so i wouldnt worry too much about that. you will be wanting it to die off because it gets out of control. the duncan just looks a little upset, and is definately not dead. the zoas are alive. obviously not open, but if they die, they will have maybe a couple signs. from my experience with zoas, they will either melt away or turn a different color than purple, like white. those in the pic look purple, so i would say that they are alive.

first things first though, get rid of the API kit. i was always critical of the hate that the API kit got, because i used it and never had any issues. however, at some point, i was getting false readings. i knew for a fact that it wasnt reading right, because two other kits confirmed that it wasnt right. if i need a quick reading, most ill probably use it for is PH and nitrates, but even those are iffy to me these days. i stick with red sea personally, but nyos is another good option.

it would be impossble for ammonia to be 8, and that clownfish in the background to be alive. it would have died as soon as it touched the water. so, we know for certain that its incorrect.

although the age of the tank is young, i had the same things in mine, at the same tank age (more along the 3 month line)(, and all are good, but there is something up with yours. not sure how long ago you got these corals, and perhaps thats the reason why? other than that, would have to be lighting, flow, or parameters

 

[khittik]

not sure. Need picks when lights are on. Do you have an LFS with a RedSea or Sailfurt test kit in stock? If you're only using API, your params could be (and very likely are) different. Please give me pics of the rocks in the tank as well.

I have ordered Red Sea ammonia kit. I have read for nitrate and phosphate. Can you check these pictures please what should I do?

 

[Just John]

gsp, you can practically grown in toilet water, so i wouldnt worry too much about that. you will be wanting it to die off because it gets out of control. the duncan just looks a little upset, and is definately not dead. the zoas are alive. obviously not open, but if they die, they will have maybe a couple signs. from my experience with zoas, they will either melt away or turn a different color than purple, like white. those in the pic look purple, so i would say that they are alive.

first things first though, get rid of the API kit. i was always critical of the hate that the API kit got, because i used it and never had any issues. however, at some point, i was getting false readings. i knew for a fact that it wasnt reading right, because two other kits confirmed that it wasnt right. if i need a quick reading, most ill probably use it for is PH and nitrates, but even those are iffy to me these days. i stick with red sea personally, but nyos is another good option.

it would be impossble for ammonia to be 8, and that clownfish in the background to be alive. it would have died as soon as it touched the water. so, we know for certain that its incorrect.

although the age of the tank is young, i had the same things in mine, at the same tank age (more along the 3 month line)(, and all are good, but there is something up with yours. not sure how long ago you got these corals, and perhaps thats the reason why? other than that, would have to be lighting, flow, or parameters

Agreed. I think you are looking at two separate issues here. One is a bad test kit.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Your levels are likely the issue and you are likely encountering elevated Phosphate and Nitrate especially if ammonia is High
Unfortunately, the Ammonia badge and API kits are rendered useless as they are notorious for false readings and levels are higher.
I would suggest taking a Good water sample to a trusted LFS that does NOT use Api kits and see what readings they come up with.
Hanna and salifert are more reliable test kits.
The corals you have on the sand are easily irritated by sand and need to be elevated .

 

[khittik]

gsp, you can practically grown in toilet water, so i wouldnt worry too much about that. you will be wanting it to die off because it gets out of control. the duncan just looks a little upset, and is definately not dead. the zoas are alive. obviously not open, but if they die, they will have maybe a couple signs. from my experience with zoas, they will either melt away or turn a different color than purple, like white. those in the pic look purple, so i would say that they are alive.

first things first though, get rid of the API kit. i was always critical of the hate that the API kit got, because i used it and never had any issues. however, at some point, i was getting false readings. i knew for a fact that it wasnt reading right, because two other kits confirmed that it wasnt right. if i need a quick reading, most ill probably use it for is PH and nitrates, but even those are iffy to me these days. i stick with red sea personally, but nyos is another good option.

it would be impossble for ammonia to be 8, and that clownfish in the background to be alive. it would have died as soon as it touched the water. so, we know for certain that its incorrect.

although the age of the tank is young, i had the same things in mine, at the same tank age (more along the 3 month line)(, and all are good, but there is something up with yours. not sure how long ago you got these corals, and perhaps thats the reason why? other than that, would have to be lighting, flow, or parameters

What you suggest me to do now? Is seneye good?

 

[khittik]

Your levels are likely the issue and you are likely encountering elevated Phosphate and Nitrate especially if ammonia is High
Unfortunately, the Ammonia badge and API kits are rendered useless as they are notorious for false readings and levels are higher.
I would suggest taking a Good water sample to a trusted LFS that does NOT use Api kits and see what readings they come up with.
Hanna and salifert are more reliable test kits.
The corals you have on the sand are easily irritated by sand and need to be elevated .

I will get a red sea test kit. Could those be ammonium NH4 that is why it is so high since API measures total ammonia?

How about seneye?

 

[melonheadorion]

I will get a red sea test kit. Could those be ammonium NH4 that is why it is so high since API measures total ammonia?

How about seneye?

the red sea kit will test total ammonia also, but its not difficult to figure out the conversion., the red sea kit has the conversion table on the card. if api was correct, your actual ammonia would be .8, which is still quite high in regards to ammonia, but as i mentioned, i dont think its even close to reading right, imo

 

[khittik]

the red sea kit will test total ammonia also, but its not difficult to figure out the conversion., the red sea kit has the conversion table on the card. if api was correct, your actual ammonia would be .8, which is still quite high in regards to ammonia, but as i mentioned, i dont think its even close to reading right, imo

Thanks. When you cycle the tank do you wait until total ammonia becomes 0 or just NH3?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Thanks. When you cycle the tank do you wait until total ammonia becomes 0 or just NH3?

ammonia = zero