Ammonia reading 0.5ppm

[Nemo1]

Set up a new saltwater nano tank used live rock and sand from a different tank that’s been set up around a year
I used some of that tank water and also some fresh saltwater too and it’s been running around 2 weeks now
There is 2 clownfish in there as everything seemed fine but now ammonia is reading at 0.5ppm the last 3 days
Nitrites 0 and nitrate around 5-10ppm (water change is due tomorrow morning)

 

[Daddy-o]

I would add a little Prime to your reef. It is not done cycling.

 

[brandon429]

We should use the collective power of the chem forum to prove or deny the possibility of sustained .25 ammonia in reefing

Why does it matter if reef tanks can have stuck cycles? Because when you move homes you don't want to lose animals, cycling science needs precision and predictability in order to protect our tanks. perhaps an emergency setup is needed, no wait time permitted or If you are invited to show...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[SudzFD]

Probably some die off or waste from food/fish that is causing an increase in ammonia that the bacteria is not quite plentiful enough to handle. I second adding some Bacteria to help it along.

 

[brandon429]

From the link:
-it is not possible in all of reefing to have a stuck cycle. We then review two pages why it can’t occur

-it’s a big hoax to sell bottle bac.


some very strong cases are presented as proof such as bright open corals and living fish mean your ammonia is zero. Though you haven’t posted the test kit brand we think we know/see thread.

 

[Daddy-o]

From the link:
-it is not possible in all of reefing to have a stuck cycle. We then review two pages why it can’t occur

-it’s a big hoax to sell bottle bac.


some very strong cases are presented as proof such as bright open corals and living fish mean your ammonia is zero. Though you haven’t posted the test kit brand we think we know/see thread.

His tank is only 2 weeks old

 

[brandon429]

I’m about to post full reefs that are one day old one sec
His rock is older than two weeks thats all that matters.

 

[Andrew9909]

His tank is only 2 weeks old

He stated that he took live rock and sand from a 1 year old tank.

 

[brandon429]

Instant nano, like his

Two Month Update on the One-Day Nano Reef Tank Build [Video] | Reef Builders | The Reef and Saltwater Aquarium Blog

It’s never been easier to set up a reef tank and this is precisely what we set out to demonstrate in our recent build of starter nano reef tank. In less than 24 hours we took a Red Sea Max Nano from…

reefbuilders.com

 

[brandon429]

I’ve started to use the example of MACNA reefs a lot lately, those are all skip cycle tanks.

 

[Andrew9909]

There could have been some die off from the transfer but most likely a false reading. Are you using an API test kit?

 

[Nemo1]

The test kit I used was API

 

[brandon429]

The only accurate ammonia measurement fifty people could use and agree upon the reading is seneye or mindstream. Those don't have stuck .25 or .5 if you google them.

API has 1.1 million examples of stuck cycles, that's how you know it's a test misread. Your tank was set up like the instant reef I posted above, and if you had any free ammonia your coral would be all gray and shriveled up and the fish hovering sideways at the top.

API for 35 yrs has never had a digital referee to be put in check by, so the hobby's understanding of what bacteria do is still stuck in the 1980s

Before 2020 someone posts an API .25-.5 read: all posters list reasons bac have stalled, not been given enough time, need more feed, need nitrite buildup time, never factor tank pics in proofing it's groupthink to the max. Anything dead can't hold at .5 you have a tank of live bacteria that register death as peaks and a trough, no way to hold. There's literally no mechanism existing in a reef tank to have .5 ammonia, we need to be clearly told that.

Beyond 2020 someone posts a .25 or .5: we know that can't occur due to surface area mechanics. We simply say 'that's zero ammonia' and tank pics prove it every time.

by we of course I mean me lol haven't won over the hobby yet but it's coming, just like pico reefs. The hobby resisted pico reefs at the start, yet they were forced on the hobby with raw participation

The notion that a cycle never stalls and we are getting ripped off with false remedies is coming.
B

Nice tank

 

[Nemo1]

Thanks for the detailed reply,
sometimes the male clown does swim on its side for a few seconds in the corner, it does this quite often but not constantly

I thought I set it up to run near enough instantly as you have said, by using rock sand and water from another tank but maybe something has went wrong?
I’ve got a fair bit of algae coming too, the 2 purple pics I’m not sure if that’s coralline or cyano

 

[brandon429]

All of that proofs zero ammonia, I know it's hard to disregard test kits our foundation was erroneously built on them. No it's not possible anything went wrong. If you measure your water with ICP or seneye it will show practical zero ammonia. Your reef is in perfect condition.

 

[Nemo1]

Okay thanks, do you think that algae is coralline or cyano?

 

[brandon429]

Cyano on the sand, just siphon it out its a great balance you‘ve attained. When I dove in the caymans I saw cyano among perfect corals in perfect waters, it’s all a sign of good balance for your system and bright white light is most likely helping it in your tank

One fish can’t be the only indicator of ammonia, it’ll zap all of them when true. If one fish hovers sideways in your tank it’s possible issues with fallow and quarantine are the cause (disease prevention needs) but it will never be free ammonia as that always affects corals and other animals too, it’s the most burning painful compound we produce in a reef. Anything able to cause .5 will last an hour max, then it’s quadrupled and the water is cloudy and the whole tank dies, that’s what true .5 does to a delicate reef.