Ammonia spikes

[CorporalFin]

Hello everyone,

I'm really new to the hobby I did cycle my tank but due to my lack of experience (overfeeding) i am having ammonia spike. It is sitting between .25 -.5 ppm my nitrites are 0 ppm and nitrates down to 1oppm any tips on how to lower my ammonia i'm worried for my fish.


Thank you,
-Corporalfin.

 

[Mike Reef Addict]

Hello everyone,

I'm really new to the hobby I did cycle my tank but due to my lack of experience (overfeeding) i am having ammonia spike. It is sitting between .25 -.5 ppm my nitrites are 0 ppm and nitrates down to 1oppm any tips on how to lower my ammonia i'm worried for my fish.


Thank you,
-Corporalfin.

Don't feed for a couole days, don't add anything new for a few days, slowly stock your tank to buuld you bioload up. It will drop on it's own patience os key.

 

[WWIII]

If you're using api test, it often tests .25ppm falsely. A properly cycled tank shouldn't have an ammonia spike from regular feeding. What size tank, how much rock, what type of food are you feeding? How did you cycle the tank? What did the ammonia rise to during the cycle?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

If ammonia is actually elevated, a product like Seachem Prime is s good way to reduce the toxicity.

 

[CorporalFin]

I don't have all my data on me but i have 43 pounds of rock in my 55gallon i use the master salt water test kit. I cycled with out fish using liquid ammonia to start it. over a month the ammonia spiked up and down the nitrites maxed out then the nitrates started to build up. then the ammonia and nitrites hit 0ppm after 5 weeks so i started putting fish in. I was having issues with getting the few fish i had to eat so i ended up getting to much food on the bottom of the tank which is what i think is causing the spike but cleaning the sand has proved to be difficult. I have added some cleaners to the tank to help. I did two 25% water changes and got the nitrates down to 10ppm from 40ppm but the ammonia stayed the same.

 

[WWIII]

I don't have all my data on me but i have 43 pounds of rock in my 55gallon i use the master salt water test kit. I cycled with out fish using liquid ammonia to start it. over a month the ammonia spiked up and down the nitrites maxed out then the nitrates started to build up. then the ammonia and nitrites hit 0ppm after 5 weeks so i started putting fish in. I was having issues with getting the few fish i had to eat so i ended up getting to much food on the bottom of the tank which is what i think is causing the spike but cleaning the sand has proved to be difficult. I have added some cleaners to the tank to help. I did two 25% water changes and got the nitrates down to 10ppm from 40ppm but the ammonia stayed the same.

I'm assuming you're using Api ammonia test kit. If it were me I'd get a redsea or salifert ammomia kit, get some prime and try feeding a high quality frozen food like LRS. That's what I would personally do.

 

[CorporalFin]

I do use frozen food not sure what brand but does that mean i should not use the dry food at all?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I don't see how the food type impacts ammonia issues.

 

[CorporalFin]

I don't see how the food type impacts ammonia issues.

I was just wondering if it was even worth using it because they don't seem to like it

 

[rkpetersen]

You could also go to your lfs and see if they have any cycling bacteria products that aren't expired. Dr. Tim's One and Only, Instant Ocean Bio-Spira, AquaVitro Seed, - there are many brands.

 

[Mike Reef Addict]

You could also go to your lfs and see if they have any cycling bacteria products that aren't expired. Dr. Tim's One and Only, Instant Ocean Bio-Spira, AquaVitro Seed, - there are many brands.

Or go to your LFS and ask for a handful of sand/crushed coral most will GIVE you some...