HELP Ammonia :(

[Docdiggy]

I'm not sure if anyone mentioned this, this thread is pretty long to read everything. You mention you have snails. Those would never survive an ammonia reading that high. You also have a sand star in there with nothing to eat. Is it still alive? If so, there's no ammonia. Cough up the cash and buy a better test kit.

 

[Docdiggy]

Is your salinity and alk in check?

 

[eric.20]

Yes that’s y are doing well. And the sand shifting starfish as well. We have something for him to eat.

And also all other parameters are good. I just hope the corals will recover

 

[Docdiggy]

Those inverts have trouble in very high nitrates. Never mind high ammonia. Try and find a local reefer with something other than api willing to test your water.

 

[eric.20]

Those inverts have trouble in very high nitrates. Never mind high ammonia. Try and find a local reefer with something other than api willing to test your water.

I did go to a store and got it checked and they said it was at 1.0. That was a week ago.

 

[eric.20]

When this kit is empty we will buy a different one.. Dienst seem trust worthy. But still our corals are closed

 

[Docdiggy]

When this kit is empty we will buy a different one.. Dienst seem trust worthy. But still our corals are closed

What is your dkh?

 

[Bayareareefer18]

It’s this

Would use a sludge eating bacteria during the cycle process.

CJsAquariums just made the mistake of using a waste eating bacteria while trying to cycle a tank and killed off his fish.

 

[eric.20]

Would use a sludge eating bacteria during the cycle process.

CJsAquariums just made the mistake of using a waste eating bacteria while trying to cycle a tank and killed off his fish.

Ok so i wont use it then, thank you.
I think we can just wait and hope that the corals are getting better once everything is settled again. I believe we did everything we could for now

 

[Bayareareefer18]

Ok so i wont use it then, thank you.
I think we can just wait and hope that the corals are getting better once everything is settled again. I believe we did everything we could for now

I agree with all the others try to keep up with prime and wcs. Bottled bacteria is also your friend but nitrifying not sludge removing. Also remember to read instructions and then turn off skimmer if bacteria is added. Other side of that coin is bacteria and skimmer off can lead to low 02

 

[eric.20]

I agree with all the others try to keep up with prime and wcs. Bottled bacteria is also your friend but nitrifying not sludge removing. Also remember to read instructions and then turn off skimmer if bacteria is added. Other side of that coin is bacteria and skimmer off can lead to low 02

We got recommend to take the cup off the skimmer so it won’t remove the bacteria but produces oxygen with the bubbles. Also I’m getting water from somebody today so I can take the corals out as they start to bleach some of them. I will put them in our old 20g tank with water and a power head. I hope they will recover.

 

[Bayareareefer18]

We got recommend to take the cup off the skimmer so it won’t remove the bacteria but produces oxygen with the bubbles. Also I’m getting water from somebody today so I can take the corals out as they start to bleach some of them. I will put them in our old 20g tank with water and a power head. I hope they will recover.

Hopefully it's just stress and stable conditions will help. Is your friend able to spare any rock or seeded media for your 20?

I would also have concern about the star since it probably doesn't have a food source. Don't want it to die off and add to your issues

 

[eric.20]

Hopefully it's just stress and stable conditions will help. Is your friend able to spare any rock or seeded media for your 20?

I would also have concern about the star since it probably doesn't have a food source. Don't want it to die off and add to your issues

I will ask him later..
he seems to be fine but I will take him out too and feed him frozen shrimps. He usually likes them.

 

[Bayareareefer18]

I will ask him later..
he seems to be fine but I will take him out too and feed him frozen shrimps. He usually likes them.

Even some sand or a sponge would help

 

[eric.20]

Even some sand or a sponge would help

Ok thank you for the tip

 

[brandon429]

at no time does running a skimmer affect your water added bacteria

we are out to page seven on a half page matter jk glad your clean up crew is still alive that's great sign. its doing well
I'm echoing post 121
just do a water change n call it cycled

don't go buy a better ammonia kit, learn to reef without one. forever. we run an entire cycling thread for six years off no testing for ammonia, dry and wet rock. if I were to own an ammonia kit all my friends would abandon me.

we have discerned your ammonia reading here without one.

you wont need to own another one if you'll make sure top off water/make water doesn't have direct ammonia (it will smell if so) and if nothing is dead in the tank

 

[eric.20]

at no time does running a skimmer affect your water added bacteria

we are out to page seven on a half page matter jk glad your clean up crew is still alive that's great sign. its doing well
I'm echoing post 121
just do a water change n call it cycled

don't go buy a better ammonia kit, learn to reef without one. forever. we run an entire cycling thread for six years off no testing for ammonia, dry and wet rock. if I were to own an ammonia kit all my friends would abandon me.

we have discerned your ammonia reading here without one.

you wont need to own another one if you'll make sure top off water/make water doesn't have direct ammonia (it will smell if so) and if nothing is dead in the tank

Well my corals are dying... but the snails, hermit crabs and star fish are fine

 

[brandon429]

I didn't see them dying above at all. post updated pic, I saw open rics earlier if I'm not mistaken lets see update just to make sure

dying corals are white, with tissue withdrawn exposing white bone skeleton. closed corals are angry at irritants in solution, 2/3 of their cousins are open and fine, the water change recommended earlier was a great call though. lets see pics

your lighting intensity needs to drop/not run at full production level until your corals are happy and open up consistently. ammonia isn't the cause of your coral issues because it has to be compounding daily by rule, if your bac aren't in sufficient numbers, and in 12 hours it would compound out to total death of all inhabitants.

Nobody here should think of ammonia as some long lasting/slow acting killer in aquariums its the polar opposite of that. true free ammonia kills before nightfall, they used to say out on the old trial rides of the 1800's

 

[brandon429]

hey also I went back and saw post number one at the bottom, hey that's really good cured live rock right at the base of your pump intake, high flow area. that stuff is an ammonia scrub to the 10th degree, nice placement of the living biomedia portion

 

[brandon429]

yep that pic above, from today, see the open coral on the left.

the mad coral on the right/that's anyone's whats wrong with my coral post. looks like he's right under an LED/ spotlight in the face reaction.

not a single thing in your tank indicates ammonia I know how hard it is to let go of the test kit, we just never were told how much they mis read until a few pages back.

your corals aren't dead, one of them is mad.

see the 99% of the tank that is doing well vs that one rascal, we should dim down your lights a bit/simulate a more cloudy and relaxed lighting condition reef vs full sun

full sun is for stable happy times its a mass irritant if other things are causing distress.

you should change as much water as you are willing to change matching temp and salinity only, then decrease light intensity about 20% less power than current and hold for a week.