Help, Everyone is breathing fast and not moving

[MnFish1]

This is not ammonia, about fifty thousand pages exist on Google of full running reef tanks at .25 it’s the most common api reading ever reported that everyone in this thread doing troubleshoots has seen well before even though here that isn’t being recalled, to fit a timing issue


disease or the spray


and if no quarantine for the setup and the setup is under eight months old, disease takes the lead. We always get disease expressed in non prepped tanks tied to a feeding event or a water change or a clean up crew entered or a candle nearby or a wall recently painted - there’s always things happening near a reef tank when disease hits

when someone in reefing states .25 that equals .025 in nh3 which isn’t lethal, and on seneye would actually be .002/ rule out ammonia in all post cycle troubleshoots

I might consider the fact that the pH will markedly influence the toxicity of even 0.25 ppm ammonia. I have been doing a bunch of API tests - if done CORRECTLY - I have never seen a false positive.

Lets say it was 'lysol' - why are the corals ok? (Granted, the corals may die more slowly - ie over days compared to minutes)

 

[eVvoltura]

Are you somewhere that you can get to a store that sells premixed saltwater? I would say go now if you can so you can set up a hospital tank.

 

[Reefahholic]

Last time I had something like this happen was when I miscalculated a dose of NOPOX about 8 years ago.

Nuked several fish dead.

 

[MnFish1]

As some others have asked - what kind of salt - and was it mixed properly - and are you mixing the new batch properly?

 

[Lyss]

Just wanted to point out that the original post says fish and inverts are in trouble — everyone — not only the fish. Seems like that would point to an environmental issue like ammonia or chemicals.

 

[jassermd]

It's a 30g tank. I can't see a reason not to do a 100% water change to get beyond what is causing the fish and inverts to do so poorly. It's not much different than putting all the fish in a QT...
If the tank was properly cycled and bacteria have been established in the ecosystem, a 100% water change will provide immediate relief without messing with the nitrifying bacteria.
That's assuming OP has the capacity to do a 100% water change...

 

[Dom]

Do you quarantine and have you recently added fish?

 

[vetteguy53081]

I make my own rodi, i bought this tank and everything in from someone who couldnt care for it at this time. So about year with previous owner and 6 months with me. And i am currently using api test kit

I asked about test kits as Those readings as stated were concerning and API test kits are notorious for giving false readings letting down many aquarists hence the low price of $22 for a master kit. I suspect your levels may be even higher.

This is NOT a question or attack session. Im trying to help you get those numbers down but also determine CAUSE.
- When you mix new water- how are you doing it, what salt tester are you using ?

- When you acquired tank, how old was it and was it running when you picked up or shut down ?

- what filter(s) does the tank have ?

 

[TCoach]

You need to get that ammonia down. Either another water change, seachem’s prime, bacteria in a bottle

False positive API reading. No way to have Nitrate >10 and an ammonia reading. Also, that low of ammonia would not cause this sort of issue.

 

[brandon429]

nice points mentioned here and Lyss caught some fine details in the inverts too


I rate ammonia noncontrol as zero possibility truly, based on just thousands of various test scenarios where the systems always remain under control. Biofilms are so resistant to insults I don’t even think directly spraying some ‘sol in the tank would kill the biofilter

ok test time MN and must be seneye this time who knows how Lysol and metabolites might affect api. Looking at api with a wink eye causes misreads in the masses heh


Im shocked to the core when someone posts yellow off one, not light green

 

[Rmckoy]

Have the power head upwards to make an oxygen flow is helping, the fosh are slowing the ir breathing and more active. But i will still be doing another water change and replacing the carbon bag. Hopefully that will do the trick. I also removed all the new things i recently added a week ago. Frag rock is out as well as the breeder cage

I think just turning the power head up slightly towards the surface will help a little .
Did you notice a sludge like film on the surface ?
Fingers , toes and eyes crossed hope for the best .

 

[TCoach]

I was spraying lysol all over the apartment, and I didnt go anywhere near the tank but i was thinking because i was spraying alot everywhere it could have been blown near the tank. But i dont know. I just remember seeing some form of chemical floating in the surface of the water before the water change. But i didnt think anything if it till now

This is most likely your cause. Open windows if possible and air out house. Run GAC if you have some. Mix up some new water and do a water change again to help remove contaminated.

also add more surface agitation and/or air stones.

 

[vetteguy53081]

One other thing regarding test kit-
If you get an opportunity (sooner the better), take a good size water sample to a Trusted LFS that does NOT use API test kits and have them test water for you and see what reading they come up with for :
Ammonia
salinity
nitrate
ph
Phosphate

. . . And I see Brandon chimed in and I wholey agree with something he emphasizes- Dont worry about Nitrite reading which is virtually meaningless in marine setting unless it is sky high

 

[Reefahholic]

You couldn’t give me an API kit and pay me to use it. Seen too many false readings.

 

[CrimsonTide]

Well now I'm invested we need an update!

 

[Spare time]

20-40 nitrate is not going to kill fish, especially like this. Lol you should see what a lot of LFS tanks have their nitrate levels at

As for the ammonia test. If you can't tell 0 from 0.25 (API), it is 0. It is very clear when it is actually showing ammonia (I have used these tests thousands of times)

 

[brandon429]

I cannot pinpoint why trained lab specialists like MN and Dan and Taricha and Dr. Reef never have trouble with api, yet api ammonia misreads are the near complete cause of false cycling issues in the hobby for res publica

red sea causes some too I do collect.


maybe it’s wait times, there’s a required delay time needed before reporting - chemists and lab tech types probably by employment habit are used to following rules to the t

there’s fill marker variance, I’ve seen api posts where when zoomed out the sample was a quarter inch below the 5 mil marker lol effectively increasing sample concentration and color I’d guess

MN and Coxey in their works in the chem forum have illuminated a new finding Id never heard to be a test adulterant- how you hold reagents in a bottle controls drop size and inherently changes reactions in a simple experiment- titled drops vs vertical droplets

then there’s the classic nh3 vs nh4 misreport / don’t accept anyone’s api relay without see the ‘tubes


reagents expired


green tinted kitchen lighting


freshwater vs marine backing cards


use of prime water conditioners without being told in the original troubleshoot explanation, this one is common I bet


some or all of these add up to google having fifty thousand pages of claimed ammonia noncontrol and I claim none of them are correct. On seneye they’d all read .002-.009 nh3

Ive learned not to bash api all the way because there are six people out there who can wield them very effectively

 

[ChloeB]

Did another 50% water change and changed all the filters floss and added new carbon. It seems to do the job. I woke up with the tank back the normal with the behavior of the fishes. I was most worried about my blenny and cleaner shrimp because they weren’t active at all. But now they are back to normal self. I will keep an attentive eye on them for the next couple days. But thank you all for helping me with this. I really appreciate the help.

 

[ChloeB]

You couldn’t give me an API kit and pay me to use it. Seen too many false readings.

Do you quarantine and have you recently added fish?

no the newest fish was added maybe 2-3 months ago

 

[ChloeB]

I asked about test kits as Those readings as stated were concerning and API test kits are notorious for giving false readings letting down many aquarists hence the low price of $22 for a master kit. I suspect your levels may be even higher.

This is NOT a question or attack session. Im trying to help you get those numbers down but also determine CAUSE.
- When you mix new water- how are you doing it, what salt tester are you using ?

- When you acquired tank, how old was it and was it running when you picked up or shut down ?

- what filter(s) does the tank have ?

Tank was running but it was left to his young brother who was 7 and it was poorly cared for. The tank was unfortunately let go. But compared to the water parameters from when i got it compared to today it is much much better