Help: water parameters are horrible

richardp90 · Feb 13, 2015

I have a 6 gallon fluval edge with a bio load of 1 clown, 2 demsels, a fire shrimp, and 4 hermies and 6 snails. Recently i had to change about 75% or more of my water due to my anenome getting caught in the powerhead. Ever since then my ammonia levels have been crazy. The anenome has died on me.
Current parameters
Ammonia 1.0 ppm
Nitrite .50 ppm
Nitrates. 0 ppm
PH 7.8
Salinity 1.023

I did a one gallon water change yesterday and another today. I have dosed with kent pro-ammonia detox, kent pro buffer dkh, and fluval biological enhancer.

I currently am using the aquaclear 20 filter with the three step filter system. I also am using live sand and live rock.

Eckolancer · Feb 13, 2015

Salinity is a little low for corals. You could buy some ammonia/nitrite lock and hope it passes. Also 3 fish in a 6 gallon is kind of a lot. Maybe a pair of clowns that don't get big. Also another small water change daily till levels stabilize is in order.

Tahoe61 · Feb 13, 2015

Three fish in a 6 gallon tank is a recipe for disaster. Keep doing water changes until you buy and cycle a bigger tank or lose two fish.

mike007 · Feb 13, 2015

Yes your salinity Is low it needs to be 1.025-1.026. With that size tank you are limited on how much livestock you can house. You might want to reduce feeding and boost your biological filtration with some good live rock . But you have to get ammonia level to zero or you will have problems.For now water changes until you can that ammonia level down. What salt mix are you using?

rayn · Feb 13, 2015

Gotta agree it is over stocked. Big part of your issue. I also have a six gallon, it is my macro grow out tank. My daughter just had to have fish in there, so we got two clown gobies...like a inch each. lower your bio load and try the ammonia lock.

Reefing Madness · Feb 13, 2015

Stay on those water changes while those fish are still alive. Your going to have to keep up a bunch every other day til the tank cycles.

richardp90 · Feb 13, 2015

I am using the petco real ocean water, i dont mix my own. I will keep changing a gallon a day just to save the fish, i cant stand to lose any. Already suffered the loss of an anenome.

I have no corals at the moment and about 6 lbs of live rock. I found a store around me that sells some nice cultured rock, im thinking of buying a small piece, smallest i can find.

mike007 · Feb 13, 2015

What Is cultured live rock?
You say you have live rock already was It cured? This may be the Issue with the ammonia problems. If It Is not cured It may have some die off from the rock causing these Issues. With that size tank any thing that has died will create excess ammonia spikes. I would recommend reef real rock or dry rock.

richardp90 · Feb 13, 2015

It was sold to me as dry live rock, would replacing all the rocks throw me back on my cycling

Noah707 · Feb 13, 2015

What did you do to cycle the tank? Sounds like you're overetocked and your tank never cycled. Doing a 75% w/c wouldn't make you have a cycle if it's an established tank.

sonnytree · Feb 13, 2015

What do you guys think of petcos real ocean water?

richardp90 · Feb 13, 2015

Yea i had 5 weeks cycling before i added fish. At 4 i added the cleanup crew. While cycling i had fluctuations in the ammonia going from 0.25 to 1.0 ppm and then eventually it went down to zero. I watched for a few days and nitrites and nitrates never moved from zero. Until now, after the big water change, i had no problems.

mcarroll · Feb 14, 2015

I know people have different opinions, but there are very few marine fish you'll find for sale that are really appropriate for such a small tank. Small sedentary gobies and barnacle blennies are the only two that rush to mind.

Your anemone likely would grow to the size of your tank. And I mean not that it would fit, but that it would grow to the size of your whole tank. The smallest tank for a clownfish that wouldn't be cruel IMO is a 10 gallon....but for the love of all "spend up" for a 20 long at a pet store chain $1/gallon sale if you can't be happy with the really really small fish.

Those edge tanks are nice looking, but hard to maintain....for that reason not a good match for a high-bioload reef at all. I've known a couple people who started with them...both tanks ended up as freshwater tanks and the reef was upgraded.

Another option is to only keep inverts and corals...generally much less space-concious, and if you pick the critters right MUCH easier.

Also, don't dose any more chemicals like buffer without testing first and knowing that you need to add it - and how much needs to be added. It should be a good long while before you'll need chemicals like dKH buffer, if ever.

The saltwater you are buying is probably very expensive compared to making it yourself, but your tank is small so it might not be a problem. You should either test the alkalinity, calcium and magnesium levels yourself or have them tested at a pet store, just so you know this water's starting levels. They may be somewhat low compared with "normal" so you'll have to bear this in mind when setting up your water change schedule - you might not get quite as much time in between water changes..

richardp90 · Feb 14, 2015

Im planning a upgrade to a 55 gallon sometime toward the end of this year. I've decided not to counter dose the water parameters and allow cycling to handle it, since i have dosed two days straight with water changes. I will continue the daily gallon water changes for the sake of the fish i already have.

Funny you mentioned that most fluval edges get turned into a freshwater tank, something I am considering.