My empty QT w/ new water has Ammonia

[phatduckk]

Hi all,

I just setup my first tank and have also put up a 10g QT in an attempt to quarantine my first fish (not bought yet) while the DT cycles. Hope is to intro the fish essentially right away once the DT has cycled.

The problem is my QT (no livestock) is showing ammonia via the Seachem badge. The Seachem is “barely” into the “Alert” area and my Red Sea test is showing .2 (maybe .4). Nitrite, via Red Sea, is zero.

The tank has a heater, new pvc, an HOB, a small power head & some marine pure chunks in a media bag.

I added a 4oz bottle of DR Tims on the sponge in the HOB & all of the marine pure about 36 hours ago.

I’m definitely a noob but don’t understand how an empty tank with new salt water would register ammonia.

I assume I’m doing something wrong and any advice would be much appreciated.

Quick update: I added a few drops of Prime right before I started typing this and now the badge is bright yellow.

 

[phatduckk]

Some clarification: the tank has been up a few days and it definitely started at zero readings and has progressed to the “alert” level

 

[GThompson]

You need ammonia to start the cycle and adding Dr Tim’s should have kicked it off

 

[phatduckk]

You need ammonia to start the cycle and adding Dr Tim’s should have kicked it off

Definitely... however, without fish, newly mixed water etc where is this initial ammonia coming from? I’d understand if the water has been sitting there for weeks but everything is so new I wouldn’t have expected an ammonia reading without my introducing it via dosing or ghost feeding.

 

[Marco S]

What type of water did you use? Is it tap water, RO water or RODI water?

 

[phatduckk]

What type of water did you use? Is it tap water, RO water or RODI water?

RODI through my 5 stage BRS filter. The output meter read 0 TDS.

 

[Marco S]

RODI through my 5 stage BRS filter. The output meter read 0 TDS.

Well...there goes my guess. That is really weird.