New Tank Emergency

[40breederzach]

I have gotten myself into a pickle. i started up my tank last week and added DR. TIMS one and only on Saturday and added ammonia chloride to 2ppm. My ammonia is still at 1 ppm and i have fish coming in tomorrow. Any suggestions on my options.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

If you don’t have a place to home them.
Dump the bottle in and cross your fingers.
It’ll probably be fine.

I hate to give advice like that. But it’s true.

Go slow.

Many fish survive the non fishless cycle.

Get an ammonia badge and another bottle of dr tims.
I would reccomed prime but it can mess woth the api ammoina test.

 

[Crabs McJones]

Any local reefers near you with quarantine tanks they'd let you utilize until your tank is ready?

 

[nickkohrn]

Where are you located?

 

[reefes pieces]

Have fresh saltwater in the ready for a large water change to bring ammonia down if you have to. Hopefully the Dr. Tims did enough to support the new fish coming in.

 

[dylana407]

I would get a 10 gal tank, mix up a batch of SW and QT the fish. It doesn't need to be in the DT anyway.

 

[Crabs McJones]

I would get a 10 gal tank, mix up a batch of SW and QT the fish. It doesn't need to be in the DT anyway.

Problem is though that the main display isnt cycled. Putting them in an upcycled quarantine tank would be doing the exact same thing.

 

[40breederzach]

i am located in hattiesburg ms and for that 10 gal would i not have to cycle it as well?

 

[dylana407]

Problem is though that the main display isnt cycled. Putting them in an upcycled quarantine tank would be doing the exact same thing.

Why do you need to cycle an empty tank with SW? I didn't cycle mine.

 

[Crabs McJones]

Why do you need to cycle an empty tank with SW? I didn't cycle mine.

Because when the fish release waste, there is going to be nothing there to process it, and you risk your fish dying from ammonia as it is toxic to fish in any amount. Not to say they WILL die, but the risk is considerably higher.

 

[40breederzach]

i am also reading zero nitrates and nitrites

 

[nickkohrn]

Do you have any more Dr. Tim’s? If not, then I would see if you can find some Instant Ocean BioSpira, Fritz TurboStart 900, or some Seachem Stability at a local shop to get some more beneficial bacteria in there. Most of the bottles say that you can’t overdose it, so that would be my next move. Also, consider making fresh saltwater, as others have stated, so that you can perform a water-change if the ammonia and nitrite levels start creeping upward. You may want to pick up an ammonia badge so that any rise in ammonia is easily visible, allowing you to quickly do a water-change.

 

[40breederzach]

i dont have any more dr tims only thing i think i can get is bio spira from petco

 

[MTBake]

I would get some Instant Ocean Bio-Spira and add that to the tank. That works well at reducing ammonia in a pinch, IME. It's my go to for quarantine tanks as well. My local Petco carries it. Pretty sure I've seen it at Petsmart as well. Works better than Dr. Tim's, IMO.

 

[40breederzach]

i also am freshly moved into a college apartment and only have the ability to make about 30% of water a day with the ro buddie i have

 

[Flexin]

Seachem stability will work also, but you may lose some fish regardless of what you do. Hope it works out.. Follow the directions on the bottle including the water changes as directed.

 

[MTBake]

Might not be a bad idea to setup a quarantine tank I've done it 12 hours before adding fish and never did see any detectable ammonia. Need to size the tank accordingly to the amount of fish you have coming. Heater, hob filter, air pump and small power head would also be recommended. Soak a sponge in Bio-Spira for 15-30 minutes and add that to the hob filter. Should suffice in a pinch. Make sure you have fresh saltwater at the ready in case youh need to do water changes. While this is not ideal, it has saved me in the past.

 

[MTBake]

One other choice would be to get a hold of the local reef club in the area. If there is one. Maybe someone could either house the fish for a while, or help with equipment and the such. Lots of reefers are willing to help another reefer in need if they're able to.

 

[40breederzach]

not sure on how to find out if there is a group here if anyone could tell me how to go about that

 

[MTBake]

Where are you located?