Please help!!! Ammonia rise/ fall/ then rise again

theguyinasia · Jul 1, 2013

I have had my 80g tank for almost 5 weeks now. My ammonia has already sky rocketed and dropped once down to .025. I added a small rock to create a cave. About 5 pounds. And my ammonia has shot up again to .6. I also added a boxer shrimp 3 days ago before the spike. Any advice? I don't know what to do!

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ritter6788 · Jul 1, 2013

The rock probably wasn't cured that you just added. Don't make any new additions and let the tank cycle again. Do frequent water changes to minimize ammonia and nitrite toxicity.

Reefing Madness · Jul 1, 2013

Start doing water 50% water changes to get those numbers down, or the shrimp i sin trouble. The rock you added to an already cycling tank, threw it into another mini cycle, which the bacteria now has to contend with.

SteezySPS · Jul 1, 2013

maybe dose some mb7 or dr. tim's bacteria in a bottle. those things work

theguyinasia · Jul 1, 2013

I started using the bacteria dosing, and I also did a 10% water change yesterday. When should I do the next?

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Reefing Madness · Jul 1, 2013

Do it again tomorrow. Watch the parameters. Keep it up until its gone. Or pull the Shrimp and let someone hold it until your Cycle is completely done.

theguyinasia · Jul 1, 2013

Thanks reefing,
So about every other day? I want to stay away from a drastic WC.

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theguyinasia · Jul 1, 2013

Ok, so I just tested my water that is prepared with saltfor a water change and it has 1ppm of ammonia. I checked the water coming from the RO DI unit and that was at .1. Then I checked the water from the tap and it was .5.

What should I think of this? Is it a faulty kit or is the water in my whole building bad? If so, why is the salt and rodi water the highest?

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NanaReefer · Jul 2, 2013

What test kit are you using?

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theguyinasia · Jul 2, 2013

Jbl,
Out of frustration I did a science experiment. For 4 test tubes. Cleaned same exact time and way. Filled three with tank water and one from a water bottle. Then opened new jbl ammonia kit. The fresh water came out to be below .05, while the three others from the tank where .05-.1 luckily all same shade.

I'm going to do the same test on tap water now.

Btw, do you know what color the absolute zero is on jbl ammonia?

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Reefing Madness · Jul 2, 2013

Old Membrane on the RO? Whats the TDS on the water out of the RO?

theguyinasia · Jul 2, 2013

Reefing Madness,
its a new aqualife RO DI unit. it is only been 1 month in the works. as for the TDS i have no clue. how do i test for that? a kit at a LFS?