Please help!!!

[Lysh87]

Let's for a second assume it isn't the tank being too new for the bioload and cover all bases.

OK can you clear up the soap thing? Are you washing your hands with soap before going in the tank? If so don't, if your hands absolutely need to be in the tank rinse the heck out of them with just water. You want to remove any soaps and oils off your hands (up to the elbow) before going hands in. Also gloves that are powder free and antibacterial free only. Remember our tanks are run by bacteria we don't want anything to kill them.

On your water changes, are you using tap, filtered or Rodi water? Could test your incoming water what ever the source for ammonia. Also don't mix and dump give it a good 24hrs to mix and preheat properly if your not already doing that.

Possible ammonia contaminants...

Is the bottle of bacteria new and not expired? These can go bad and you'd just be adding dead bacteria to the tank.

Clean the glass with anything containing ammonia?

Also what are your other parameters?
Nitrites
Nitrates
Ph
Alk
Cal
Temp
Salinity

Okay thanks this is helpful.
Yes I have been using soap so that I will stop right away.

The gloves I have are no anti-bacterial free I didn’t know you could get those. Is there a brand you could suggest?

I buy reverse osmosis water so that should be fine.

I haven’t let the water change water warm up before dumping but haven’t let it sit that long. I have some sitting now though so I can change in the morning.

I have never cleaned the glass with chemicals of any kind

parameters as of a couple days ago:

PH 7.8-8.0
Ammonia about 2.0ppm but with ammo lock
Nitrite 0ppm
Nitrate 0-5.0ppm
Temperature varies from low 78.2 to 79.6 (no heater.. just from lights)
Salinity varies a little from 1.025-1.026

 

[Lysh87]

Patience is the hardest thing to practice. I think maybe you added too many animals to your 10 gal tank too soon.
Maybe your LFS will board your animals while you get your water levels worked out.

What is LFS? Haha sorry... newbie

 

[Copingwithpods]

Okay thanks this is helpful.
Yes I have been using soap so that I will stop right away.

The gloves I have are no anti-bacterial free I didn’t know you could get those. Is there a brand you could suggest?

I buy reverse osmosis water so that should be fine.

I haven’t let the water change water warm up before dumping but haven’t let it sit that long. I have some sitting now though so I can change in the morning.

I have never cleaned the glass with chemicals of any kind

parameters as of a couple days ago:

PH 7.8-8.0
Ammonia about 2.0ppm but with ammo lock
Nitrite 0ppm
Nitrate 0-5.0ppm
Temperature varies from low 78.2 to 79.6 (no heater.. just from lights)
Salinity varies a little from 1.025-1.026

I forgot to ask how much and how often are you feeding? Also what kind.

Gloves, just use 100% latex gloves. They sell elbow high ones so you don't have to worry about what's on your hands or arms if you'd like. Just don't buy any with powder or anything else, just plain gloves

Water changes, you and the tank are still new but get in the habit of matching your incoming water to the tanks temperature and salinity. Adding cold water to the tank is very stressful for your fish and corals (think ice bucket challenge). In the future you'll learn to match not only temperature and Salinity but Alkalinity and calcium.

Temperature will fluctuate alot more than that with no heater. At night tank temperatures can drop alot. I suggest you get one just for stability sake.

Now that you have a mix ready to go, test it for ammonia. LFS (local fish stores) don't always upkeep their rodi systems as often as they should.

 

[TracyLynn]

What is LFS? Haha sorry... newbie

No worries- Local Fish Store

 

[Lysh87]

I forgot to ask how much and how often are you feeding? Also what kind.

Gloves, just use 100% latex gloves. They sell elbow high ones so you don't have to worry about what's on your hands or arms if you'd like. Just don't buy any with powder or anything else, just plain gloves

Water changes, you and the tank are still new but get in the habit of matching your incoming water to the tanks temperature and salinity. Adding cold water to the tank is very stressful for your fish and corals (think ice bucket challenge). In the future you'll learn to match not only temperature and Salinity but Alkalinity and calcium.

Temperature will fluctuate alot more than that with no heater. At night tank temperatures can drop alot. I suggest you get one just for stability sake.

Now that you have a mix ready to go, test it for ammonia. LFS (local fish stores) don't always upkeep their rodi systems as often as they should.

Thank you so much for your reply!! I have frozen brine shrimp which are just a treat and I use omega one marine flakes. I usually feed twice a day and a pinch. I have been premixing and letting it heat to the current tank temperature.

we have done about 3 partial water changes in a row and ammonia is still super high. It isn’t going down. I havent thought to try testing the premixed water though! I’m going to do that now.

 

[Lysh87]

Tested the mixed water and it has 0 ammonia so it is definitely from my tank

I don’t know what else to do. I have done 3 partial water changes in a row. I have to put seachem stability and ammo lock in every day. This cant be good long term... feeling defeated

 

[Copingwithpods]

I'd stop the seachem all together and dose ammo lock as recommended every 2 days. Cut back on your feedings to once a day or once every other day. Dont over feed to condensate if each fish eats one or two flakes that's enough.

Did the ammonia drop at all with water changes? If it didn't we can start suspecting other things.

 

[Reaper603]

Unfortunately to me it doesn't sound like your tank has had a proper nitrogen cycle where your tank would normally have the break in period of a few months. Dealing with a lower volume tank being only 10 gallons it's difficult to deal with a lot of parameter swings because a large water change at 50% is only 5 gallons. I would think you just don't have the nitrifying bacteria to deal with fish waste and surplus over feeding. Is there a possibility that the lfs can board your inhabitants? just until your tank finishes the cycle which normally can take a couple of months but could be less if you use dr. tims to add some nitrifying bacteria to keep the ammonia lower. Don't get discouraged this hobby there is always something new everyday. I'm dealing with a green hair algae outbreak currently so you are not the only one with these problems you just keep pushing on.

 

[Lysh87]

I'd stop the seachem all together and dose ammo lock as recommended every 2 days. Cut back on your feedings to once a day or once every other day. Dont over feed to condensate if each fish eats one or two flakes that's enough.

Did the ammonia drop at all with water changes? If it didn't we can start suspecting other things.

Okay that’s helpful. Should I do another partial change today and then just put the ammo lock in and not the stability? We just did the change yesterday but put both in.

After One water change it was at like 2ppm then after another it went to about 1ppm and now today after the change last night it is between 2.0ppm and 1.0ppm. Everyone is alive in the tank too.

the mixed water actually tested closer to 0.25 ppm than 0.

I don’t think my skimmer was working properly before but we fixed it last night yet still high ammonia. I bought a gravel vaccuum too but it doesn’t seem to have helped.

 

[Lysh87]

Unfortunately to me it doesn't sound like your tank has had a proper nitrogen cycle where your tank would normally have the break in period of a few months. Dealing with a lower volume tank being only 10 gallons it's difficult to deal with a lot of parameter swings because a large water change at 50% is only 5 gallons. I would think you just don't have the nitrifying bacteria to deal with fish waste and surplus over feeding. Is there a possibility that the lfs can board your inhabitants? just until your tank finishes the cycle which normally can take a couple of months but could be less if you use dr. tims to add some nitrifying bacteria to keep the ammonia lower. Don't get discouraged this hobby there is always something new everyday. I'm dealing with a green hair algae outbreak currently so you are not the only one with these problems you just keep pushing on.

I’m not sure that this place would keep them.
What is Dr Tim’s? I’m willing to try anything. I just don’t want to lose another fish.... I don’t think it was cycles properly either and I added too much too quickly... I thought once my dry rock started to get some brown that meant it was cycled. I just didn’t know enough. I only had the tank running for 3 weeks before I introduced life.

 

[Copingwithpods]

The important thing is you are willing to learn and adjust and you obviously care about your pets.

When I started my tank I had a really funky cycle where in week 4 when ammonia should have been 0 it started creeping up again 0.25ppm per day. As nitrites rose so did ammonia, it took 2 more weeks to stabilize. Don't get discouraged as it will in time work itself out.

 

[Reaper603]

Right I agree, Dr. Tim's is a nitrifying bacteria that you add when you start a new tank because to me this sounds like new tank syndrome. It jump starts the nitrogen cycle by adding nitrite and eventually nitrate to then be able to keep your ammonia level low having nitrate in your tank is super important because that helps keep your ammonia low or undetectable. I would increase the flow doing into your water column if possible and also run your skimmer a little wetter than usual to have it get as much detritus and wasted fish food out of the tank. But you are currently doing everything you can for your inhabitants.

 

[Lysh87]

The important thing is you are willing to learn and adjust and you obviously care about your pets.

When I started my tank I had a really funky cycle where in week 4 when ammonia should have been 0 it started creeping up again 0.25ppm per day. As nitrites rose so did ammonia, it took 2 more weeks to stabilize. Don't get discouraged as it will in time work itself out.

Thank you for the encouragement. I do care, very much! I just want them the be healthy I won’t give up, just keep working at it. I have learned so much already... have to start somewhere I guess

 

[Lysh87]

Right I agree, Dr. Tim's is a nitrifying bacteria that you add when you start a new tank because to me this sounds like new tank syndrome. It jump starts the nitrogen cycle by adding nitrite and eventually nitrate to then be able to keep your ammonia level low having nitrate in your tank is super important because that helps keep your ammonia low or undetectable. I would increase the flow doing into your water column if possible and also run your skimmer a little wetter than usual to have it get as much detritus and wasted fish food out of the tank. But you are currently doing everything you can for your inhabitants.

Okay this helps very much!! That’s also good to know about the skimmer. I think it was running way too low before.

i looked up dr tims but there are a bunch of different kinds. Could you maybe attach a pic of the right stuff?

 

[Reaper603]

Here is the url for the product at bulk reef supply: https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/one-only-saltwater-live-nitrifying-bacteria-dr-tims.html

 

[Dolelo96]

BRSTV has some great videos on everything reef tank related. Here’s one about starting up a tank

 

[Lysh87]

BRSTV has some great videos on everything reef tank related. Here’s one about starting up a tank

Thank you! This is awesome!!

 

[Lysh87]

Here is the url for the product at bulk reef supply: https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/one-only-saltwater-live-nitrifying-bacteria-dr-tims.html

Perfect thanks!