Surfactant added to tank through Ammonia

[delandreefer]

Hello I know that I have read posts before about fish-less cycling stating which type of ammonia is the proper one. In my haste this weekend I went with what I remembered and that was as always a mistake. I have dosed My 60 gallon DT + 20 gallon sump (Probably close to 45-50 gallons of water all in) with about 15mls of ammonia that has surfactants in it. My question is will GAC remove them? Or is a complete tear down necessary? I would think with the dilution it would have a minimal impact on the tank as a whole, but my skimmer is producing an abundance of microbubbles.

Thank you in advance for any guidance.

 

[Brew12]

Hello I know that I have read posts before about fish-less cycling stating which type of ammonia is the proper one. In my haste this weekend I went with what I remembered and that was as always a mistake. I have dosed My 60 gallon DT + 20 gallon sump (Probably close to 45-50 gallons of water all in) with about 15mls of ammonia that has surfactants in it. My question is will GAC remove them? Or is a complete tear down necessary? I would think with the dilution it would have a minimal impact on the tank as a whole, but my skimmer is producing an abundance of microbubbles.

Thank you in advance for any guidance.

GAC and a skimmer should remove everything. The most serious issue with most surfactants is that it prevents gills from functioning correctly. It can also negatively impact oxygen exchange in inverts. Since this is a new system you should be fine.
Run more GAC than you think you should and change it regularly. Skim wet and empty it often to minimize chance of an overflow. You should be fine.

 

[delandreefer]

@Brew12 Thanks for the quick response I will get the GAC going as soon as its in. Cant run the skimmer currently as it overflows continuously, could be an adjustment factor at work as well as its brand new. No animals at risk so that's a plus, I can afford to be patient. Its difficult to do a large water change with my current setup but may try and knock out a nearly 100% WC this week if possible.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I agree that GAC and skimming are the best bet. [emoji3]

 

[Brew12]

@Brew12 Thanks for the quick response I will get the GAC going as soon as its in. Cant run the skimmer currently as it overflows continuously, could be an adjustment factor at work as well as its brand new. No animals at risk so that's a plus, I can afford to be patient. Its difficult to do a large water change with my current setup but may try and knock out a nearly 100% WC this week if possible.

Those bubbles that are causing the skimmer to overflow are what you really want to get out. If you can dial the skimmer back enough to not have it massively overflowing you may be able to use it. You can try pulling the lid off the collector cup and putting a folded up old towel over it.

 

[delandreefer]

Those bubbles that are causing the skimmer to overflow are what you really want to get out. If you can dial the skimmer back enough to not have it massively overflowing you may be able to use it. You can try pulling the lid off the collector cup and putting a folded up old towel over it.

Is the idea behind the towel on top of the skimmer collection cup to allow the bubbles to break on it leaving behind anything trapped in them, and to allow the water to run down back into the sump? Or am I missing something?

Also on a side note could the additive have any impact on the bacteria's consumption of the ammonia?

 

[rkpetersen]

Those bubbles that are causing the skimmer to overflow are what you really want to get out. If you can dial the skimmer back enough to not have it massively overflowing you may be able to use it. You can try pulling the lid off the collector cup and putting a folded up old towel over it.

And, if your skimmer is in a sump, put something under it temporarily to raise it up 2 or 3 inches. This may help to let you collect the foam without so much water.

 

[rkpetersen]

Also on a side note could the additive have any impact on the bacteria's consumption of the ammonia?

Seems unlikely. You will probably want to add additional doses of ammonium chloride to complete a fishless cycle.

 

[Brew12]

Is the idea behind the towel on top of the skimmer collection cup to allow the bubbles to break on it leaving behind anything trapped in them, and to allow the water to run down back into the sump? Or am I missing something?

When my skimmer is bubbling too much it blows the lid off and the bubbles drain back to the sump over the top. The towel will hopefully absorb the most of the bubbles fairly quickly and allow the skimmer to operate more normally.

And, if your skimmer is in a sump, put something under it temporarily to raise it up 2 or 3 inches. This may help to let you collect the foam without so much water.

Great advice!

Seems unlikely. You will probably want to add additional doses of ammonium chloride to complete a fishless cycle.

+1 on this. I doubt it would have any meaningful impact on the bacteria.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Also on a side note could the additive have any impact on the bacteria's consumption of the ammonia?

I don't think that is likely with the amounts you added.

 

[delandreefer]

Thank you everyone for the quick responses! Really helped to put my mind at ease. Now I can enjoy everyone's favorite part of the hobby staring at an empty tank and doing water tests.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Thank you everyone for the quick responses! Really helped to put my mind at ease. Now I can enjoy everyone's favorite part of the hobby staring at an empty tank and doing water tests.

lol

Happy Reefing.

 

[delandreefer]

For anyone who finds this thread in a google search when they are panicking about the ammonia they added to their tank unknowingly. The bacteria are unaffected by the surfactants present in the ammonia, as shown by them processing the ammonia to nitrite before I had provided any remedy. Would not recommend using ammonia with it present though as it will pose other problems later on skimmer issues and gill problems for the fish as @Brew12 mentioned. I will follow up on the effectiveness of aggressive GAC use on removing the surfactants.