Unknown Ammonia Spike

[KMcGill]

along with the full tank pic can you take a new reading of the ammonia tube and comparison card and post those so we can tie it all in

I just got the Hanna tester reagent in and it does indicate higher. Went to my LFS had them test and it was .10 using Red Sea tester. I tested with my Hanna H784 and it indicated .87. I also had the LFS test my RO water which came back fine. Did a 6 gallon water change retested after an hour and now the Hanna tester indicates .88. So I am at a loss.

 

[brandon429]

all those are nh4 readouts you're relaying

convert the levels to nh3 per the test kit instructions, repost the levels assumed (nh4 is not for reefing, nh3 is for reefing)

you can see that nh3 levels are ten times lower than nh4 pretty much

and per new cycling science, ammonia does not run zero in reef tanks it runs a low consistent level

would you consider those converted to nh3 readings lower than your original concern? and your tank looks great every day? it means the variations you see on the hanna are your baseline safe zone and even that kit says it can be + or - .5 ppm ammonia that's a big range.

let me ask this: why are you testing for ammonia at all, in a post cycle reef tank?

if you simply kick out those instructions you read to do so, and begin using updated cycling science (don't test for ammonia after cycling because it's always within spec) your cycling headaches (and expenditures for ammonia tests) will instantly stop.

 

[brandon429]

hey look you posted another clue just now

the hidden lysmata shimp in the cave

he can't survive an extended uncontrolled ammonia spike

plus your fish are normal, positioned down low not gasping for breath up top, and the water is clear

this is ammonia control vs noncontrol, in pics.

see how cycle troubleshooting is in the tank pics, not the test kits?

there's a separate writeup for what having a living lysmata shrimp means in a reef tank where water quality was a recent concern:

Name top weakest reef organism that will not tolerate bad params

1. (subject to modification if we find a weaker occupant of #1) Lysmata cleaner shrimp 2. Crinoidea (salinity drift intolerants) 3.? if there's better 1 and 2 let me know I'll update. everything will die in reefing if params drift far enough which ones go first which ones go and then...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[brandon429]

my direct advice:

simply do not run another single ammonia test on that tank the rest of the month, trust updated cycling science, take all your concern and aim it into the disease forum where they discuss quarantine and fallow and disease outbreaks in eight month tanks on average, that challenge will take special preps far beyond some leftover cycling concerns.

 

[KMcGill]

all those are nh4 readouts you're relaying

convert the levels to nh3 per the test kit instructions, repost the levels assumed (nh4 is not for reefing, nh3 is for reefing)

you can see that nh3 levels are ten times lower than nh4 pretty much

and per new cycling science, ammonia does not run zero in reef tanks it runs a low consistent level

would you consider those converted to nh3 readings lower than your original concern? and your tank looks great every day? it means the variations you see on the hanna are your baseline safe zone and even that kit says it can be + or - .5 ppm ammonia that's a big range.

let me ask this: why are you testing for ammonia at all, in a post cycle reef tank?

if you simply kick out those instructions you read to do so, and begin using updated cycling science (don't test for ammonia after cycling because it's always within spec) your cycling headaches (and expenditures for ammonia tests) will instantly stop.

So this is a very helpful answer and assumed it was user error in ready instructions with the conversion nh3 reads .07.

This is how my tanks looks daily yes, and to answer the why am I testing on a post cycle tank, because I am a beginner and thoughts that’s what I was supposed to be doing.

I appreciate the education on this and is super helpful.

 

[brandon429]

agreed fully, 100% of articles and reads on reef tank cycling do not present the new ruleset

you know where it first dawned on me? it was the contrast between how reef tank cycles work in forums vs when I walked into reef conventions and noticed they had no trouble getting 2.5 million dollars of instant reef tank setup all beginning on the exact Friday when the convention started, and nobody has a 'crash' or a 'stall'. so the sellers were able to align 300 display tanks with their best of the best stock in each system, full running reefs, all ready on the same date and nobody loses their precious animals...that's some confident cycling, I thought.



I then reflected back on what I'd read in reef forums online for twenty years: cycles vary. none can be pinpointed to an exact start date. some need 12 days some need 68 days, it's ready when it's ready. some cycles stall, and don't complete. some become incomplete long after completion, if the test kit says its lost control then it has; even if the tank is completely symptomless for ammonia noncontrol.

none of the old stuff is true in fact, it was just the collective best set of rules a million people could come up with using api test kits.