Ammonia

[heath]

I set up my35 gal qt tank on Friday. I have been testing it every 12 hrs and my ammonia is a bit high. Nothing drastic but its not zero. There is probly <30 gal of water with the rest being live rock..I have been doing 4 gal water changes 2 x day and its still not coming down. I am using an old light on the tank and a small heater so at night I have been covering the tank to keep the water temp up. Is it possible that with covering the tank the gases that would normally escape are causing the levels to stay up there. I am running an AquaClear 110 and the sponge has been in the sump of the big tank so there is bacteria there. The water in the big tank is testing at were it should be, zero...
There is a large hippo tang in the tank..
Should I do a larger water change or what ?

 

[reeferkeeper420]

The tank is cycling. You need something to remove or neutralize the ammonia. Do a 75-100% W.C. but be sure to match the salinity, temp and PH.

 

[EricTMah]

How does the tang look? Is he gasping for air or breathing heavy?

I'd recommend doing a bit larger water changes till the ammonia comes down to zero. You could also use a bacteria supplement to help it along. A product like Dr Tims One and Only is probably the best on the market for speeding up cycles.

I'm assuming that with the addition of the live rock and then the large hippo. It caused a mini cycle. That's causing a ammonia spike


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[heath]

thanks guys, you are the best...

 

[heath]

the tang is/looks fine, no rapid breathing, he is eating..just wasn't sure. I thought that it might be a mini cycle but I wanted to check with the experts..thanks

 

[Kman]

Tangs put a heavy load on the system, especially in a new un-cycled tank. They sure produce a lot of waste. I would also say run a bacteria supplement and do a good size water change. Or you can split it up and do a few smaller ones during the week.

 

[heath]

He has only been in the tank since Saturday, I have been doing 2 10% water changes daily..He is a BIG fish, today I will do a 75% water change and see what that does. He is very healthy but I don't want to push putting him in the dt..

 

[heath]

well, my hero (sewerat) came to my rescue once again, he told me to take the water from the dt for the qt and then add new water back into the dt. I don't know what I would do with him and all of you here. thanks

 

[reef keeper]

+10 for sewerat. It's better to do 1 larger change than 2 smaller.

 

[heath]

exactly, the dt is stable so I don't have any worries about adding it, and the tang is going into that water so its a win win..