Ammonia in QT

gypsana

gypsana

Active Member
My ammonia went up to 1.0 ppm , my trates were about 5 and my trites were at 0 in my QT. I added my fish on Thursday and I had the QT cycled. It was running for about 4 weeks with live rock and a piece of shrimp. I removed the live rock before I added the fish. I did a 50% change yesterday and one this morning. I think one of the fish my have ich so I am slowly lowering the salinity as well. Is there anything else I can do? I have to go out of town for a Dr.'s appointment so please give me some advice if you have any and when I get home I hope to do another 50% water change and check to see if anyone can help me.
 
florida joe

florida joe

Well-Known Member
Did you use the live rock to cycle your QT. By removing the rock you also removed the nitrification bacteria colonies and diminished your nitrification
 
gypsana

gypsana

Active Member
I used live rock and also put a pump with a sponge filter and left that in. I placed a sponge from my sump in there last night as well hoping that my help.
 
aquaknight

aquaknight

Active Member
Did you measure ammonia before you added the fish? You mentioned it's 1.0ppm now, but what level did the tank drop to after finishing cycling?
 
al mc

al mc

Active Member
As Joe indicated you need to neutralize the ammonia as you get your nitrogen cycle back on track...There are many products out there that can do that...my personal favorite is Amquel Plus.
 
gypsana

gypsana

Active Member
Originally Posted by AquaKnight
http:///forum/post/2974028
Did you measure ammonia before you added the fish? You mentioned it's 1.0ppm now, but what level did the tank drop to after finishing cycling?
Ammonia was at 0 before adding fish. I also have checked this solution with my DT and freshly made water and they are at 0.
I just did more tests and:
Trates are between 0 and 5
Trites 0
Ph 8.8
Ammonia .25
 
villi

villi

New Member
I had the same problem when I removed my live rock from the QT and added my fish.
I would just continue with the daily water changes until the bacteria colony re-establishes itself.
Also pick up some Amquel+. I had some good luck with it - did not lose any fish once I added it.
Good luck.
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
It will come back down. As mentioned, you removed a large portion of the bacteria at roughly the same time that you increased the bio-load within the tank. The bacteria has colonized on the other surfaces in the tank, but the rock provided greater surface area. You just have to wait for the bacteria to bio-load ratio to even out. Pick up Amquel plus.
Are you adding a buffer to the water? If so then stop doing that. Higher PH makes ammonia more toxic to fish.
 
gypsana

gypsana

Active Member
Originally Posted by sepulatian
http:///forum/post/2974068
It will come back down. As mentioned, you removed a large portion of the bacteria at roughly the same time that you increased the bio-load within the tank. The bacteria has colonized on the other surfaces in the tank, but the rock provided greater surface area. You just have to wait for the bacteria to bio-load ratio to even out. Pick up Amquel plus.
Are you adding a buffer to the water? If so then stop doing that. Higher PH makes ammonia more toxic to fish.
No not adding a buffer and I will pick up some Amquel 2nite. Thanks!
 
gypsana

gypsana

Active Member
Thank you everyone for the quick reply's. I really appreciate it! I love my new fish and would hate to loose them. I have waited a long time for them.
 
gypsana

gypsana

Active Member
One more question. You often should I feed them? I know this will add to the problem if it is too much.
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by gypsana
http:///forum/post/2974087
One more question. You often should I feed them? I know this will add to the problem if it is too much.
You want to keep them well fed. Their immune system will be higher, allowing them to fight off infection easier. Dose their foods with a rotation of Vitachem and Zoecon. Don't overfeed though. The uneaten food will just add to the bio-load. Small frequent feedings are best. Depending on what you have in there, two or three very small portions per day will be fine.
 
gypsana

gypsana

Active Member
Added Amquel last night and I am going to do another water change today. I checked the ammonia level this morning and it was around the .25 still (sometimes those are hard to decipher the color). My fish are acting better and I thought one had ich but all the spots are gone. might have been ammonia burns I was seeing. I will keep an eye on that. I will update later on the progress and thanks again!
 
florida joe

florida joe

Well-Known Member
You must remember also that these products detoxify, you will still see a level of ammonia in your tank. Only it is nontoxic. A common mistake IMO is for a new hobbyist continuing to dose a product thinking they must see a zero reading for ammonia for the product to be working
 
gypsana

gypsana

Active Member
Originally Posted by florida joe
http:///forum/post/2975327
You must remember also that these products detoxify, you will still see a level of ammonia in your tank. Only it is nontoxic. A common mistake IMO is for a new hobbyist continuing to dose a product thinking they must see a zero reading for ammonia for the product to be working
Thanks for that info. I am going to continue a few more doses of Amquel (one a day) and I will do daily water changes until I get a zero reading. Does this sound good?
 
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