luvsalth2o
New Member
I need some serious help...
This is the most mind boggling problem i have ever had happen to me.
My friend has a 55 gallon aquarium that has been running for about a year with about 10 "reef safe comminity fish" No live rock, just a couple of Orniments and crushed coral He called me one morning and said his fish had all died that morning, so the first thing that came to mind was ammonia problem. Sure enough his ammonia over time had gotten out of control and killed all his fish. So we decided to start over. We drained the tank and completely cleaned all the orniments and started over.
We Filled it with simple tap water from the sink and treated it down so it was chlorine free. Added the Magnum 350 floor canister, the live sand, and an orniement castle before adding the water.
Everything seamed to be going fine untill i went back over the next day to run a test on the ammonia. Off the charts green, so i tested the sink water. Sure enough it had a small ammount of ammonia in it. So we decided to use well water from a pet shop in the local area.
We drained the water down to the top of the live sand and removed the orniments and refilled with Well water, which when tested has perfect levels. Anyway refilled replaced orniments and pump and let it cycle again.
The next morning tested the water, still no fish or anything.
Salt water, orniments, live sand, pump, and crushed coral under the live sand.
Ammonia seamed to be fine.
So we decide to let it cycle while he is gone on a business trip for a week.
During this time there were no power outtages or anything like that.
When he got back in town; I met him at his house to tend to the aquarium. The first thing I saw was a strange pink white film on the top of the water. (Dont have a clue what that is). So I tested the ammonia, now remeber it was fine when he left since we had used well water. When I added the last test drop and shook, it immediatly went green. Ammonia was everywhere.
I have dumped bottles of ammonia remover into the tank, i have fought this stuff with everything i know to use? (Ammo Lock, Ammonia Detox, and Ammonia Remover)?
Any Advice would be very much appreciated. I mean there is no fish and we used clean water ? There shouldnt be ammonia?
Even after I treat it, it goes away on the tests but within the hour it is back just as bad?
I am stuck... I have filled my two tanks with the same well water and my tanks are running just fine...
Could ammonia stay in the crush coral and become a breeding ground for that stuff?
Becasue there is some old crushed coral underneath the live sand.
Could it be in the filter media? I changed it the first time, should I start over again and get all new stuff? (When I did change it the first time I added Ammonia chips to the canister. I thought that stuff was supose to remove it?
I am just confused becasue it will not go away, and I know it has to be comming from somewhere.
Thanks alot
LuvSaltH20
This is the most mind boggling problem i have ever had happen to me.
My friend has a 55 gallon aquarium that has been running for about a year with about 10 "reef safe comminity fish" No live rock, just a couple of Orniments and crushed coral He called me one morning and said his fish had all died that morning, so the first thing that came to mind was ammonia problem. Sure enough his ammonia over time had gotten out of control and killed all his fish. So we decided to start over. We drained the tank and completely cleaned all the orniments and started over.
We Filled it with simple tap water from the sink and treated it down so it was chlorine free. Added the Magnum 350 floor canister, the live sand, and an orniement castle before adding the water.
Everything seamed to be going fine untill i went back over the next day to run a test on the ammonia. Off the charts green, so i tested the sink water. Sure enough it had a small ammount of ammonia in it. So we decided to use well water from a pet shop in the local area.
We drained the water down to the top of the live sand and removed the orniments and refilled with Well water, which when tested has perfect levels. Anyway refilled replaced orniments and pump and let it cycle again.
The next morning tested the water, still no fish or anything.
Salt water, orniments, live sand, pump, and crushed coral under the live sand.
Ammonia seamed to be fine.
So we decide to let it cycle while he is gone on a business trip for a week.
During this time there were no power outtages or anything like that.
When he got back in town; I met him at his house to tend to the aquarium. The first thing I saw was a strange pink white film on the top of the water. (Dont have a clue what that is). So I tested the ammonia, now remeber it was fine when he left since we had used well water. When I added the last test drop and shook, it immediatly went green. Ammonia was everywhere.
I have dumped bottles of ammonia remover into the tank, i have fought this stuff with everything i know to use? (Ammo Lock, Ammonia Detox, and Ammonia Remover)?
Any Advice would be very much appreciated. I mean there is no fish and we used clean water ? There shouldnt be ammonia?
Even after I treat it, it goes away on the tests but within the hour it is back just as bad?
I am stuck... I have filled my two tanks with the same well water and my tanks are running just fine...
Could ammonia stay in the crush coral and become a breeding ground for that stuff?
Becasue there is some old crushed coral underneath the live sand.
Could it be in the filter media? I changed it the first time, should I start over again and get all new stuff? (When I did change it the first time I added Ammonia chips to the canister. I thought that stuff was supose to remove it?
I am just confused becasue it will not go away, and I know it has to be comming from somewhere.
Thanks alot
LuvSaltH20
