Ammonia went from 0 to 8.0 overnight!!

[azonic]

Ok, I'm having a VERY stressful morning. I just turned on the lights in the tank for the day and noticed every fish breathing erratically and several are gasping at the surface....I started testing my water and found my ammonia to be at 8.0mg/l!!! When I tested it yesterday it was 0!
No fish are missing so it can't be caused by that...
Specs: 90 gallon, 90# lr. yellow tang, blue tang, half-black angel, sebae clown, percula clown

 

[azonic]

DVS - no..no..no..no..no..no..no..and..no. I don't know what happened. Im not too worried about it. Something may have croked in the rock somewhere like you said..I don't know at all. I have a new 125 tank on order that I wasn't planning on setting up until the summer....but tomorrow I'm going to tear down the 90 and get started on the 125. My LFS will hold my livestock for me or give me credit. If I do figure out what happened in the tank, I will be sure to post it.

 

[blondenaso1]

How about any type up cleaning supplies or aerosals? Anyone decide to windex the glass on the tank? The majority of that stuff is ammonia based and would do a number on you tank. That seems like a big jump just to happen overnight even if something died.

 

[goldrush]

A dead snail is not going to cause that extreme of an ammonia spike in 90 gallons. I'll guarantee something was introduced to your water.

 

[wamp]

Agree with anove.. Something that fast just seems suspicious... I would check outside sources.
exterminator, bug spray, animal fecies (yes I have seen it) children???? Anything at all?
Edit: Just saw some answers to the above..

 

[pmauro]

I'd do a water change ASAP to get that level down

 

[j21kickster]

ammonia is 8.0 or higher and nothing is dead??

 

[azonic]

Sebae clown is now dead. Everyone else has been transferred into brand new un-cycled salt water in 5 gallon buckets. Im gonna monitor the levels in the 2 buckets all night and bring them to the LFS. I hope nothing else dies.
1 cleaner shrimp is dead too :-(