Ammonia?

spmnarciso

Active Member
Possibly a dumb question:
I just started my tank. Got some live rock, but no starter fish yet. Started taking chemical readings three days ago. Everything is at 0 except my ammonia which is at middle of the scale. IS this normal? Can I still add more rock and a damsel to get things going?
 

elfdoctors

Active Member
Yes it is normal. Your live rock is probably having some dieoff (which is normal) which is producing the ammonia. Bacteria which break down ammonia will build up and produce nitrites. Eventually bacteria which break down nitrites will reproduce. Considering you already have ammonia there is no need for a damsel. Damsels only serve as an ammonia source if you don't have something else. (Fish pee out ammonia in their urine). You could certainly add some more rock into the tank.
Welcome to the boards!
 

cprdnick

Active Member
Just a note, don't add any chemicals to drop ammonia, and don't do any water changes during your cycle, it will slow down the initial cycle, and force you to grow extended amounts of patience, which is good, but if you are like the rest of us, you get excited.
Good luck.
 

spmnarciso

Active Member
Can I still add a couple damsels? And can I use distilled water to top off tank (evaporation)?
As water evaporates, does salinity go up? I started with 1.022 and now it's up to 1.024.
 

cjb82

Member
You could add a Damsel but I would wait until your tank cycles, you may not want a Damsel due to them being a semi-aggressive fish. Distilled Water is better than most tap water however R.O. Water is best. Hpoe this helps and welcome to the board.
 
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