Ammonia?

[houndhome1]

I can't seem to get my ammonia levels to 0. I've done a complete 100% water change and the levels were great for a couple of days but the ammonia creeps up. The pH is a little low: 7.8. All of our other levels appear to be ok: Salinity at 1.022, Nitrites<.2 Nitrates <10 Ammonia 6.0 There does not seem to be anything dead in the tank. I have a cannister filter, biowheel and protein skimmer going. All the filters get cleaned weekly. Water temp is 78-80. I'm careful not to overfeed. The tank is fairly young: just a couple of months. What's happening and how do I fix it?

 

[mudplayerx]

Unfortunately, you never want to do a 100% water change. Also, any reading at all for ammonia or nitrites is never ok, it means there is something seriously wrong in an established tank.
My guess is that you do not have enough water flowing through your tank. Is it a fish only tank? Do you have a cleanup crew of hermit crabs and snails? Do you have any live rock?
You 750gph flowing through your tank in a fish only tank and at least 1,500gph if your tank is a reef tank. It is unlikely you meet this criteria with the equipment you listed.

 

[mbrands]

Your test kit could be giving you a "false positive" ammonia reading. Some kits are known to do that.

 

[houndhome1]

We did the 100% water change at the advice of a well informed fish person. All of our levels were off the charts due do a dead sea sponge and anemone. We do have 10 pounds LR in the tank and I ordered 15 more pounds and it should be here any day. I have 1 small coral and 1 anemone, tangs, damsels and turbo snails, shrimp and a crab (not a hermit) and a few cleaner clams. We're looking into a powerhead that moves 270 gph on top of the existing equipment: Seaclone 250, Magnum 350 and Penquin 330.

 

[9lives]

Tangs?
Tangs are heavy waste producers and it is usually reccomended to have one in a 75g tank.
Also,25lbs of live rock is not going to be anywhere close to what is needed.You'll want about 1.5lbs per gal to be safe.
Your fish are creating more waste than your live rock and sand can handle.