Help!!!0.25 Ammonia, 1 clown dead, and 1 chromis in hiding!!!

drogrant

New Member
Please help me...I have a 55 gallon tank with 50lb of base rock seeded with 30lbs live rock. I have a sump w/ refugium and a few nassarius snail and dwarf cerith snails. There was a total of 5 fish in the tank: 2 ocellaris clowns and 4 green chromis. I lost a clownfish today and I'm not sure why. So about three weeks ago my nitrate tested at 40 and I did a water change about 20%. Afterwards the water remained very cloudy for the following two weeks the ph has been at 7.8 since I started the tank and the nitrate never seems to hit zero. I have a kenya tree and some pink xenia, and some zoos. The Zoos are fine and Xenia, but the Kenya tree is always closed unless i turn off the powerhead, it has only been in the tank for 2 weeks. The tank was started on March 2. I have coraline algae on most of the base rock. The clownfish that died wasn't eating too much and I think the other clownfish is carrying eggs. One of the chromes is hiding behind a rock and has not come out...not even to eat...I am afraid I will loose him too. Water levels right now are Ammonia-0.25, Nitrite-0, Ph- 7.8, Nitrate-40. The tank is very cloudy from the side view but looking at it from front display it looks okay. Please help!
 

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
Sounds like you're going a bit fast. Did you make sure your initial cycle was fully complete before adding a fish?
Chromis die.... Over time they just fall away and die. It's due mainly to bad collection techniques. They are cute, cheap little fish but there really isn't much you can do about it long term.
As far as your clownfish dying and ammonia being that high, I suggest that you go ahead and do a series of water changes to help bring ammonia down, and keep your old filter media in as long as you can to allow good bacteria to establish. The more bacteria, the more stable your water quality will be.
Make sure you have the proper lighting over your refugium, and if you don't have macroalgae, I highly suggest you get some. Also, since you are having some ammonia problems, stop feeding your fish but every other other day. This will be OK until everything is complete.
I think you're just going a little too fast by adding six fish right after your initial cycle last March. Your tanks carrying capacity after the initial cycle is complete is very low - and you exceeded that - so therefore your having problems,
Without an active, growing, biological filter right now, you need to do some water changes to bring down your ammonia levels.
ALSO, pH that low isn't considered extremely bad, and in most cases that's what a lot of peoples pH is in the early mornings after the lights have been out all night. However, if you have tested at different parts of the day and the pH is always at around 7.8, then there's a problem... so lets see... First, you need to remove any glass tops that are on the tank. This permits gas exchanges which will increase your pH. Next, don't turn off any powerheads - your tank desperately needs water circulation. For now, take your one powerhead and aim it right across the surface of the water. Not up at it... accross it. This will help with gas exchange and it will introduce more oxygen into the system which will allow more aerobic bacteria to reproduce and establish your system - to bring down your ammonia levels.
Sorry, it's 7:11 in the morning and I have a very bad sinus headache, So if you are reading this and I seem like I am rambling, please forgive me. If you need additional information, I'm sure others will chime in and help. I'll be around.
 

flower

Well-Known Member
Hi,
I 100% agree with Snake.
The advice to get some macroalgae is exactly what you need to do. The macros will absorb all the bad out of the water, and add oxygen. You should only introduce one fish at a time ... one every two weeks in a new system. You went a bit fast, but at least you didn't overstock.
If the Kenya is not happy where it is, move it out of the direct path of the power head. Also keep in mind, corals close up when they feed. It's possible that when you turn off the power head, the coral had a chance to grab some grub...we often have to move corals around in the tank until they seem a bit happier, and start opening and growing. I know we place the coal where we think it looks best, but corals are living creatures and can be picky about where they live. In the ocean a coral develops under the ideal conditions where it can grow and thrive...in our tanks, we are placing the creature instead of natural selection letting it develop where it can thrive.
 

drogrant

New Member
Flower and Snake,
Thank you so much for your advice. Sorry for not replying sooner...I do have chateo in the sump. I did a water change and now ammonia is at 0! I also moved the Kenya tree away from the powerhead...it's still closed up...but I think it will be fine once it adjusts. I also moved the powerhead so it's moving water across the surface ...you two are awesome!!!! Thank you so much!!!
Flower what's your name?
Olivia
 

bang guy

Moderator
Quote:
There was a total of 5 fish in the tank: 2 ocellaris clowns and 4 green chromis.
I'm not up on the new math but I was wondering if you added all of these fish in the same month.
 

drogrant

New Member
There's no new math...just a simple error, I meant 6 not 5. This problem has been fixed...I get it...added to many fish too soon...error noted!
 
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