help! a little ammonia and nitrite. what to do?

L

lpuzon

Guest
i just went to my lfs today, and had my water tested. found out that i have a little of ammonia and nitrite.
don't have any #s, that's just what they told me. tank is 10 mos old, did a water change 5 days ago, ph and trates, is good. i have 1 maroon, 1 heniochus, 2 yellowtail damsels, 1 velvet, 1 regal, and i bought the pakistan. pls help anyone??? :help: :help: :help:
 
L

lpuzon

Guest
Originally Posted by Dogstar
Most likely been over feeding, do another waterchange.

another water change? ugh...
should i do it anytime soon? info, i also have brown algae bloom too. i don't know why but i do.
:notsure:
 
L

lpuzon

Guest
Originally Posted by jdragunas
how big is your tank?

got a 72g. so, just water change and less feeding and it will be ok?
 
granny

granny

Member
Every time we add something new to our tanks, or something dies, it will cause ammonia and subsequently nitrites. NEVER add anything new to your tank while this is happening. Give the tank time to catch up, biologically speaking, before adding any new critters of any kind.
If you have already added another fish, then do a water change and use one of the products for salt water that will obliterate ammonia in your tank. You LFS should have it on the shelf.
Do you have any test kits? Please purchase some. This is basic fish keeping to test your water periodically and always before thinking of adding something new.
Hope this works out ok for you.
 
J

jdragunas

Guest
algae is caused by a number of things. one is phosphates, one is nitrates, one is too much lighting. If you have ammonia and nitrites, chances are you have nitrates, but it's likeley they didn't test because your algae is eating it all; thus growing. Yes, do another water change, and try turning your light time down as well. You could be overfeeding, which could be producing phosphates, which could also be causing the algae. Don't disregard it being phosphates just because they don't test out. Like nitrates, you might not have any left in the water because the algae is devouring it... Hope this helps!
 
L

lpuzon

Guest
Originally Posted by Dogstar
Most likely been over feeding, or something died.....do another waterchange.

forgot to tell you, my kole died 5 days before my water change. before he died, i am trying to save him using miralox. he died on the 2nd day.
i waited 5 more days to do water change so i could continue the medicine so as to protect my other fishes. so far, they're all ok. so, all in all, it's been 2 weeks since then.
 
J

jdragunas

Guest
Originally Posted by lpuzon
got a 72g. so, just water change and less feeding and it will be ok?

should be ok. Don't fret too much, but you should buy yourself a testing kit. that way you can keep it in check without having to go to the lfs. a little ammonia and nitrite is bad, but not the end of the world. :joy:
 
L

lpuzon

Guest
ok. so i have to do it today. how many g should i do? remember, i just bought the pakistan....
 
J

jdragunas

Guest
i wouldn't add any chemicals to your tank that, though. Always try the non-chemical way first. Just doing water changes will lower your ammonia.
rule of thumb for feeding. You should only feed what your fish can eat in about a minute. after that, it'll start settling behind rock and whatnot, and will cause a spike. Try feeding them 1/2 of what you feed them now, but 2x's a day.
 
L

lpuzon

Guest
Originally Posted by jdragunas
should be ok. Don't fret too much, but you should buy yourself a testing kit. that way you can keep it in check without having to go to the lfs. a little ammonia and nitrite is bad, but not the end of the world. :joy:

thanks jd!, and thanks everybody! i can really rely on u guys! somehow you all made me a calmer. jst dont want to lose my buddies. and yeah, i might buy the real testing kit. i regret buying the strips... i mean i know thye're not accurate, but i still ended up buying it..... :notsure:
 
J

jdragunas

Guest
hun, you really gotta buy testing kits... what a LFS might tell you is a "little" ammonia or nitrates could be more than what you think or less than what you think. Without numbers, it's kinda hard to tell what to do. What i suggest is getting a liquid test kit, but also get those testing sticks. Take a little water out of the tank every few days and use the stick for just a general idea. They're not insanely accurate, but it'll tell you when you need to do a full-scale test.
do a 5% water change and get a test kit! :)
 
J

jdragunas

Guest
if you had insanely delicate fish you could freak out, but the fish you have are pretty hardy, so a little ammonia and nitrites shouldn't kill them.
 
L

lpuzon

Guest
Originally Posted by jdragunas
i wouldn't add any chemicals to your tank that, though. Always try the non-chemical way first. Just doing water changes will lower your ammonia.
rule of thumb for feeding. You should only feed what your fish can eat in about a minute. after that, it'll start settling behind rock and whatnot, and will cause a spike. Try feeding them 1/2 of what you feed them now, but 2x's a day.
2x a day, every other day? coz that's what i do. actually, my maroon, who's always the first one to grab my fingers for food, actually bit me this am. funny!
 
L

lpuzon

Guest
Originally Posted by jdragunas
if you had insanely delicate fish you could freak out, but the fish you have are pretty hardy, so a little ammonia and nitrites shouldn't kill them.

i owe you a lot!!! thanks! i'll do it right now. hmm.. 5g ok for water change? that's all the amount of ro water i have at this minute. :notsure:
 
J

jdragunas

Guest
haha! you know how there's little bubbles all over your arms when you stick your hand in the tank? My b&w heniochus bites them off my arm. It's so cute!
and i feed mine daily, but i have a tank-load.
 
L

lpuzon

Guest
you know what, i got a question. could it be too that my skimmer is still producing microbubbles? i only had it since monday. whaddyathink? :notsure:
 
L

lpuzon

Guest
Originally Posted by jdragunas
haha! you know how there's little bubbles all over your arms when you stick your hand in the tank? My b&w heniochus bites them off my arm. It's so cute!
yup! that's KEWL!!!

and i feed mine daily, but i have a tank-load.

you know what my heni did when i had my arm in the tank this am? he went really close to my hand let let me rub him for a while!!! so sweet!!
:happyfish :happyfish
 
J

jdragunas

Guest
i know, he's my fav. fish!
and your skimmer takes a while to break in. Let it go for a few more days, and if it persists, ask again. I'm not too keen on equipment, though, so that's a better question for someone else.
 
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