why is there ammonia in my new quarantine tank, no livestock, new LFS RO/DI

[Han Solo]

Hey guys,

 

I set up a 10g quarentine tank for a new fish coming in. AWESOME looking Fu Manchu 'Lionfish' I got from Diver's Den a few days ago!

 

Anyways, I was going to keep him in the 10g for a few days or weeks or so, even though it is smaller than the long tank I will transferring him to later.

 

I put a large PVC pipe, and a plastic "cave" I got from Petsmart. A filter with only filter floss and a heater are the rest of the equipment. I mixed my Instant Ocean Reef Salt with brand new LFS water with 1.024 salinity.

 

My API tests show about 0.5ppm Ammonia. Nitrite is zero and nitrate is zero as should be.

 

Why would ammonia be high? Is it fine for me to put Prime in the tank and still transfer the new arrival?

 

Thanks for helping..

[k4ndyk1ng]

Is the filtrer cycled?

[Han Solo]

It's been cleaned completely. Literally nothing but filter floss in the HOB filter. It still needs cycling??

[Mariaface]

Yes, it does need cycling. You need to innoculate it with bacteria unless your plan is to do complete water changes every like six hours, because any amount of ammonia is toxic and will be stressful for the fish. Get bottled bacteria or transfer over filter floss from an established tank. Keep at least two pieces of floss in the filter, so that if/when one gets clogged and needs to be taken out, the other(s) can still function.

 

Don't let ammonia rise up to readable levels while there's a fish in the tank; do water changes and add more bacteria (and detoxify with prime) as needed.

[Han Solo]

Thanks Mariaface for the info. I will transfer from floss from my main tank. I have a bottle of seachaem Phytoplankton. It would help to add that? Will two part o three part reef dosing help? Seachem reef pack fundamentals.

[Mariaface]

Thanks Mariaface for the info. I will transfer from floss from my main tank. I have a bottle of seachaem Phytoplankton. It would help to add that? Will two part o three part reef dosing help? Seachem reef pack fundamentals.

 

Phyto is a food, so all it would do is cause more ammonia when nothing eats it and it breaks down (or when something eats it and then creates waste that breaks down). Two/Three part is not going to have an effect on ammonia, just alkalinity/calcium/magnesium. I wouldn't add either.

[Han Solo]

Mariaface: What would you recommend?

 

 

You bought a lionfish before having a cycling large tank for it?

 

 

 

I could acclimate it straight to my main tank, though I figure I would set up a quarantine tank for extra safety.

 

A fu Manchu is more closely related to a a scorpion fish, I believe. It's a very small lionfish and doen't need a tank larger than 30 gallons. Reef safe. I've even seen pictures of tanks where they are chilling out with Seahorses.

[Mariaface]

What would you recommend?

 

I'd recommend a large bottle of Stability or Dr Tim's One and Only or BioSpira or some other bacterial additive. You need the filter floss absolutely full of that bacteria to keep up with the bioload from the fish. I'd recommend having multiple pieces set up in the HOB so that the water flows through them all, with at least one completely in the way of the incoming water (that one will clog up fastest, since particulates will pass through it first). Once the first in line is clogged up, remove it and move the rest of them up one, then add a new piece at the end of the rotation.

[Han Solo]

 

 

 

Farkwar: you don't have to delete your post valid question!

[jestep]

I've never seen an API ammonia test register anything under .25 or so, definitely never zero. I would suggest it might be the test kit and not the water.

 

However, non cycled QT tank isn't a good idea. Personally I put LA and DD livestock straight in my tanks unless there is visible sign of illness.

[Mariaface]

I've never seen an API ammonia test register anything under .25 or so, definitely never zero. I would suggest it might be the test kit and not the water.

 

However, non cycled QT tank isn't a good idea. Personally I put LA and DD livestock straight in my tanks unless there is visible sign of illness.

 

Huh, I get 0ppm all the time with my API test, unless something's actually gone wrong or I purposely added ammonia to cycle a tank.

[Tamberav]

Shouldn't be ammonia in the tank if you didn't add anything. I would be suspicious of the test kit or source water.

 

I don't cycle my QT tanks, sometimes I seed them, sometimes I don't. I just use prime every day and do a 50% WC every 3 days. It's common to use an uncycled QT tank and compensate with prime and large water changes.

[Han Solo]

Shouldn't be ammonia in the tank if you didn't add anything. I would be suspicious of the test kit or source water.

 

I don't cycle my QT tanks, sometimes I seed them, sometimes I don't. I just use prime every day and do a 50% WC every 3 days. It's common to use an uncycled QT tank and compensate with prime and large water changes.

I did a 50% water change just now. Still waiting on UPS to deliver the package. Literally got the first package of extra brine shrimp about 1 hour ago. I ask why not two packages... dude says "I can't find it" "it will be in a different truck in about 30 minutes"

 

I hate UPS....

 

So I tested freshly mixed water with salt and my ammonia and it still had some in it! Maybe less than 0.25 PPM but it is still not completely yellow. My main tanks register 0ppm for sure, despite the other guys reply.

 

Shouldn't be ammonia in the tank if you didn't add anything. I would be suspicious of the test kit or source water.

 

I don't cycle my QT tanks, sometimes I seed them, sometimes I don't. I just use prime every day and do a 50% WC every 3 days. It's common to use an uncycled QT tank and compensate with prime and large water changes.

You use prime everyday? Or just on quanentine tank?

[jestep]

Huh, I get 0ppm all the time with my API test, unless something's actually gone wrong or I purposely added ammonia to cycle a tank.

 

Mine have never read zero, always some green to the test, usually looks between .25 and .5.

[Tamberav]

I did a 50% water change just now. Still waiting on UPS to deliver the package. Literally got the first package of extra brine shrimp about 1 hour ago. I ask why not two packages... dude says "I can't find it" "it will be in a different truck in about 30 minutes"

 

I hate UPS....

 

So I tested freshly mixed water with salt and my ammonia and it still had some in it! Maybe less than 0.25 PPM but it is still not completely yellow. My main tanks register 0ppm for sure, despite the other guys reply.

 

You use prime everyday? Or just on quanentine tank?

 

Prime every day in the QT tank. According to their site it binds toxic ammonia/nitrite/nitrate but only for 24-48 hours.

 

What you can do in the future for QT.... is keep a sponge or seachem matrix in your DT and seed it and then transfer it to the QT and throw away when done.

[joy13]

API tests for ammonia and nitrates are picky. You have to follow the instructions and you have to shake the bottles well. I use API tests and know people complain about them but I found out shaking them made a big difference.