Bizzare ammonia spike

[AndrewOne77]

Hello everyone!

 

I've got a Waterbox Peninsula Mini 25 that I've had for about 6 months now. Recently had the tank crash due to a faulty hydrometer reading a lot lower than it actually was. (It showed 1.023 and two LFS's tested it 1.031. Yikes.) Bought a refractometer and started the process of getting it ready for livestock again. My order from LiveAquaria was due in today so I figured I'd take a water sample into the LFS again for a test. Everything looked perfect except my DKH was at 20. Picked up 15 gallons of saltwater from them to do a large water change. Ammonia was at < .25ppm prior to the water change. Did another test after the water change and was shocked to see my ammonia now reading > 8ppm. Rushed back to the LFS to pick up another 15 gallons of water and I tested the water from them and it showed < .25ppm. After the second water change the tank is still reading > 8ppm of ammonia and I'm at a complete loss. 

 

When my LiveAquaria order arrived everything was already dead so I'm not in much of a rush now but I'd still like to find out what is causing my water to test off the scale for ammonia. 

 

Any ideas?

[Clown79]

I would get a second test done on the water either with the seachem ammonia badge or have the lfs test the water.

 

The only thing i can think of is either source water being used or the water somehow get contaminated. 

 

How large of a waterchange did you do? 

[AndrewOne77]

Just now, Clown79 said:

I would get a second test done on the water either with the seachem ammonia badge or have the lfs test the water.

 

The only thing i can think of is either source water being used or the water somehow get contaminated. 

 

How large of a waterchange did you do? 

Both water changes were 15 gallons. I'll take a sample in tomorrow to get tested. Right now it's still showing > 8ppm on two separate API test kits. 

[DaJMasta]

20dKH is enough to kill as well, so the ammonia may be other things that were in your system that died because of that.

It's a bit baffling, but it's hard to track down from just the details provided - something bad seems to have happened, and the parameters are dramatically out of what.  Have you been dosing anything, or just water changes?  Has there been any accidental spills or additions recently that you tried to remedy?

[AndrewOne77]

9 minutes ago, DaJMasta said:

20dKH is enough to kill as well, so the ammonia may be other things that were in your system that died because of that.

It's a bit baffling, but it's hard to track down from just the details provided - something bad seems to have happened, and the parameters are dramatically out of what.  Have you been dosing anything, or just water changes?  Has there been any accidental spills or additions recently that you tried to remedy?

Yeah I was confused by the DKH at first but the LFS said it was most likely due to Marine Buffer I had been using to try and get the PH up from 7.8. Marine Buffer was the only thing I had been dosing and that was just once a week.

 

The only thing I have in the tank is a small zoa right now.

[AndrewOne77]

Hit it with a liberal dose of AmQuel Plus and the readings are back to < .25ppm. I'll do a water change tomorrow and see if it spikes again. 

 

Thanks everyone!

[DaJMasta]

While 7.8pH isn't ideal, plenty of successful tanks are there and it's generally not too much of a problem.  pH is also very much a factor of aeration, gas exchange, and level of oxygen consumption in the tank. so as long as it's not falling I wouldn't fret about it too much.  Any good aquarium salt has a substantial amount of buffering compounds in it already (carbonate hardness is basically that), and too high a level can cause alkalinity burns, send your pH through the roof, or even turn the water milky white (often nuking the tank).

 

I would stick to water changes until you can test for alkalinity on your own, then pick a more reasonable number (think 8-10 or so) and just try to maintain that.  At least until you have substantial amounts of stony coral, water changes should be plenty to keep it maintained.

[Clown79]

Ph buffer can cause a slew of problems. Thats why most don't recommend it because it often throws off parameters

 

Ph fluctuates all day long.

 

I'd focus on alk, ca, mag.

[Murphs_Reef]

I stopped measuring pH years ago. Last time I did i seem to recall 7.9, as clown says alk, CA and mag at the areas to put effort into checking. Even at that weekly water changes and checking for N and P in the early stages of a tank is generally enough. 

[AndrewOne77]

Yeah Marine Buffer is trashed. Still measuring at < .25ppm this morning although a bacterial bloom has started. I'll leave it alone for a few days and see what happens. 

 

Thanks again for the help!