New sump set up and ammonia question

[Sbegley454]

My tank is 30 days old has been cycled. It a 45 gallon tank. It has a clean up crew, 2 clowns and a diamond goby. I have a new sump coming Friday that will take me from 10 to 20 gallons. Im also battling a .2 ammonia issue the past few days. I did a 10% water change yesterday and have been doing prime the last few days. I can’t find anything dead in the tank and didn’t feed last night. My question is what should I do next? Im trying not to crash and feel like I should have waited on the diamond goby. Do I need to get this under control before I install the bigger sum?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[civics14]

Dose some prime to address the current ammonia and maybe a bottle of bio spira to help prevent it?

 

[90gDreams]

I doubt there is actually ammonia in that tank. Check nitrites. If nitrites are zero there isn't ammonia and Ammonia tests will give false positives at the low end.

You don't "battle" ammonia issues in a cycled set up. You have no ammonia or you have a full on crash with things dropping dead. A healthy stable bacteria population will expand very rapidly.

Do you have signs of ammonia stress? Red gills, fast breathing?

 

[Sbegley454]

Thanks I’ll check that now! The goby looks like he is gasping. No red gills that I notice and the clowns look ok


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[90gDreams]

Thanks I’ll check that now! The goby looks like he is gasping. No red gills that I notice and the clowns look ok


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ammonia will be rapid breathing typically not gasping. Think if you were swallowing ghost pepper sauce, you wouldn't be slowly munching it.

 

[Sbegley454]

Nitrite test shows .2 also


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[york1]

What are you using to test?

 

[Sbegley454]

Red Sea test kit


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[york1]

I would take some water to a lfs to double check your testing. Can you post some pics of the tank?

 

[90gDreams]

How did you cycle it? What were the numbers and dates, roughly?

Upside is .02 ammonia even if real isn't likely to kill anything. I'd advise unless you have real reason to check to never check ammonia after a tank is established. Hobby grade stuff isn't precise.

Looks like you are doing a fish-in cycle now. Used to be "the way" 20 years ago.

 

[Sbegley454]

I’ll run some by in the am to see what they say

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Sbegley454]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Sbegley454]

I used brightwell microbacter quick cycle. Here are the numbers I’ve had since start. I also had the lfs testing thru out

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[90gDreams]

See how you hit 0 and then bounce the bottom?

That is testing error IMHO there's no cause for ammonia to come in at quantities that would outrun the nitrifying bacteria already present. And I don't mean you are causing the error it's just the quality of a hobby grade color based test.

Once the bacteria spread and got settled they took 1.2 to 0 in a few days. They aren't going to be struggling to zero out a 0.2.

 

[Sbegley454]

I really appreciate all the help.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[jcook54]

If you did into these test kits and their error range, you'd be surprised. I like to add diamonds gobies once the send be is good and mature but as long as it's eating prepared foods you should be good. Plus it looks like a few of the ammonia tests read "0 - 0.2" which is pretty standard for the low range without a serious lab type test.

 

[90gDreams]

No problem. I somehow just caught you've been dosing prime already, stop. Prime will make your test read for ammonia. I don't know the half life on prime or how to remove it but it will throw off your tests.

So likely you were all set to go, saw a .2 NH3 put in prime and now prime is also in the mix giving bad readings.

I don't know if prime is capable of starving out a minimal bacterial population but I doubt it so you should be okay.

 

[90gDreams]

To @jcook54 point red sea advertises, meaning everything measured to perfection, an accuracy of 0.2 on their ammonia test. That's why you can bounce that bottom.

 

[Sbegley454]

Again I really appreciate the help.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Sbegley454]

Just wanted to give an update. I took the water sample to the lfs and my tests were off. Thanks again for all the help


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk