some hellppppppppppppppppppppp

Okay, im only new, but ammonia was at .50-1!!!
Is it really that bad???

i did a 20% water change... the fish didnt seem concerened with the high level to begin with, but im just freaking out! haha.

so.. Yes.... i also used water i had mixed on sunday... (so 3 days ago) would it have been okay???????



Thanks!

 

How long has your tank been set up? i guarantee your tank is going through the cycle.

What fish do you have in there?

 

I would say relax you could have some die off in the tank. Just keep an eye on things and let it run its course.

 

Hi....welcome to 3Reef.

Is your tank new also? That could be the reason for the ammonia spike, it could be cycling.

Did you recently add some new fish, that could cause ammonia spikes as well.

The 3 day old water is fine too.

 

Uh, i set the tank up, on the 7/1 and put LR in on the 8/1 amd then things started o come out like starfish and crabs and little worms on the 14/1 and ammonia reach 1 and nitrite also reeach 1, and then went back down.

I have a standard Clownfish, only say 1.5 Inches, and a lawn mower blenny at about 2inch.
They seem to be fine, i mean the clown is breathing a bit heavy, but he is in good spirit, eating... a fair bit...
and so its the blenny.

Also.... How often should i feed them, perhaps that could be my down fall?

Thanks guys.

 

Your tank is only 12 days old...it is going through the cycle. Stop adding livestock for at least another 3 weeks - 1 month.

 

alrighty! No worries Thank you!

how often should i feed them?

 

You did the right thing with the water change. Water mixed should sit 24 hours before use, but in an emergency, freshly mixed water would work fine in a 20% application as long as the salinity tests ok. There are some "blooms" that can occur, anemone for example can go "asexual" causing the water the turn milky in hours. Massive water changes and aireation are the cure. Sounds to me like you handled your problem quickly and correctly.
Feeding? Once per day for the specimens you listed. What they can clean up in 3 minutes is the rule of thumb. I usually turn off my powerheads and pump to prevent the food from being dispersed where they cannot get it.
Do you have a skimmer? That would remove a lot of "organics" (waste) before it turns into ammonia, nitrates, etc.

 

Feed as little as possible to not add waste to the water.

The ammonia is burning the fish's gills. Thats why they are breathing heavy because they aren't getting enough oxygen. They are eating because they are still hungry, it's just hard for them to breathe. Like I said feed as little as possible. Or if you could remove the fish and take them back to the fish store you got them. Have them hold the fish for you until for a couple of weeks till everything straightens out.

 

whoa! that is the best idea i have heard of with turning off the pump! thats awesome! Im pretty experience with fresh water, so i was thinking "okay, water change and testing" ahha. Thanks ive got an air stone in the tank operating, and the filter is cracking now so all good! i dont have a skimmer reason being, its only a small tank and i heard that you dont need a skimmer if you do frequent water changes. (so i guess i shall be doing that....)

The clown seems to be always hungry, no matter what! i try to feed him one by one, so i can track how many fall onto the floor...


Thanks