Ammonia level - To high

L

linda383

[I have just started an 180 gal tank and the ammonia level is not coming down I have been testing it every other day and it is still the darkest of green. How long should it take to cycle? I have put 100 pounds of live rock in it and now it is turning brown, Is this normal? I need some HELP understanding the process! I do not have a sump nor holes drilled for one.What do I need to do next.]
 
[Hi Linda,

What test kit are you using? With the ones I used in the past, you need to read the test immediately as it will continue to change color over time.

If the live rock (LR) was smelly (foul smelling) with dirty black areas, it is curing and will take time to process. This can take 3 weeks or more.

What salinity are you keeping your tank at currently? Do you have good circulation? What filtration have you installed? I'm just trying to get an idea of what you've got to work with so we can help you better.]
 
[I have a Rena Filstarxp3 filter it is moving the water.I have a saltwater master test kit and it says to wait 5 min for results, it only takes a couple of mins to turn green. The live rock I bought from some one selling their tank after a year it was apretty purple color when I put it in the tank. The test kit is the drops you put in a test tube with water from the tank. and the salt level is between the lines on the meter the pet store told me to get.]
 
[Linda:

Actually being betweeen the lines on the hydrometer is good. But let me warn you. Many on here are very picky. they want you to tell them the exact reading. So humor them and do it. There is a huge amount of knowledge here and they will help, but you have to follow procedure " no looks pretty good " answers.]
 
[What kind of water are you using, RO/DI or tap? The brown on your rocks could be diatoms. Diatoms as I understand it can be found in newly set up tank and also found when using tap water with high phosphates. I am new to saltwater myself and I am sure that someone with more knowlege will step in and correct me.

Another thing to look at would be how much water flow you have. 180 gallon tank (could you talk my wife into letting me have one) is alot of water and I would expect your filter may need some help getting enough flow going for the tank ( as I under stand it your want 10 to 15 times flow so about 1800 gph for your tank, again someone speak up if I need to be corrected please).

Lighting is another thing you might want to post information about.]
 
[Thought of another question. What kind of substrate do you have. Maybe you can get some live sand to help seed your substrate and help the tank along.]
 
[1.021 on the deep six meter. What is substrate? Is that the crushed shell I put on the bottom of the tank? I am using tap water. What are diatoms?]



Edited By linda383 on 1103078295
 
[Lake Fork, Texas? does that mean you are on a well? If you are using tap water and the tap water comes out of the ground or ( the lake) you may be high in algae in your water source. Do you have access to filtered water? Can you buy it from a local source? Like a local fish store?

Many here have a Reverse osmosis filtration system to remove most impurities from their water before it goes in the tank. Some of us have RO/DI units :shifty: It takes the impurities down to near zero. Means less algae blooms in the tank. You could be high in several things which fuel algae growth or high in algae in your water.]
 
[I agree with Gary. A RO/DI unit would be very beneficial for u. I have been in freshwater for years and 2 yrs in saltwater. I started salt using tap water, and it was very bad. Your Tap water will have alot of total dissolved solids or TDS, be high in chlorine and such. A RO/DI unit will move most of these and will keep your tank healthier. I bought a 100 gpd RO/DI unit and it was the best investment for my tank so far. I also can just make RO water and thats where i get my drinking water from.

You will eventually need a TDS meter. These are just little meters that tell you what the lvl of TDS is. You can get these pretty cheap on ebay. I have included a link, this is what I have and it works great.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws....03&rd=1

Diatoms info can be found at http://www.mbari.org/staff/conn/botany/diatoms/jennifer/introa.htm :cool grin:]
 
[Linda, have you read over this brief overview yet?

http://www.melevsreef.com/overview.htm

If you can maintain your water near Natural Seawater (NSW) levels, you'll be able to not only maintain that pretty purple coralline algae, but even enjoy further growth. But you'll need your water tests to give you these results:

Salinity - 1.026 (for a reef tank)
pH - 8.0 to 8.3
Temp - 79 to 81F (this varies with various reefkeepers)
Calcium - 400 to 450 ppm
Alkalinity - 8 to 11 dKH
Nitrate - 10ppm or less
Nitrite - 0
Ammonia - 0
Phosphate - .03 or less

If your water isn't in these ranges, the tank will not do as well as it could. What water is your source water? As pointed out above, RO/DI water is better than tap water for an number of reasons.]
 
[I filled the tank from tap water. It is 180 gallons, do I need to drain it and start over or is there something I can add to it to make it right. It has been about three weeks and the ammonia is still real high. I will find an RO/DI unit and set it up Is that the same as a skimmer? My jets on the filter system are facing down do I need to turn them up? Marc the site you sent to me was really helpful, Thanks Is there a test kit that I need to get to test for all the things you listed for me? The one I have test the ammonia nitrite nitrate and Ph. I added the proper pH8.2 powder and the Ph is reading correct.Thanks again for the help, I really want to do this right But I would like to have fish one day.]
 
[Linda, the site I sent you to is my own. I update it frequently and try to be helpful for to others.

Here is the main page: Melev's Reef

From that page, you can scroll down to the information about an RO/DI unit. It is a water filtration unit to provide your tank with pure water for the best results. RO/DI units are sold in many fish stores, online, and via Ebay. Matter of fact, I wrote an article about why an RO/DI unit is worthwhile in one of our newsletters:

January 2004 Newsletter

If you click on Hidden Treasure on my main page, you'll find all kinds of information sorted by category.

Since you used Tap water to start the tank, did you use a product like Seachem's "Prime" to remove chlorine & ammonia from the water? If so, you don't have to replace all the water yet. But as you do water changes with water from your RO/DI unit, it will dilute and eventually replace all the tap water in your system.]
 
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