HIGH AMMONIA LEVELS UPDATE II

[nightrydaz04]

Well, my ammonia is finally starting to go down and my live rock looks great. I just recently added a penguin 550 power head so hopefully that will help out alot. So far it looks like it will get the job done. ALOT better than a stinking bubble wand LOL. I took my fish back to the fish store but they wouldn't hold them till' my tank finishes cycling so I had to let them go for $15 measly buck but I'd rather them be in those tanks than in an ammonia bomb. I just hope they goto a good home with an aneneme or however it's spelled. I think I'll be able to start adding fish next week hopefully...
Today's Stats:
PH - 7.8
NO2 - 5.0 ppm
NO3 - 20 ppm
Ammonia - 8.0ppm
Salinity - 1.021
Should I worry about these levels or will they continue to drop?

I did a 20% water change today I was away for 3 days and the ammonia was at an 8.0 when I got back but after the water change it dropped an incredible amount so I think I'm in the clear however a couple hours later it was back to an eight however my N02 and N03 levels are finally developing. =)

Any advice for what I should do / buy next?
20 gal. LR
Penguin 330 Bio-Wheel
Penguin 550 Power Head
15 lbs. Live Rock

 

[wayne]

I'd do a pretty hefty water change, siphoning debris off the bottom. Probably 2 one today, one sunday, and if ammonia is at 8 it might be 25 or 50 %
When ammonia has stabilised hopefully your pH will rise above 8 where it needs to be.

 

[1979camaro]

remember, too, that nitrite messes up your nitrate test so there isn't much point in doing one until the nitrites have zeroed out.

as far as what to buy next, I would get a skimmer.

as far as "fish in a week" i would say thats pretty doubtful.

 

[aresgod]

agreed, give your tank time, this is not a race, if it was my tank i would wait untill levels have been @ zero and stable for atleast 2 weeks before adding fish, but thats just me
Brahm

 

[nightrydaz04]

Thanks for the advice guys, I know it sounds like I'm in a hurry but I've been down that route before ask camaro right now I'm just wishful think until everything does 0 out. I was also wondering if it's possible to raise a healthy anenome in a 20 gallon tank right now I'm using a 100k lighting is this sufficient or I've read that 50k or 60k would work better?

 

[1979camaro]

100k lighting? im not sure what you mean by that exactly

20g is pretty small for an anemone because they need very high water quality. the potential for disaster is great with so little water...temperature flucuates easily, one dead fish could in theory kill the anemone...its best to not go the anemone route

 

[S.Reef]

I bet you mean 10000K, 5500K, and 6500K. I would noe recommend an anemone to a 2o gallon tank. To unstable, to small and potentially dangerous to other inhabitants in the tank.

 

[nightrydaz04]

Day 9 Tank Stats:
PH - back up to 8.3 (marine buffer)
no2 - 5.0 ppm + (can't really test for this until no3 goes down)
no3 - 160
ammonia - 8.0ppm
salinity - 1.021

Thinking about doing a waterchange tommorrow making the water tonight so it'll be ready for tommorrow...

When should my nitrates go down?

 

[1979camaro]

im a bit confused by this post, NO3 is nitrate, NO2 is nitrite...so, really, you cant test for NO3 until your NO2 is down to zero. Nitrates, however, will not magically disapear...you need to rely on water changes to keep nitrate levels low. that ammonia is getting high again so you better do a water change and just wait on that to get itself under control before you worry about the nitrite and nitrate

 

[nightrydaz04]

Is aeration really a bad bad horrible thing with saltwater tanks or can i keep my bubbles?

 

[nightrydaz04]

I don't have them on full blast just enough so i can see the water movement? I know it sounds gay but i like my bubbles