Water Test Result Question

[1jared1]

Ok, I checked the ammonia level in my 10 gallon tank. There were 0.50 ppm. I then proceeded to change 5 gallons of the water, which is like 65% with all the sand in the tank. I then let the tank run for about 2 hours, then checked the ammonia level again. It still read at 0.50 ppm. Why is it the same?

 

[class clown]

it shouldn't.. here are a couple ideas of what could be causing it..

1) bad test kit (most likely)

2) bad water (less likely, but still possible)

Next batch of water you make up, I'd do a test on it before you introduce it to the tank. then you can see if your still getting those readings. How are you making up your water now - (i.e -what source of water? how and when are you mixing it?)

 

[1jared1]

I tested the water before I added the salt and the water didn't have any trace of ammonia in it. I'm getting my water from the tap here at work (the tank is in my office) I mix it up 1 gallon at a time in an old water jug.

I've got another question, do you think it would help to add some live rock? I got some of the black sand from the fish store when I first set up the tank, won't dead sand eventually become live sand in time?

 

[Krish]

If the tank is newly setup then the reason why you are probably reading ammonia is because you haven't built up the proper bacteria in your tank to convert the ammonia into nitrites (which are then are converted into nitrates by another bacteria etc). What that usually means is the tank is still in the cycling process and water changes shouldn't really be carried out just yet until things have run it's course and the proper bacteria colonies have been formed...Just a thought

 

[Krish]

I've got another question, do you think it would help to add some live rock? I got some of the black sand from the fish store when I first set up the tank, won't dead sand eventually become live sand in time?

I missed this part...Do you have any livestock in the tank and what are you using for filtration if you don't have any live rock? Also, you will need something to seed the sand with for it to become live sand.

 

[class clown]

Yep - get some live rock for sure. the good stuff from the rock can also seed the sand. I just saw Idemke's got some sand you could use to seed your tank with too.

any critters in the tank yet? a crab? snail? damsel?

 

[1jared1]

I have three tiny clowns, 4 scarlet hermit crabs, & 2 emerald crabs. I am using a penguin 150 filter. Will the dead sand become live by itself? Because I also have traces of nitrates and nitrites. I guess that getting some live rock would take care of the problem. Do you guys know where the best place is to get some nice live rock?

 

[class clown]

I was at reef mystique yesterday and usually I don't get excited about LR, but wil & sandy had some really nice stuff for a really good price too. not sure where you're located.

Also, to get little creatures (pods, worms, good bacteria, and other weird things that do good stuff in the tank to make your sand and rock live) you have to figure out some way of introducing them to the tank. LR is a great way to do this, and seeding your sterile sand with other sand that may have these things is a good way too.

think of it this way.. they can't just appear out of nowhere right, so you'll definatley need to figure out some way of introducing it to the sterile invironment. make sense?

 

[Krish]

I have three tiny clowns, 4 scarlet hermit crabs, & 2 emerald crabs. I am using a penguin 150 filter. Will the dead sand become live by itself? Because I also have traces of nitrates and nitrites. I guess that getting some live rock would take care of the problem. Do you guys know where the best place is to get some nice live rock?

So...Going on everything you've mentioned here already, you shouldn't have any livestock in your tank. Not having any live sand nor any live rock, you have no way of performing biological filtration in your tank and thus the reason you are reading ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. All the livestock should be removed IMO, live rock needs to be added and the tank given sufficient time to cycle. Exposing livestock to ammonia and even nitrite are very harmful to your critters (even death) thus the reason it is not recommended to add any livestock until your tank has cycled and can process ammonia and nitrite.

 

[balogh03]

where are you located? you should probly just ask your LFS to take the live stock for now and then in a month or so after you get the rock you can get some more. you could also find a freind that could hold you live stock that way you wont have to buy more.

 

[Scooterman]

Small tanks are difficult to control, I see your using tap water, in most cases that there is a disaster for problems. The sb is holding waste & not enough bacterial nitrification to neutralize it, you need to seed it with some LS or from another tank. Your filter needs the media cartridge replaced often also. If you add LR that will help but you may be in for some problems because this will cause spikes because you already have & unbalance in your tank, I would consider putting your live stock in qt or another holding tank until you can stabilize what you have, be responsible please & consider what your doing will impact everything in such a small tank.

 

[1jared1]

Wouldn't the fact that there are levels of nitrates and nitrites in the water indicate that there is bacteria in the tank? None of the inhabitants in the tank show any signs of anything being wrong. If the water was really bad then my crabs would be dead right? When adding LR to the tank why would I have to take the fish out if the live rock had already been cycled?

 

[1jared1]

My tank has been up and running for two months now. The ammonia and nitrate levels are low and I keep the nitrite levels down with water changes every two weeks, I just wanted to find out why I was getting the same ammonia readings before and after the water change.

 

[balogh03]

If the water was really bad then my crabs would be dead right?

not dead because your levels arent way out of balance, but maybe dying because your on the line? as for adding rock, even if it is fully cured rock, stirring things up in a tank that small could do some damage to water quality. i dont know exactly why you water test the same after a water change, but i am going to take a shot at it...if you are running pads for you filter, those pads catch all the particles and waste. But, none of that waste ever leaves the tank because all of your water is still flowing through that(unless you clean it every day). once you get your tank going again look into some Macro algae and a nano skimmer.

somebody can correct me if i am wrong
-augustus

 

[Krish]

Wouldn't the fact that there are levels of nitrates and nitrites in the water indicate that there is bacteria in the tank

Correct, but not enough bacteria to keep these levels at 0 which is what you should be shooting for. After 2 months, you shouldn't be seeing any traces of ammonia atleast.

None of the inhabitants in the tank show any signs of anything being wrong. If the water was really bad then my crabs would be dead right? When adding LR to the tank why would I have to take the fish out if the live rock had already been cycled?

"Ammonia" won't just kill your fish. It all depends on the levels, but even a little ammonia can damage their gills and harm them in the long run. The higher the levels, the more severe the damage and even death can occur. Same goes for nitrite even though it is not as toxic as ammonia. If the rock you are adding is fully cured, then you won't have to remove your fish, but if it isn't and you experience some die off, depending on how much die off you experience, your ammonia and nitrite can go through the roof which can cause the same problems as discussed above. This is why some people would take caution with adding more rock to a tank and do it without any livestock in it.

My tank has been up and running for two months now. The ammonia and nitrate levels are low and I keep the nitrite levels down with water changes every two weeks, I just wanted to find out why I was getting the same ammonia readings before and after the water change.

If all you wanted to find out is why you are getting the same ammonia readings before and after the water change, then it can only mean two things...Either your test kit is bad or your make up water contains ammonia in it and you are just adding it to the tank.

 

[dnjan]

I tested the water before I added the salt and the water didn't have any trace of ammonia in it. I'm getting my water from the tap here at work (the tank is in my office) I mix it up 1 gallon at a time in an old water jug.

Test the water after mixing.

You may need to aerate the saltwater after mixing. (before adding to your tank)

 

[Scooterman]

As mentioned above If you add fully cured LR or even un-cured LR you will have a problem is this particular situation because the added Bio-load is going to cause a demand on the rock. The fact that rock is cured doesn't mean when put in a tank it is at equilibrium, you loose that balance because you have ammonia, nitrates & nitrites, right away the bacteria on the rock will start growing, multiplying & feeding on the frenzy of available food, this will spike hard enough to possibly kill your entire tank, depending on the condition of the rock & the amount of rock. The people here are trying to help you understand this, don't take the information provided wrong. The first thing any reefer will tell you when starting gout is READ, Read & Read, it take years before you will have enough experience to really understand what is going on & even then you still are learning, so don't take any of this to offense but rather a bunch of friendly people trying to help you!

 

[1jared1]

So what if I was to put some old (not used in a tank in over a year) live rock into the tank and then add some of the bacteria that you can buy at the fish stores?

 

[Krish]

If the rock has been out of a tank for over a year, it won't be live rock anymore, but base rock. Also, where the bacteria you can buy in the bottle in the fish store is concerned, I don't personally use them for saltwater tanks. I personally rather add some live rock and seed the tank. Just a thought

 

[balogh03]

the pont of live rock is to get the "live" off of the rock. with bacteria in a bottle, you still wouldnt get any of the bugs and stuff.