Ammonia

[OCDP]

Kind of a long post, I apologize. I'll also note, I was keeping a 20g tank about a year and a half ago and just recently got another 20g system used.

I purchased a used setup from a fellow reefer on Tuesday. Tank inhabitants are a Coral Beauty and 2 Ocellaris Clowns. Set everything up on Tuesday night, everything settled in just fine. Woke up Wednesday, tested for Nitrite and Ammonia with ELOS test kits. Nitrites were 0, and Ammonia was below 0.05.

I should note that on Tuesday I also added some zoos and a mini GBTA to the tank. Again, both settled in fine.

However, I woke up Thursday morning to find my GBTA stuck on a powerhead intake. It was beat up, but not dead. I took it off the intake, and was left with 2 very tiny GBTA's. They both look like they are recovering well.. inflating, foot is attatched, generally just looking like they are recovering well. There were small bits of tentacles flowing through the tank, but very very few, not enough for me to start worrying about it decaying and spiking the tank.

So here's where I may have made a careless mistake. On Thursday evening I added a purple firefish and a plate coral to the tank. Again, all settling in very well.. I had no suspisions of anything being wrong with paramaters whatsoever.

So I test my tank again today. Nitrites 0, Ammonia is at 1 on the ELOS test kits. Is this extremely bad? I know this is a noob question, but I just can't judge how bad this is.

Now let me also mention (and I am sorry for this very lengthy post) that everything in my tank appears to be doing extremely well. The fish are active, swimming, eating, and greeting me at the tank. They APPEAR to be completely fine.. however I am worried that there's probably more than meets the eye?

I did a 20% water change after the test... I re-tested and I am still at Ammonia reading of 1 (maybe SLIGHTLY less dark in colour than before)

My problem and my main question after all this ranting is, I am extremely sick right now, horrible fever, can barely get off the couch. The water change today was a nightmare on my body.

Based on my observations, I htink everything looks absolutely fine. Corals are open, fish are active, eating, and have no visible physical problems... will my tank be okay for one more night without a water change? I have to work tomorrow and I need all the rest I can get tonight.

Forgive me for this story length post, to whoever reads this, thanks for getting this far, and I appreciate your help. Please don't flame me for this, I thought everything was fine.. I am wondering if my ammonia spike is the mix of the GBTA getting sucked up, and the addition of a new purple firefish.

My firefish is doing well, just being very shy and hiding in rocks. I watch their breathing and it all seems good. I thought I had everything under control, but maybe with the year and a half away I am forgetting a lot.

*edit* I will add, I am skimming with a remora nano, and am running foam and carbon in an aquaclear 50 (sponge is brand new)
I will also note, that of course, today when I looked in the tank, it looked the best that it has since wednesday.. go figure

Thanks for your time

[boxfishpooalot]

It should be fine if fish are showing normal sighns. A lot of test kits for ammonia will show some ammonia. Its not much to worry about.

Bacteria act fast in established systems. Any fish deaths?

If you have some amquel, add it to remove ammonia.

[weluvfish54]

kind of alot of livestock for such a newly set up tank? wasnt that over like a weeks period of time..?

[OCDP]

boxfishpooalot: The fish are not showing any signs at all. There has been no fish deaths either. I'll look into getting some Amquel.

weluvfish54: This is not a newly setup tank. I bought this from a local reefer who had this setup for 5 months. Everything *should* be established. The Coral Beauty & 2 Clowns came with the system. I added the purple firefish and GBTA.

[boxfishpooalot]

The best sighn of ammonia stress is fish deaths and fish gasping at the surface for air.

Im not 100% sure if its amquel. But there is something to be used for ammonia. Could be ammo-lock..

[nonamehavei]

IMHO 1ppm ammonia is unacceptable, you could be doing permanent damage to your livestock without it being plainly visible. On the other hand from firsthand experience I know Prime will lower ammonia in an emergency.

[OCDP]

My Elos test kits go by mg/l (not sure if that's the same as ppm)

I have Prime and I just added some to the tank. It sucks because everything in the tank looks absolutely fine. I am glad I tested today anyways.