How long from Ammonia spike until increased nitrate & nitrite in established tank?

[duganderson]

In an established tank, how long would you estimate that it would take for an ammonia spike (from dead fish, bacteria bloom, dying coral) to lead to increased Nitrite and Nitrate test results?

My tank is a 28 g. nano cube with 21 lbs of live rock, floss, and an upflow algae scrubber for filtration that is 2+ years old. Soon, I will be adding about 1" of sand too. It has 3 small fish, a few snails, softies, 2 lps, 1 sps, 2 rbta and a moderate amount of macro algae in the main (red grape and dragon's breath)

Thanks

[MrIcky]

Not very long at all- an established tank is extremely effective at getting rid of ammonia.

[bertoni]

You might never see any increase in the nitrite or nitrate levels at all. Unless the spike is large, I suspect the level won't change. Adding sand might never show any effects at all.

[duganderson]

Not very long at all- an established tank is extremely effective at getting rid of ammonia.

Would you guess 24 hours or even less than that?

[duganderson]

You might never see any increase in the nitrite or nitrate levels at all. Unless the spike is large, I suspect the level won't change. Adding sand might never show any effects at all.

I thought amonia always went through the cycle so wouldn't it always lead to an increase in nitrite and then nitrate? If not, please explain.

[tmz]

In an established tank ammonia oxidation including nitrite oxidation can occur quickly. If denitirfying bacteria are also in the tank the nitrate reduction may also occur quickly. All three or any one may not always show up on test kits even when a small spike in ammonia occurs.

Some ammonia and nitrogen may also be taken up directly by organisms outside the nitrification /denitrication process.

[brandon429]

and to that I would add that nutrient sinking in most tanks commonly creates a consistent nitrate pump such that a single decent daily feeding overdo or this occasional ammonia spike (if it indeed occur, what kind of test kits involved here) might not really register to the degree we can see it.

I think OP was asking does the extra ammonia from a possible spike still go through its phases and wind up as nitrate, and we said yes Im just adding that it may not mean much considering the usual waste cycling in marine tanks with fish etc

[bertoni]

I thought amonia always went through the cycle so wouldn't it always lead to an increase in nitrite and then nitrate? If not, please explain.
Well, yes, but here we're worried about a measurable increase. Bacteria can multiply and otherwise expand their intake rapidly to consume an increased nutrient load, so any "spike" might easily be in the testing noise.

[duganderson]

Thanks for your responses so far.

The motivation for my question was the following. One of my clowns seemed to be breathing heavily yesterday morning and I was worried about an amonia spike for unknown reason. I do not have an ammonia test but do have Salifert Nitrate.

I tested my tank last night and tonight and am at 0 Nitrate (Salifert).

Is it unlikely I had a significant ammonia spike if my nitrate is a 0 this morning which is 24 hrs. later?

[brandon429]

Yes, unlikely. Aside from death of a fish, dosing antibiotics to a tank, or disturbing unreasonable amounts of organic piles of waste, gross over feeding, or unusual source water issues, having free ammonia in an established tank that remains long enough to be detected doesnt happen that I can recall. There would be no source in the description to overcome the massive surface area which would 'eat' it up quickly

[tmz]

The absence of NO3 after 24 hours of a suspected ammonia spike is not a reliable indicator as to whether an ammonia spike occurred or not. NO2 might be more so but I still wouldn't count on it a acdurate measure for NH3/4.
Having said that ,absent some type of overload of decaying material , it seems unlikely you got an ammonia spike in an established system. Labored breathing by fish can be caused by a number of things including a bacterial bloom which may or may not be related to ammonia. a variety of ailments and diseases as well as precipitants like lanthanum phosphate clogging breathing apparatuses.

[bertoni]

Tanks can suffer an ammonia spike that harms animals without registering any nitrate at a later point in time. A number of people have reported this, anyway.