Aquaphilic
New Member
Hello all! I've just recently set up a reef tank. But I am very new to all this..
My tank is about 80G equipped with a nano protein skimmer, a water filtration pump and laid with coral bedding.
I set up the tank according to my LFS's instruction. Mix salt in water, pour the sand in. Pour beneficial bacteria daily for 3 weeks. In second week, I introduced two live rocks.
After three weeks, I introduced 3 small fish into the tank, two clownfish and a blue tang.
They were healthy and happy in the new tank, so I decided to buy some anemone (bubble tip) for the clownfish. The anemone were healthy and blooming for about 1 week.. then there was an ammonia spike. (I am not sure if its the bacteria cycle or the anemone died) and nuked my bluetang and other beloved fish.
After detox, adding protein skimmer, daily water changes and water quality monitoring. The water quality stabilised and became very clear. I continue to add bacteria into the water to improve the biological filtration (is this a stupid thing to do? Cause I know they turn waste into ammonia during a cycle).
However, I am getting recurring water quality problem. Just 2 days after the water became crystal clear. The fish in my tank started going crazy by swimming upside down and trying to pop out the water surface. I figured there is something wrong with the water. A small water changes helped them for now. They stopped swimming upside down, and their scale return to their normal colour.
The fish were gasping for breath on water surface. However the water was very clear... I am not sure why there was suddenly another ammonia spike. I just want to ask if it is okay to maintain daily small dose of beneficial bacteria into the tank? How do I know the biological filtration has matured?
I wanted to introduce more fish and anemone, but I fear the ammonia spike will happen again.. it happened for about 3-4 times, I managed to save the blue tang once by changing water, but another ammonia spike killed her..
I feel so ashame and confused about the recurring ammonia spike, is it caused by the bacteria cycle? How often does it happen? How do I prevent another ammonia spike? I know waste accumulates under the coral sand, the bacteria I've been adding doesn't seems to do anything in terms of waste recycling.
The protein skimmer is keeping the water clean... but despite clear water without yellow tint, what seemed like an ammonia spike happened again.. fish were swimming upside down and sideway, couldn't balance themselve. Their scale are turning brown... seems like nitrite/ammonia poisoning to me.. it came on very suddenly as I was watching the fish... lucky I was watch them starting to go nuts, so I could do an emergency water change and detox the water.
Can someone please give me some tips on preventing ammonia spike? I reduced feeding substantially. However, it still happens without apparent cause. My LFS told me to add more bacteria and detox the toxins with some chemical. But I am still very weary that it will happen again in the future and if I am not around, my tank will be nuked.
Whats the proper way to prevent sudden toxins rise in the water? I cant be changing the water every 2nd days... they happen between 2-3 days period.
I've read that ozonizer helps remove the nitrite and other toxins, but ozone is also very toxic to the aquarium lives. I've recently bought an ozoniser, but I do not know how to introduce ozone into the water to remove toxins. I've also read that ozonizer works great with protein skimmer as ozone readily react with the harmful toxins and precipitate them allowing them to be filtered. It also increase oxygen solubility of the water too!
If anyone can give me some tips on how to prevent ammonia spike or a proper way to use the ozone, it would be greatly appreciated.. I felt really distress watching my fish struggle and live again... and then another spike would take their life unknowingly.
Thank you in advance.
Note: I've not added any anemone ever since first ammonia spike. I understand that cloudy water and foul smell indicates ammonia, but my water was very clear in the last spike. I could see the fish going nut. One of them even pop out of the water trying to get away from the water.
My tank is about 80G equipped with a nano protein skimmer, a water filtration pump and laid with coral bedding.
I set up the tank according to my LFS's instruction. Mix salt in water, pour the sand in. Pour beneficial bacteria daily for 3 weeks. In second week, I introduced two live rocks.
After three weeks, I introduced 3 small fish into the tank, two clownfish and a blue tang.
They were healthy and happy in the new tank, so I decided to buy some anemone (bubble tip) for the clownfish. The anemone were healthy and blooming for about 1 week.. then there was an ammonia spike. (I am not sure if its the bacteria cycle or the anemone died) and nuked my bluetang and other beloved fish.
After detox, adding protein skimmer, daily water changes and water quality monitoring. The water quality stabilised and became very clear. I continue to add bacteria into the water to improve the biological filtration (is this a stupid thing to do? Cause I know they turn waste into ammonia during a cycle).
However, I am getting recurring water quality problem. Just 2 days after the water became crystal clear. The fish in my tank started going crazy by swimming upside down and trying to pop out the water surface. I figured there is something wrong with the water. A small water changes helped them for now. They stopped swimming upside down, and their scale return to their normal colour.
The fish were gasping for breath on water surface. However the water was very clear... I am not sure why there was suddenly another ammonia spike. I just want to ask if it is okay to maintain daily small dose of beneficial bacteria into the tank? How do I know the biological filtration has matured?
I wanted to introduce more fish and anemone, but I fear the ammonia spike will happen again.. it happened for about 3-4 times, I managed to save the blue tang once by changing water, but another ammonia spike killed her..
I feel so ashame and confused about the recurring ammonia spike, is it caused by the bacteria cycle? How often does it happen? How do I prevent another ammonia spike? I know waste accumulates under the coral sand, the bacteria I've been adding doesn't seems to do anything in terms of waste recycling.
The protein skimmer is keeping the water clean... but despite clear water without yellow tint, what seemed like an ammonia spike happened again.. fish were swimming upside down and sideway, couldn't balance themselve. Their scale are turning brown... seems like nitrite/ammonia poisoning to me.. it came on very suddenly as I was watching the fish... lucky I was watch them starting to go nuts, so I could do an emergency water change and detox the water.
Can someone please give me some tips on preventing ammonia spike? I reduced feeding substantially. However, it still happens without apparent cause. My LFS told me to add more bacteria and detox the toxins with some chemical. But I am still very weary that it will happen again in the future and if I am not around, my tank will be nuked.
Whats the proper way to prevent sudden toxins rise in the water? I cant be changing the water every 2nd days... they happen between 2-3 days period.
I've read that ozonizer helps remove the nitrite and other toxins, but ozone is also very toxic to the aquarium lives. I've recently bought an ozoniser, but I do not know how to introduce ozone into the water to remove toxins. I've also read that ozonizer works great with protein skimmer as ozone readily react with the harmful toxins and precipitate them allowing them to be filtered. It also increase oxygen solubility of the water too!
If anyone can give me some tips on how to prevent ammonia spike or a proper way to use the ozone, it would be greatly appreciated.. I felt really distress watching my fish struggle and live again... and then another spike would take their life unknowingly.
Thank you in advance.
Note: I've not added any anemone ever since first ammonia spike. I understand that cloudy water and foul smell indicates ammonia, but my water was very clear in the last spike. I could see the fish going nut. One of them even pop out of the water trying to get away from the water.
