Matt LeBaron May 24, 2015 Share May 24, 2015 So my quarantine tank has a constant low ammonia level for a reason I cannot identify so thought I'd let all the smart people here take a stab at the mystery. Background: 10 gallon tank last used for some Chromis that had uronema/brooklynella, treated with anti bacterials (neoplex) at first and then with metronidazole. Lost half of the Chromis but two made it into the DT after three healthy weeks. Emptied the 10 gallon filled it with fresh water and a bit of bleach and then let it run for a day or two with all equipment. Emptied it again refilled with fresh water and added water conditioner to absorb any bleach still there. Let it run for another couple of days. Emptied it again and set it back up with just the heater and a new HOB filter. Nothing else besides those two items. This is when I got one of those ammonia alert tabs that hang in the tank. It immediately turned green when I put it in, which means 0.02 free ammonia or .25 mg/l. This confused me so I put the tab in both my DT and mixing station and it reported no ammonia in either. So drained the 10G to about 1/2 inch water and refilled it from my mixing station. Let the tab sit and it still reported the same 0.02 free ammonia. So the only two things in the tank right now are an aqueon HOB filter and an old Rena heater but ammonia is coming from some where. I also picked up a normal ammonia test and it just about agrees with the tab but the level of ammonia is so low it's tough to know for sure but I think the test is reporting more than 0. So any ideas where the ammonia is coming from? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khh27 May 24, 2015 Share May 24, 2015 Test the water going into the tank. This could Id whether it is the water or equipment. If it tests zero look into the filter having any residual ammonia leaching. That's where I would start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmerek2 May 24, 2015 Share May 24, 2015 Kitty cats love to pee in tanks. Check for that Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt LeBaron May 24, 2015 Author Share May 24, 2015 I tested the water in my mixing station. The cat thing is a possibility though. Maybe try cleaning the tank out again and keeping the door to my fiah room closed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmerek2 May 25, 2015 Share May 25, 2015 Another i would check is the water coming out of your RO. If they are using chloramine to treat the water where you live you could be getting a low amount of Ammonia in your final RO filtered water. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sen5241b May 26, 2015 Share May 26, 2015 (edited) ... Emptied it again and set it back up with just the heater and a new HOB filter. Nothing else besides those two items. ... Its a tank with all new water and no rock or sand. Sounds like the ammonia is the start of a normal cycle Edited May 26, 2015 by sen5241b Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt LeBaron May 27, 2015 Author Share May 27, 2015 So emptied it, cleaned it out again and set it back up. Kept the door to my fish room closed and so far ammonia is staying at 0. So maybe the cats were using it for a litter box but the whole thing was really odd because of the low level, if the cat was peeing in it I would expect a higher level of ammonia. This may just remain a mystery honestly... Gmerek2: I'm on well water but I did test the newly mixed salt water I used for the tank and it was fine. Sen5241b: The tank is a quarentine tank so it will likely never cycle since I don't keep any sand or rock in it and I normally tear it down unless I need it. Just some plastic plants to make the fish feel like they have some protection. I just have it set up now because I'm doing a bit of restocking in my 90G after my seahorses moved into their new home in the 29G cube I set up for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmerek2 May 27, 2015 Share May 27, 2015 Yea I bet it's just some tiny amount of leftover organics decomposing since it hasn't been cycled. Any ammonia is not good for the fish so try to at least get some sort of cycle done Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt LeBaron May 27, 2015 Author Share May 27, 2015 I just do water changes to keep the ammonia down when I'm using the tank as a quarantine or hospital tank, at 10G it's small enough for that to be easy and I don't even fill it all the way up. The tank gets torn down when it's not in use and it has seen so many varieties of medication over the course of it's 7+ year life that it would be a waste of rock to keep putting in new rock only to have to toss it once some type of nasty medication was used on the tank. I just keep it around for emergency purposes for the most part. The last fish I got were two seahorses about 2 years ago so it hasn't been setup since then because I haven't had any sick fish during that period either. I only set it back up now because I am getting some new live stock since my 90G has some room now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sen5241b May 27, 2015 Share May 27, 2015 ... it will likely never cycle since I don't keep any sand or rock in it a lack of sand and rock will not prevent a cycle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt LeBaron May 28, 2015 Author Share May 28, 2015 Me not wanting to keep the tank setup in my workshop using power when I don't need it will though. Do people keep quarentine tanks up 24/7/365 normally? i'm a bit confused on the insistence of keeping a cycled quarentine tank ready to go when there are some medications out there that will wipe out all of the bacteria the first time you use it, not to mention that I bleach the tank after every use to make sure no pathogens get passed on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesprite May 28, 2015 Share May 28, 2015 (edited) Me not wanting to keep the tank setup in my workshop using power when I don't need it will though. Do people keep quarentine tanks up 24/7/365 normally? i'm a bit confused on the insistence of keeping a cycled quarentine tank ready to go when there are some medications out there that will wipe out all of the bacteria the first time you use it, not to mention that I bleach the tank after every use to make sure no pathogens get passed on. I only set them up when I need them, and I have never had a problem with ammonia in a QT. Do a LOT of water changes. Edited May 28, 2015 by treesprite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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