4 day old salt water tank has high amonia levels how do i bring them down a did a water change ,?

Question

theres live rock in the tank and the tank is very new how long will it take for my tank to be ready my fish are dying its so sad
is there anything i can do , are salt water tanks very hard to keep this is my first salt tank its 4 days old

Answer 1

The first two answerers are correct. There will be organisms on the live rock that will die off. This is the cause of your ammonia. The "live" doesn't refer to the organisms you see, but the bacteria the rock contains. These bacteria will convert the ammonia (which is toxic to your fish) to nitrite (also toxic), then to nitrate, which they an handle in small amounts - as low as you can keep it is preferred, but definitely less than 30ppm for inverts, less than 40 pmm for fish. Until your ammonia and nitrite levels are zero, your fish will be highly stressed, at the very least.

Right now, if your testing shows you have ammonia in your tank, the bacteria haven't multiplied enough to build a large enough population that they can convert what the dieing organisms from th rock and your fish are producing. A water change of about 25% will help. Test again in a few days and see if another change is needed. Eventually, your ammonia readings will be = 0, and you'll only see nitrite and nitrate, and finally only nitrate. This is when your tank is fully cycled and can support your fish. This process can take a few weeks to a few months, depending on if you allow the bacteria to build up (you should) or not (by trying to clean too thoroughly). Since you're using live rock, if the bacteria are in good shape, they will multiply faster the more rock you've got in the tank. See this link for more on what to expect from your tank cycling: http://www.firsttankguide.net/cycle.php

From my saltwater experiences, the more research you do as far as tank set-up, equipment, fish care and compatibility, and the like, the fewer problems you'll have overall and the easier it will be. If you don't, you'll find that saltwater can be very frustrating and expensive - from dying fish to equipment you don't need or didn't choose properly for your tank set-up.

I would recommend that you get a good saltwater aquarium book written for a beginner's level and read through it. If you don't want to buy, try your library. Websites can be "iffy" as far as the quality of the information you get, especially on open forums such as this where anyone cananswer a question. If you look at any forums, try to use one that uses moderators (panel of experts) as long as they have the qualifications to be answering and giving others advice.

Some books I'd recommend are The New Marine Aquarium by Michael S. Paletta. Microcosm Ltd. ISBN 1-890087-52-1
or The Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Robert M. Fenner. Microcosm Ltd. ISBN 1-890087-02-5

A good website is http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ with the author of the second book listed above as one of the moderators - he's a marine scientist and a saltwater fishkeeper. The site has articles as well as previous questions asked on the forum, very nicely organized by topics.

Answer 2

Is this a newly set up tank? If so it may well be a natural cycle. The cloudiness is a called a biological bloom and will clear up after a few days. If it's an older tank I would suggest re-evaluating your feeding schedule and amounts as most times it's an overfeeding issue. Sometimes too you can force a tank into a mini-cycle by adding new fish or having a fish die that isn't quickly removed from the tank. If the tank is new, stop doing water changes and just let the tank sit. If it's older, continue with 20% water changes weekly until conditions improve and consider adding some ammonia remover to your filter media. I wouldn't do more than a 20% change at a time or you may just cause your tank to cycle all over again, in turn causing what you're trying to prevent. Best of luck!

Answer 3

Copperhead is right. NO fish should be in your tank at this time or within a few weeks. Salt water is not like fresh water and this is the main problem when going to salt. Live sand and Live rock does not mean you can toss them in the tank with fish. Your ammonia is spiking because you have no biofilter. 4 days isn't enough to sustain the live rock let alone any fish.

you should take your fish back to the store to save them. Have them hold them for you for a few weeks or get a credit and get new ones.

Salt water tanks are very easy if you set them up the proper way. PATIENCE. When starting a salt tank, live rock is not added at the start. After a week you add a few pounds, then two weeks later a few more until you reach the amount of rock you want to end up with.

The bacteria that needs to build up in a salt tank is NOT the same as in fresh water nor does it build up like fresh water. Your salt will take approximately 6 weeks to cycle properly even with live rock. The best way to understand this is On the highest mountains even where humans can be, the air is not found in high enough concentrations to sustain healthy humans for long periods of time, yet Mt. goats and rams and a few select animals can live healthy and happy in this Thin air. A tank is the same way. The high concentrations of bacteria is what sustains marine life. The higher concentrations of bacteria, the more fish that can live in it.

A cycled tank is not the same as a mature tank. Cycled means the majority of the die off has completed. A mature tank means the die off has all but slowed. (usually around 6 months to a year).

Also, when your tank is cycled, you cannot add more than 1" of fish per 5 gallons two - three weeks apart to allow for the addition for the biofilter. This includes plants, snails, inverts rock and fish. All add to the biofilter. Once your tank has matured around 6 months you can double the amount of fish.

Setting up your tank and cycling it corectly is your first step in ensuring you will have a healthy start to your tank and a healthy future for your fish.


As Copperhead said, a few good books, which I would add the Marine keepers bible is another great book. it is updated every other year with the changes of filters, different fish etc.

As always, if you need addtiional help, feel free to email me

Answer 4

You should not place any livestock that you wish to keep (ie. fish, invertebrates, corals, etc) until your tank is done cycling. I suggest that you return your fish back to the petstore (or at least ask them to hold it for you), and wait for the tank to cycle with the liverock and sand (with the equipment running). A tank cycle stabilizes the various chemical levels in the water, and you should cycle for a month just to be on the safe side. When you test the water and all of the results come out within safe levels, you can then add livestock (do not put them in all at the same time, because it can lead to massive bioload in a short amount of time which may destabilize the chemical levels in the water).

Answer 5

with a salt water tank it should be weeks from the time you set up to the time you actually have live fish in there. your rock should go in first, after about a week of the tank being set up, and then fish weeks later... you moved way too quickly..

Answer 6

you should let the nitrogen cycle take place before you place fish into your saltwater tank.

Answer 7

http://www.nano-reef.com/articles/?article=8

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http://www.nano-reef.com/articles/