Ammonia Serious Problem

[monroegaine]

I went away last thursday to visit my girlfriend. Set the automatic fish feeder (Eheim) with flakes and came back on Sunday, July 1st. When I got home I noticed the feeder was malfunctioning and was spinning around and dropping flakes in non stop. Flakes were all over the bottom of the tank. I immediately did a water change trying to suck up as much of the flakes as I could. I then later, approximately 4 hours later, checked my water parameters. PH was normal, KH was 10, Nitrites 0, Nitrates 10 ppm, Salinity 1.023. However, my ammonia was between .2 and .4 ppm. I have never had an ammonia spike and am worried and need advice on how to correct this problem. Doesn't an ammonia spike eventually lead to Nitrite spike and then Nitrate spike. My clown fish is acting goofy, Blenny seems ok, but I have yet to see my orchid dottyback (fear he is already dead). Invertebrates (snail, shrimp and crabs are fine). Readers beware I am not an expert so please help me like im a school kid. Any help is greatly appreciated.

10 years FW, 3 years SW. 30 gallon FOWLR, 30 lbs live rock (fiji), 2 powerheads, aqua c remora HOT skimmer with rio 800 pump, aquaclear 300 hang on external filter, and a single bulb 50/50 actinic.

 

[rictheredneck]

do a HUGE water change asap whilst your at it look for the missing fish and get it out if it dead.

 

[Lynda B]

We went away for 4 days last week and didn't use an auto feeder. Our fish were absolutely fine fasting for 4 days.

Along with your water change, suck out your gravel really well. That's where all of your food will be decomposing. I'd monitor the water params every day and change water accordingly.

 

[FLcracker94]

Geeze, Your tank seriously has problems dude! lol...I have a 12US ga tank, and Ammonia went up to 0.25ppm, and nothing died on me. The only thing that happend was Nitrates spiked to 80ppm, and its down to 10ppm now. Your fish probebly hasn't died, it might of been hiding when you tested the tank, and it might be stressed and scarred so it wont come out. I've had two fish die on me from being bullied, and Ammonia never went up, it was at .25ppm before they died. Just keep doing water changes and let the tank rest for a while. Don't stress the fish so much by looking for a dead fish.

If ammonia doesn't change in a few days, or it goes higher, then do Huge water changes and look for the fish. Chances are, he's hiding.

 

[bambam]

my fellow hobbist and best friend had an ammonia spike went to i think about .3 ppm and all 14 fish died in an 125 us gal tank. all of them died in a matter of 3 days, well actually one did survive the yellow tang and he still has that fish 2 years later....... its all about luck i guess

 

[-germ-]

Sorry to be a pain, may draw some flak chemical additives etc. Have you tried SeaChem prime? See sig...
Good luck!

 

[bambam]

me personally no the only thing i add to my tank other then food and sea salt when i do a water change is a calcium additive every other day for my coral other then that if my water becomes a prob, so far a water change solves any problems

 

[-germ-]

no the op...

 

[FLcracker94]

I'm the same as Bambam, Only thing I put in the tank is, food, salt, Calcium, and Bicarb (to raise alk).

 

[bambam]

if you need to add anything else then theres a good chance, im not saying that its always the case but there could be something in your tank thats causing the water to be "unstable" thats causing you to have to use and additive.

 

[FLcracker94]

keep looking for any food thats still uneaten and take it out. Also clean any filters, cause the water still goes through it, and you never know, that could be the problem.

 

[SkiFletch]

I too had an eheim feeder malfunction on me. So I never trust them anymore. My fish are currently fasting as I'm away on a trip as I type this. They'll be fine for the 3 days they're without me. When you go on trips its best to lower the salinity to say 1.023 before you leave, make sure coral frags are secure, and then just leave the tank to evaporate by itself. I also turn my skimmer off just in case. If you do this you'll never have probems

In the OP's case, I'd do a big water change ASAP, remove as much uneaten food as possible and then just leave it. An established reef