high ammonia levels

[team jacob]

hello everyone!
i was hoping someone could tell me the reason that my ammonia level is still high? my tank stats are below:

10 gallon tank, 12 lbs liverock, 10 lbs livesand
livestock: small clam, sea squirts, feather dusters
nitite: 0ppm
nitrate:2.5 ppm
PH: 8.2
alkalinity: 7.2dKH
temp: 78-80 degrees
ammonia: .25 ppm

i do 10% water changes with RO/DI water every week.
everything except my ammonia seems to be good and i'm not sure why it's so high. if anyone knows why or how to fix it, please share...

[chrisd]

how long has the tank been running?

was the live rock cured when you bought it?

[team jacob]

the live rock was cured when i got it and the tank has been running for about 2 months... i didn't have a cycle and still have not added anything that didn't come in on the live rock.

[Fish Dude32]

If your test is reading accurate, your tank is still cycling. That is what a cycle is. Ammonia and Nitrites must be zero before you are done with cycle process.

[ChrisPrusha]

Can you take your water to a LFS to be tested? May just be the test kit.

[team jacob]

but that's the thing... i didn't have any ammonia until this last week... i havn't done anything different, havn't added anything to the tank, i even did a 20% water change last week because i moved the rockwork around a little and it became slightly cloudy for a couple of days...

[Fish Dude32]

You could of had a ammonia pocket in your sand, and when you moved the rock it could have been released, Just kinda shootin in the dark on that one.

[chrisd]

Originally Posted by ChrisPrusha

Can you take your water to a LFS to be tested? May just be the test kit.

agreed
what kind of test kit are you using?
are you adding anything to the tank as far as supplements?

[team jacob]

i am using red sea marine mater test kit and i'm not adding anything to the water

[Brocnizer]

Sounds like you didn't have the proper nutrients to START the cycle. Something just kick started it.

I went a little crazy and added 1/4 cup ammonia and a package of cariba sea bacteria to my 36 gallon. Lets just say the cycle started really fast!

I really think your cycle just started because mother nature said it should. She is a hard woman to beat! I have lost a lot of battles to her

[chrisd]

ok i have to admit im a little confused now. after 2 months of running and regular water changes you should not have any traces of ammonia.

unless something died?
what kind of filter are you running?
do you have any power heads running? (for flow)
are you cleaning the sand bed on a regular basis?

[chrisd]

Originally Posted by Brocnizer

Sounds like you didn't have the proper nutrients to START the cycle. Something just kick started it.

I went a little crazy and added 1/4 cup ammonia and a package of cariba sea bacteria to my 36 gallon. Lets just say the cycle started really fast!

I really think your cycle just started because mother nature said it should. She is a hard woman to beat! I have lost a lot of battles to her

i would think the live rock and sand would be enough to start the cycle.

[Big D]

I would definately get another test done on the water to verify it's not just the test kit. It's easy to assume that since the kit never showed any ammonia and now it does show traces that it must be accurate, but the kit may have been reading incorrectly all along... plus it's one of the easiest things to eliminate on the troubleshooting list. Another indicator would be your livestock. Are they showing signs of stress?






D

[team jacob]

everything seems to be great. my clam has been filter feeding everday, responds to movement in the tank, and the mantle is fully extended. the sea squirt has doubled in size and also responds to movement, and the feather dusters look healthy.

i have one powerhead. i have no outside filtration, only the live rock and live sand. and before you say anything, i have done research for 2 years, monitor my water conditions very closely, keep up with water changes, cleaning the sand, and do not plan on adding more than one small fish and only a few corals...

[chrisd]

at this point i would have to say its probly the test kit. i would have the lfs check your water. i do not know much about red sea test kits i use api salifert test kits.