What is the best test kit and why?

[MotoReef]

Beautiful tank you got there...

It appears to me that you do have enough live rocks to not have any ammonia issue. Nitrates are more difficult to keep in check via filtration without some water changes and/or absorbent media... But I think the live rocks in there alone would be sufficient to digest all traces of ammonia given enough time to balance out.

So having said this, I would suspect overfeeding, or some type of pathogen keeping the bacteria from flourishing. The latter, pathogens... it could be anything like traces left from previous medication or antibiotics used in the tank or on majority of the fish in the past.

I do feel that your tank is a bit overcrowded for a 75 gallon, but not over what your biological filter and live rock can't keep ammonia in check. You also seem to have enough powerheads and pump returns to satisfy water movement.

I'm suspecting overfeeding maybe... try feeding your fish half of what you feed normally for a week. It should not have any effect on fish to do this...and see if the ammonia becomes untraceable low. If it does, then you can add a more powerful protein skimmer and live rock to compensate for the load you have, or simply move them all or in part to a larger or second tank.

If the reduction in food does not reduce ammonia levels, you probably have something in the water preventing bacterial formation. But it seems to me your feeding is reasonable amount for the fish...(unless what you mean by one cube is like half pound of mysis! I am assuming it's a small half-inch cube common to frozen food packaging. )

I will rule out salinity, pH or temperature issues since you look like you have thriving corals... and these parameters don't affect the bacterial colonies too much unless the changes or parameter is way off the chart. If that's the case, you'd have dead corals before anything.

On the clams, since you began keeping them...they need absolute pristine waters and HUGE lighting requirements. So do some research on how to keep them healthy and go get the right equipment needed to keep them alive, especially in the lighting department for the clams.

Lastly...I can't assume this really from the photo...
But, your tank in the photo seems to be a tank that's doing very well from the looks of the yellow polyps and the hard corals extending well. Maybe your tank is still too young with too many changes in the animal loads for the bacteria to have adjusted. Perhaps get another test kit and see if the ammonia levels can be read differently? Could be reading error in the current kit. (like looking at the color of the chart in the wrong lighting. Take it outside and compare the chart and sample in brad daylight, which is always an accurate way to see the color.

Anyway, keep up those water changes and keep the ammonia low till you can get to the bottom of that issue.

[browntrout]

Originally Posted by MotoReef

Beautiful tank you got there...

It appears to me that you do have enough live rocks to not have any ammonia issue. Nitrates are more difficult to keep in check via filtration without some water changes and/or absorbent media... But I think the live rocks in there alone would be sufficient to digest all traces of ammonia given enough time to balance out.

So having said this, I would suspect overfeeding, or some type of pathogen keeping the bacteria from flourishing. The latter, pathogens... it could be anything like traces left from previous medication or antibiotics used in the tank or on majority of the fish in the past.

I do feel that your tank is a bit overcrowded for a 75 gallon, but not over what your biological filter and live rock can't keep ammonia in check. You

seem to have enough powerheads and pump returns to satisfy water movement.

I'm suspecting overfeeding maybe... try feeding your fish half of what you feed normally for a week. It should not have any effect on fish to do this...and see if the ammonia becomes untraceable low. If it does, then you can add a more powerful protein skimmer and live rock to compensate for the load you have, or simply move them all or in part to a larger or second tank.

If the reduction in food does not reduce ammonia levels, you probably have something in the water preventing bacterial formation. But it seems to me your feeding is reasonable amount for the fish...(unless what you mean by one cube is like half pound of mysis! I am assuming it's a small half-inch cube common to frozen food packaging. )

I will rule out salinity, pH or temperature issues since you look like you have thriving corals... and these parameters don't affect the bacterial colonies too much unless the changes or parameter is way off the chart. If that's the case, you'd have dead corals before anything.

On the clams, since you began keeping them...they need absolute pristine waters and HUGE lighting requirements. So do some research on how to keep them healthy and go get the right equipment needed to keep them alive, especially in the lighting department for the clams.

Lastly...I can't assume this really from the photo...
But, your tank in the photo seems to be a tank that's doing very well from the looks of the yellow polyps and the hard corals extending well. Maybe your tank is still too young with too many changes in the animal loads for the bacteria to have adjusted. Perhaps get another test kit and see if the ammonia levels can be read differently? Could be reading error in the current kit. (like looking at the color of the chart in the wrong lighting. Take it outside and compare the chart and sample in brad daylight, which is always an accurate way to see the color.

Anyway, keep up those water changes and keep the ammonia low till you can get to the bottom of that issue.

Thank you for the help. Yes 1/2" cubes
All my corals look great. I will take some photos today when I get home and post what my tank looks like now. So the amount of fish I have seems high for a 75g tank? They are all tiny fish not one is longer than 1.5"
Maybee I mispoke I don't have a clam yet. Im just really thinking maybee my tank is still NEW. I mean most people are shocked when they read that I only waited 2 weeks before stocking my tank. I purchased my tank brand new so I know there have never been any medication in it. I purchase all my Live Rock and stock from a local fish shop down in temecula ca gills marine. I think Im gonna hook up my ro unit and try to do some 25 gallon water changes over the next couple days and reduce my feedings in half and make some notes and start in that direction.

I see you are in CA where at? Im down in Hemet

[browntrout]

Don't want to clog this thread here are some photos

Hello yes im addicted :)

[Frankie]

I too am a fan of API and Salifert. I am leaning more and more over to Elos for Ca++ and nitrates, Hanna for P04 and KZ for the Potassium kit. I like my Seachem for the magnisium.
Most of my tesing these days are really Salinity and PH. The rest I only do when I see a change among my corals. My system is pretty mature now and stable with weekly water changes and the Ca RX is dialed in very well with Magflakes for the Ma++.

[MotoReef]

Originally Posted by browntrout

So the amount of fish I have seems high for a 75g tank? They are all tiny fish not one is longer than 1.5"
Maybee I mispoke I don't have a clam yet. Im just really thinking maybee my tank is still NEW. ---
I think Im gonna hook up my ro unit and try to do some 25 gallon water changes over the next couple days and reduce my feedings in half and make some notes and start in that direction.
---I see you are in CA where at? Im down in Hemet

Hi,

Well overstocking is a relative term and everyone feels different about what is ideal. Really the only way to judge is for yourself, so I can't really qualify my own statement there. It's really how one feels for the balance of what is an acceptable level of maintenance (water changes) and what one feels is adequate water quality. Some say a few fish even is too much, while others never are bothered by lots of water changes or expense in equipment needed to keep denser population of fish. So as long as you can maintain the water and tank habitat nice for the fish, there are no reason to be saying it is stock too much or too little.

What I was getting at was more that fish population is rather large for a young tank... thus your presence of ammonia might have been related to your frequent addition to the system. So in time, the filter should take care of that if there are no other issues.

On the feeding, just reduce it for now a few days as a test...but don't starve them forever. I was just suggesting it so you can determine if the ammonia was created by lack of population of bacteria or if there was some other issue. Fish to need to eat and 1 block a day or more is fine...if the fish can consume it all in a few minutes and not leave it rotting.

I'm in Torrance, California by the way.

[fishmama67]

Originally Posted by Frankie

I too am a fan of API and Salifert. I am leaning more and more over to Elos for Ca++ and nitrates, Hanna for P04 and KZ for the Potassium kit. I like my Seachem for the magnisium.
Most of my tesing these days are really Salinity and PH. The rest I only do when I see a change among my corals. My system is pretty mature now and stable with weekly water changes and the Ca RX is dialed in very well with Magflakes for the Ma++.

OK so here's a question: I have a buddy that lives near me and works with me too. I recently discovered he is an addict as well. His tank is about a year and a half old and is just beautiful! He says he only adds water for evaporation compensation and NEVER does water changes now. He said he doesn't understand why I would want to get an RO/DI set-up to do them when my tank will soon be "grown-up" enough to do the filteration and chemical balancing act alone. However, all I am reading in all SORTS of threads and posts is big talk about Water Changes. Sounds to me like HE's the one full of beans. Am I right? I am ALWAYS going to want to do regular water changes and testing and all of that if I want my tank to STAY healthy.

[MotoReef]

Originally Posted by fishmama67

OK so here's a question: I have a buddy that lives near me and works with me too. I recently discovered he is an addict as well. His tank is about a year and a half old and is just beautiful! He says he only adds water for evaporation compensation and NEVER does water changes now. He said he doesn't understand why I would want to get an RO/DI set-up to do them when my tank will soon be "grown-up" enough to do the filteration and chemical balancing act alone. However, all I am reading in all SORTS of threads and posts is big talk about Water Changes. Sounds to me like HE's the one full of beans. Am I right? I am ALWAYS going to want to do regular water changes and testing and all of that if I want my tank to STAY healthy.

Well... There are those who don't perform water changes, and some of them claim huge successes.

However a vast majority of us observe very negative results from tanks without water changes. So it's really up to the owners...what regimen to decide on, but I go with majority on this topic simply based on what can and does accumulate in our tanks and proven time after time that water changes help reduce and dilute these pathogens, waste, chemicals and minerals which can't be controlled in a closed environment (yet) when compared to 200 billion square meters of water in our oceans.

[fishmama67]

Originally Posted by MotoReef

Well... There are those who don't perform water changes, and some of them claim huge successes.

However a vast majority of us observe very negative results from tanks without water changes. So it's really up to the owners...what regimen to decide on, but I go with majority on this topic simply based on what can and does accumulate in our tanks and proven time after time that water changes help reduce and dilute these pathogens, waste, chemicals and minerals which can't be controlled in a closed environment (yet) when compared to 200 billion square meters of water in our oceans.

Yup Thats' what I thought! Sounds like a warning to "watch out for the lazy bug! He may come to mess with your tank while you're out!"

[csmsss]

The problem with doing ZERO water changes isn't that the basic water parameters can't be properly maintained, but that it's difficult if not impossible to maintain the trace elements in the water. Eventually, things like magnesium and strontium and iodine will get taken up by the livestock in the tank and won't be replaced, and any animal that needs one or more of those elements will suffer.

[MotoReef]

Originally Posted by csmsss

The problem with doing ZERO water changes isn't that the basic water parameters can't be properly maintained, but that it's difficult if not impossible to maintain the trace elements in the water. Eventually, things like magnesium and strontium and iodine will get taken up by the livestock in the tank and won't be replaced, and any animal that needs one or more of those elements will suffer.

I'm not a proponent of non-water-change views at all, but aren't those trace elements easily replenished with today's commonly available additives?
I do agree though, that not all trace elements necessary to propagate the life of many organisms are not fully understood.

I still can't think of NOT doing water changes... Borders on animal cruelty in my mind still...

[largo]

I use elos for CA and MG and salifert for nitrates and api for ph overall I like elos. I like the method of calculating the numbers..As I use up my salifert kits I'll probably switch to all elos