# Ammonia Spike ( Help! )



## Peter Peng (Aug 17, 2014)

Hi, I run a 14 gallon biocube with 10lbs livesand and 25lbs real reef rock. I have been dosing some biospira to help boost the cycle. Its been 2 weeks since the tank was set up and ammonia and nitrate where all under control so I added a black clown, a regular clown a cleaner shrimp and some hermits/crabs. Today this afternoon I noticed there was diatom algae growing on the rock so I did a water test. Ammonia was at 10ppm and ammonia at 1.5ppm! I picked up a 4 gallon bucket of "live seawater", and will be doing a water change with that. Will my clowns survive this spike and is there anything I could do to help them? thanks!


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## MEDHBSI (Sep 4, 2011)

clowns are very hardy. I'd dose with prime it will turn the ammonia to ammonium and thats less harmful to fish. it last 24-48hr then it can turn back to ammonia


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## effox (Apr 21, 2010)

Add prime and keep doing water changes. Keep the salinity the same as much as you can.


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## Nicole (Nov 21, 2011)

Did you get the live rock from J&L?
What's your water change schedule like?
Diatom growth is normal and part of the cycle. Your tank is still very new so don't be too surprised if you get more blooms.
Do water changes as stated above.


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## Peter Peng (Aug 17, 2014)

r


Nicole said:


> Did you get the live rock from J&L?
> What's your water change schedule like?
> Diatom growth is normal and part of the cycle. Your tank is still very new so don't be too surprised if you get more blooms.
> Do water changes as stated above.


I got liverock from J&L.
I change once a week 25%, but when ammonia is at 1ppm+ I do a 30% water change
I have a hitchhiker candy cane head from some small pieces of fiji rock, do you think that will survive?


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## Nicole (Nov 21, 2011)

All liverock from J&L is uncured. It might just be leaching?


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## albert_dao (May 28, 2012)

Live saltwater? Who sold you on that?? 

Anyway, get some Zeobak and have a ton of water set aside for water changes. Not the end of the world, but it might take a while for everything to calm down if you're dealing with uncured rock.


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