preswash Posted April 19, 2021 Share Posted April 19, 2021 I set up a new 29 ...scrubbed it with Dawn and thoroughly rinsed it. Filled it with tap water filtered through 2 carbon pre-filters. Put on an established penguin 330 hang on back with high quaulity bio media (no cartridges). Also put in a bubble up filter with sponge and micron pad. Been running 10 days with no fish, plants, or anything. Water, bubble up filter and the penguin intake are the only things in the tank. Now for the last 3 days I'm getting an ammonia test showing between 1 and 2 ppm. All my other tanks read less than .5 ppm. Why am I getting ammonia in that tank? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrozenFins Posted April 19, 2021 Share Posted April 19, 2021 This is all part of the nitrogen cycle! Just leave it be, as the amonia will soon become nitrites and then to nitrates. The tank will be cycled when there is 0 amonia and nitrites and around 10-20ppm of nitrates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DShelton Posted April 19, 2021 Share Posted April 19, 2021 Was any of the equipment in the tank previously in other tanks and then allowed to completely dry out? If so there could be enough bio-matter (algae, biofilm etc) that died off in/on them that is decomposing to cause the ammonia to be generated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stealth Aquatics Posted April 20, 2021 Share Posted April 20, 2021 Yeah I agree with @DShelton if the media was cycled in a previous tank, but then left out for a while, then all of that bacteria died. It’s probably just restarting to cycle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
preswash Posted April 20, 2021 Author Share Posted April 20, 2021 bacteria on media had no time to die Filter was move from an ok tank to this one immediately. I'm puzzled Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
preswash Posted April 20, 2021 Author Share Posted April 20, 2021 i just realized... the bacteria may have die because it was starved by new tank then caused ammonia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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