Quarantine tank has high ammonia

[marquesalan]

I have a 7 gallon quarantine tank with one yellow tang in it. The ammonia level was .5 so I did a 50% water change. The level is still high at .5.
Should I do another water change.

[phistio]

where did the initial water for the Q-tank come from?

[Pineapple House]

Usually quarantine tanks don't need to be cycled. As phistio said, where did you get the water from?

PH =)

[fishfreek]

Yes do another water change.

Get your test kit verified.

Test the water BEFORE you add it to the tank and see if your getting .5 ammonia on it aswell.

Test the water in your main tank and see if you get .5

If you get .5 on every bit of water testing you do then your test kit might be wrong.

Try this. Test some fresh RO water. Then add salt and let it sit for a few hours. Then teset this water again. If you get .5 ammonia I suspect either something is very afoul with your salt mix OR your test kit is incorrectly reporting ammonia

[phistio]

the initial water should come from the main tank...and new R/O water should be added to the main tank, just like a water change...

then (if needed...especially to circumvent medication or leached elements, such as copper from the q-tank) water changes can be done in the q-tank just like the main tank...

so, ideally ammonia should never be a problem, unless it was a problem in the main tank to begin with...

good luck! :)

[Zayetsfoot]

will the water from your main tank already have the bacteria in it to turn ammonia to nitrites and nitrites to nitrates?

I only ask because I am researching q-tanks right now before I get my fish.

I am not clear on this. Is it the water that has the bacteria or the LR and LS?

[marquesalan]

The original water and new water was fresh. I think part of the reason the ammonia spiked is because I did not aerate the new salt water.
Thank you everyone!

[phistio]

sorry...both the main tank and q-tank water was new water?

maybe i'm misunderstanding?!?!?!?!

zayet...

the water comming from an established/cycled tank will have the bacteria already in it...

but in a q-tank, that water is not as efficient at going through denitrification other than biological and mechanical filtration, as well as water changes...

but you can't keep adding water from the main tank to the q-tank if you're trying to isolate a parisite, such as ich or something "in the tank."

[marquesalan]

I have done a 75% water change with water from my display tank. The ammonia level in the display tank is at zero. I just tested the QT ammonia level and it is at .5. Should I take the tang out of the QT tank and put him in a bucket of display tank water, clean the QT tank really well and refill it completely with display tank water? I just cannot figure out where this ammonia is coming from and it is burning my tang. He has red streaks all over.
Thanks everyone!