FAST HELP NEEDED << please look

[t5Nitro]

I didn't even notice until someone else told me "where is the copperband butterfly?" We could not find him. I can't find him anywhere in the tank or on the floow behind the tank (he does like to jump at night for some reason and there is a canopy on the tank. I used a small mirror to use as a reflection to look inside the overflow boxes. From the mirror, there wasn't a copperband in there. I checked ammonia and it showed 4.0.

This is a 125 gallon tank with a 40 gallon sump with some chaeto, activated carbon, and full of rock and a skimmer.

The test kit I have is the saltwater master test kit (liquid drops); it was $14 (ammonia, pH, nitrate, nitrite). I bought this 1 year ago when I set up my first tank. So, now I know they aren't the best test kits anyway (better than the strips though) and they are one year old too. With an ammonia of 4.0, would the fish all be dead already, not active, or gasping for air at all? My fish all seem fine except for the missing copperband. They are eating, swimming, and not gasping for air. Is the test kit bad? I am going to order some salifert for ammonia I guess.

The CBB did not eat, but picked at the rocks all the time and ate all of the aiptasia in a time of 1 to 2 weeks and his belly didn't seem depressed, although they are real skinny anyway so maybe hard to tell.

I have the RO/DI water unit running right now to get some water mixed up so I can water change in the morning and going to be changing the activated carbon right now and probably the phosban with the water change tomorrow.

Bad test kit, not to worry?
Any help is appreciated, thanks.

[ACBlinky]

With an ammonia reading that high I'd say odds are you lost him.

If you can't find a body, the only thing you can really do is let the clean-up crew do their job and keep an eye on parameters. A water change is not a bad idea, and you could add some Prime or Amquel, both will neutralize the ammonia without overactivating your skimmer. You're likely going to experience an algae outbreak, just ride it out and let the tank re-balance itself.

[t5Nitro]

Really, the skimmer was overacting. Skimming more clear out, but I just changed the carbon and phosban before, but I rinse the carbon and run the rusty phosban outside of the tank. All of the other fish are living today yet. Maybe ammonia really is that high, hoping the test kit is wrong. Water changing soon.

Thanks.

[Thurge]

Check with your LFS they may do water testing and can comfirm your reading, or that your test kit is off. Sounds like its gone though. If you have a descent sized clean-up crew its entirely possible that they have taken care of the body and there is nothing left to see but some bones.

[t5Nitro]

Haven't found any bones either. Ammonia after water change tested 0 though. Maybe the test kit is right, I didn't know they could live in 4.0, or maybe not for long anyway.

[Kiel'thalin]

Did you check around your powerheads? That is usually the most common place to find a dead fish.

[wycombes]

My CBB was pretty shy around the other fish, for the 1st 1-2 months, but I would see it at night with a flashlight picking at the Live Rock. He may still be living in there unless you have looked around all the live rock, i.e. pulled it apart.

[willhoward]

If your ammonia is usually 0, 4.0 might be an indication that something died, but I wouldn't be too worried about the other fish - 4.0 is still very low in my opinion.

I started about 8 months ago in this hobby and was a total noob - no good lighting, insufficient light and flow, overfeeding, and all the other stuff that could go wrong. I only added RO water and did a 20% water change every 2 weeks and still my ammonia was in the region of 50 - 60ppm, NO2 and NO3 are always 0 (I know, everything should have been dead, but everything survived, even my hermit) as my experience increased the ammonia dropped and it is now still roughly at 10ppm, can't seem to get it lower without a sump. I plan on buying a proper tank next year with an overflow and sump and then the ammonia will probably go down to 0

[t5Nitro]

I changed the carbon and phosban when I first posted this and the next day I did a 10 gallon water change. After that, the ammonia came to 0.

No sign of him yet, so he is gone. Do turbos/astreas/ceriths eat on dead fish? I only have 4 nessarius.

[spoiledcats]

Do you have any hermit crabs? They will eat dead fish, even the bristleworms will clean up.

[hermitage]

Make sure your testing for Free Ammonia first. I used the API kit you're using (Saltwater Master), and learned of the difference after I bought a Seachem test kit. Apparently, Free Ammonia is toxic, "Total Ammonia" which the API kit reads, is not toxic.