help my saltwater fish tank parameters (unsure)

[joshuashih1]

I have a 10 gallon saltwater tank with 2 hang on the back filters, the first one is rated for up to 5 gal and the other one is rated for up to 30 gal and both are running activated carbon and something for beneficial bacteria to grow on. In the tank I have 2 pics of live rock and live sand I have a hermit crab in there and I put in a anemone crab in there a long time ago (don't know if he is still alive although I had seen him from time to time and knew that his anemones had died)

my Ammonia (this test kit tests for NH3 and NH4) is 0.25 ppm

My Nitrite (NO2) is 0 ppm

My Nitrate ( NO3) is 20 ppm

My ph is 7.8

I would like to add some scarlet skunk cleaner shrimp and a few fish to the tank but i want to make sure that my parameters are ok. Please advise me on the proper maintenance and equipment I need to purchase. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

I will be getting a protein skimmer for this tank and thats all for now unless I need to get something else

 

[ErinCahir]

That's a lot of ammonia. How long has the tank been running? Did you cycle it? Please don't add anything else until you get your parameters under control.

 

[joshuashih1]

Yes, I did cycle the tank and the tank has been setup almost 2 years if not more and I need help getting the tank under control.

 

[ErinCahir]

How often are you cleaning your filters? Maybe step up your water changes and cut back on feeding.

 

[joshuashih1]

there is no livestock in the tank and I am not feeding anything to this tank and I replace the cabin in my filters once a month and I don't do water changes

I will start to do a water change once a week. But please let me know out of a 10 gal tank (witch is the tank this thread is about) how many gallons do I need to remove and replace every week or can I do it less frequently? I really want to start adding stuff to the tank but want to do it properly.

 

[mariobrothersleeve]

10% a week.
2 years and you still having issues? You really need to start reading on the basics of reef keeping. Read read read.

 

[joshuashih1]

How long will it take for the amonia to go down enough to add fish to the tank if I do a 10% water change a day

 

[ErinCahir]

Well you'll have to test it everyday. Once it's at zero, you can add a fish. But you might see another spike.