1.0-3.0 ppm Ammonia

[Tomie]

I currently have a 25 litre tank with 6 fish. I have a new 120 litre tank up and running waiting to cycle so I can add my fish.

I have tested for Ammonia in my 25 litre tank this morning and its giving a reading of 1.0-3.0ppm. I did a test couple of days ago and it was at 0.5. I'm worried as it shouldn't be there, should it? What should i do to combat the ammonia in my tank?

 

[Colin_T]

do a 75% water change and gravel clean the tank each day for a week.
Make sure any new water going into the tank is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the aquarium.

stop feeding the fish for a few days.

 

[Tomie]

do a 75% water change and gravel clean the tank each day for a week.
Make sure any new water going into the tank is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the aquarium.

stop feeding the fish for a few days.

75% water change everyday for a week? I was told from the pet store to do a 20% water change every few days. Also, to eliminate chlorine/chloramine would i just add the tap safe to the water?

 

[Essjay]

Ignore the shop. Most shop workers are trained only in how to make a sale and know very little about keeping fish. The 'how to make a sale' training includes how to sound convincing when making something up. I presume you got the Love Fish dechlorinator from Pets at Home? You need to be aware that they have just about the worst reputation in the country for rubbish advice.

You need to test the tank daily for ammonia and nitrite and do a water change every time you see either (or both) higher than zero. With 6 fish in 25 litres, this will mean a large water change every day.




The Love Fish dechlorinator states

Tap water contains chlorine and heavy metals, it is toxic and aggressive to a fishes delicate skin and gill membranes.
Love Fish Tap Safe rapidly removes these toxic chemicals and metals and contains a natural colloid which coats the fish with a protective barrier.

It mentions nothing about chloramine or ammonia. And does not mention that chlorine kills the bacteria you are trying to grow.
I should explain that water companies commonly use one of two things to disinfect water supplies - chlorine and chloramine. Chloramine is a chlorine and an ammonia joined together. Dechlorinators split it up and remove the chlorine part, leaving the ammonia part in the water. A lot of dechlorinators contain another chemical to detoxify this ammonia, but the Love Fish one says nothing about this.
It was mentioned in another thread that your tap water has 0.5 ppm ammonia and it was suggested that your water company uses chloramine as the ammonia part of that shows up in the ammonia test. It would be better for your fish at the moment to use Seachem Prime as your dechlorinator. This detoxifies both ammonia and nitrite, both of which harm the fish. But even though they are detoxified, they will both still show in the tests. The effects last only one to two days, so you will still need to do water changes whenever you see readings over zero, and this will add more Prime which will last another one to two days..

 

[Byron]

Essjay and others probably do not realize this is a new tank. In your other threads, we were discussing cycling yesterday, and I mentioned I was concerned over this new tank, 25 liter with six fish, set up just a week or two ago. I suspect you are now seeing the beginning of the cycling.

Use the Tetra SafeStart immediately (if you have it). Do a 50-60% water change daily as log as ammonia or nitrite (this will be next, though the SafeStart may prevent this) are above zero. The 0.5 ammonia in your tap water is likely due to chloramine. Use Prime as your water conditioner through the cycling period.

If you get the larger tank running with SafeStart, you can move the fish over and they should be better. The more water volume, the less chance of ammonia or nitrite.

 

[seangee]

You need to test the tank daily for ammonia and nitrite and do a water change every time you see either (or both) higher than zero. With 6 fish in 25 litres, this will mean a large water change every day.
.

If you move them into the 120 litre tank the water will take longer to get to dangerous levels and your fish are far more likely to survive. You will still need to test your water daily and change 50-75% regularly. The cycle will take exactly the same time but your fish will be less stressed.

 

[Essjay]

I did realise that he had two tanks, and that both were new This is why I said he needed to test every day and do water changes as needed by the test results

 

[Colin_T]

75% water change everyday for a week? I was told from the pet store to do a 20% water change every few days. Also, to eliminate chlorine/chloramine would i just add the tap safe to the water?

Big water changes dilute things better than smaller water changes. eg: a 20% water change only dilutes ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, or anything else by 20%. Whereas a 75% water change will dilute the same things by 75%.

I don't know what the ingredients are in Love Fish Tap Safe. Does it have a list of ingredients on the bottle?

If Love Fish tap Safe removes chlorine and chloramine, then add some of it to a bucket of tank water, aerate the water for 30minutes (or longer) and then add that water to the tank. Make sure you use a Fish Only bucket that has never been used for any cleaning products.

 

[Essjay]

Dechlorinators work instantly. If I had to wait 30 minutes for each bucketful of new water it would take 5 hours to refill the tank. At the moment it still takes me over 30 minutes to refill because the tap water is so cold it takes ages to boil 1.5 litres to go in each bucketful. And no, I can't leave 90 litres water standing to reach room temperature, my husband would not allow that (he does not appreciate my hobby )

 

[Colin_T]

Yes dechlorinators do neutralise chlorine as soon as they come in contact with the chlorine in the water. However, if you just add a few drops of dechlorinator to a bucket of water, it will not come into contact with all the chlorine molecules in the water. You need to mix the water and dechlorinator together for a period of time so the dechlorinator can come into contact with all the chlorine in the water.

5 minutes of vigorous aeration is the minimum time you want to mix the water and dechlorinator.

For anyone who wants to simulate this, get a bucket of water and add a couple of drops of food dye to the water. Leave it for 5 minutes and see if all the water has turned blue.

If anyone wants to just add tap water (with or without dechlorinator) to the tank, you run the risk of poisoning the fish. But the choice is entirely up to each person how they do it.

 

[Essjay]

Hmmm, I've not had any problems doing it my way in 20 years.......

 

[Byron]

Hmmm, I've not had any problems doing it my way in 20 years.......

Nor have I. I am not a chemist, so with that disclaimer...I run the tap water directly into my tanks (only use a bucket for the 10g and 20g because it is too easy to over-fill them with the Python) and I add the conditioner after it starts. I do not know if there is an industry standard for "instantly," but the API Tap Water Conditioner says it is instant.

 

[Tomie]

Ignore the shop. Most shop workers are trained only in how to make a sale and know very little about keeping fish. The 'how to make a sale' training includes how to sound convincing when making something up. I presume you got the Love Fish dechlorinator from Pets at Home? You need to be aware that they have just about the worst reputation in the country for rubbish advice.

You need to test the tank daily for ammonia and nitrite and do a water change every time you see either (or both) higher than zero. With 6 fish in 25 litres, this will mean a large water change every day.




The Love Fish dechlorinator states


It mentions nothing about chloramine or ammonia. And does not mention that chlorine kills the bacteria you are trying to grow.
I should explain that water companies commonly use one of two things to disinfect water supplies - chlorine and chloramine. Chloramine is a chlorine and an ammonia joined together. Dechlorinators split it up and remove the chlorine part, leaving the ammonia part in the water. A lot of dechlorinators contain another chemical to detoxify this ammonia, but the Love Fish one says nothing about this.
It was mentioned in another thread that your tap water has 0.5 ppm ammonia and it was suggested that your water company uses chloramine as the ammonia part of that shows up in the ammonia test. It would be better for your fish at the moment to use Seachem Prime as your dechlorinator. This detoxifies both ammonia and nitrite, both of which harm the fish. But even though they are detoxified, they will both still show in the tests. The effects last only one to two days, so you will still need to do water changes whenever you see readings over zero, and this will add more Prime which will last another one to two days..

Thanks for the advice. Will definitely take it on board.

I’m working tonight until 11pm so I can’t do anything until tomorrow. I could do a water change tonight but I only have he LoveFish Tap Safe product. Tomorrow I plan on going to the pet store and buying a new product to put in my water. Am I better waiting until tomorrow to do a water change and apply the new soloution? Is there any products you recommend I buy?

 

[Tomie]

Just logged back in to see what everybody has been saying. I will be purchasing the SafeStart tomorrow and I will add it to my brand new 120 litre tank. So you’re saying the sooner the better to add my fish from the 25 to the 120?

 

[Byron]

Prime (made by Seachem) is a good water conditioner during cycling periods, or at times when ammonia, nitrite are an issue. It is very concentrated, so the smallest bottle will last months. I don't recommend using it once the cycling is done and the tank is established, because it messes with too much chemistry, but during initial cycling it is good. After that I prefer API's Tap Water Conditioner because it does the least (dechlorinates, chloramine and heavy metals) and is so highly concentrated it lasts even longer.

A bacterial supplement like Tetra's SafeStart which I believe you are planning to get.

A good test kit. If you have strip tests now, you might consider a liquid API Master Combo; this has ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH. These are basic tests; nitrate and pH tested periodically (once the tank is established), ammonia and nitrite if any sign of trouble occurs.