AMMMONIA

[King98]

I keep on having problems with ammonia, I don't know why, i do weekly water changes, I have a 55 gallon aquarium with 1 angelfish, 4 emporer tetras, 1 pleco, 2 black skirt tetras, and 2 pearl gouramis, and I have 3 filters, Penguin power 350, aqua clear 50, and a sponge filter. I have had this aquarium for 2 years. Don't know why I have this ammonia problem. I have some fluval ammonia remover media should I use that?

 

[Ch4rlie]

Have you tested your tap water?

Also what test kit are you using and is it still within the expiration date?

 

[King98]

Have you tested your tap water?

Also what test kit are you using and is it still within the expiration date?

No I haven't tester my tap, I'm using the api liquid test kit

 

[Ch4rlie]

Might be worth testing your tap water to see if any ammonia is present?

Btw when you do test for ammonia, is it just after or before a water change?

 

[King98]

Might be worth testing your tap water to see if any ammonia is present?

Btw when you do test for ammonia, is it just after or before a water change?

I test for ammonia before a water change, but I test for it after too, like 30 mins after

 

[Ch4rlie]

Ok.

First, test your tap water to see if any ammonia is present.

Then can you give the test results as well for your tank, for all the usual tests, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, pH might be helpful as well.

Couple more questions -

Do you have live plants in the aquarium?

Are all your live stocking present? none missing?

And lastly have you recently cleaned out your filter or replaced with new filter / filter media, changed / cleaned substrate?

 

[King98]

Ok.

First, test your tap water to see if any ammonia is present.

Then can you give the test results as well for your tank, for all the usual tests, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, pH might be helpful as well.

Couple more questions -

Do you have live plants in the aquarium?

Are all your live stocking present? none missing?

And lastly have you recently cleaned out your filter or replaced with new filter / filter media, changed substrate?

Alright I will test my waters. I donts have any live plants, all my fish are present, no I haven't recently cleaned or replaced my filter media, and I haven't changed my substrate.

 

[Purple Spotted Gudgeon]

It is almost certain that you either have ammonia in your tap water or you are over feeding. Your stocking level is certainly not to high.

How much water do you change at a time ?

Do you vac your substrate when you do a water change ?

 

[King98]

Ok.

First, test your tap water to see if any ammonia is present.

Then can you give the test results as well for your tank, for all the usual tests, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, pH might be helpful as well.

Couple more questions -

Do you have live plants in the aquarium?

Are all your live stocking present? none missing?

And lastly have you recently cleaned out your filter or replaced with new filter / filter media, changed / cleaned substrate?

Tap water: 0 Ammonia
Tank Water
Ammonia: 1.0 ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate: 20ppm
Ph: 6.0

 

[Ch4rlie]

So that means the ammonia is almost certainly from your tank water. Now to see if we can pinpoint where that is coming from.

Btw 1.0ppm ammonia is at a harmful level for your stocking so you best to do a large water change to lower this ammonia level.

Have you done any substrate cleaning?

Have you added any new decor, rocks, woods to your tank recently?

 

[NickAu]

Are you sure its Ammonia?

I remember reading someplace that the API kit can't tell the difference between Ammonia and Ammonium.

 

[King98]

Are you sure its Ammonia?

I remember reading someplace that the API kit can't tell the difference between Ammonia and Ammonium.

How would I know if it's ammonium or ammonia?

 

[King98]

So that means the ammonia is almost certainly from your tank water. Now to see if we can pinpoint where that is coming from.

Btw 1.0ppm ammonia is at a harmful level for your stocking so you best to do a large water change to lower this ammonia level.

Have you done any substrate cleaning?

Have you added any new decor, rocks, woods to your tank recently?

I just did a 50% water change, vacuumed the gravel too, and the ammonia levels are around the same numbers, 0.50ppm- 1.0ppm. I just bought fake plants like a week ago, and bought Malaysian driftwood a month ago and I drenched the wood in hot water for 2 hours before putting it in my aquarium. Do you think seachem matrix, or ammonia removers will help?

 

[Ch4rlie]

Using any chemicals to bound ammonia is rarely worth doing as the course of ammonia is still present so basically using these chemicals is just putting on a plaster to stem a big cut!

A tip, don't gravel vac the substrate too much as substrate is good home for the bacterias you need to control ammonia and nitrite. So doing too much gravel vac results in removing the bacterias you need.

I rarely do gravel vacs, just a light vac at very surface just to remove some debris of plants and poop.

The driftwood and/or fake plants COULD be a source of ammonia but fairly unlikely imho. Think it's more to do with the substrate vac causing a mini ammonia spike.

Try leaving the tank and substrate alone for a week or so but continue with normal filter maintenance and water change but no gravel vac and keep testing to see if any changes to dradually get back to normal zero ammonia readings.

 

[King98]

Using any chemicals to bound ammonia is rarely worth doing as the course of ammonia is still present so basically using these chemicals is just putting on a plaster to stem a big cut!

A tip, don't gravel vac the substrate too much as substrate is good home for the bacterias you need to control ammonia and nitrite. So doing too much gravel vac results in removing the bacterias you need.

I rarely do gravel vacs, just a light vac at very surface just to remove some debris of plants and poop.

The driftwood and/or fake plants COULD be a source of ammonia but fairly unlikely imho. Think it's more to do with the substrate vac causing a mini ammonia spike.

Try leaving the tank and substrate alone for a week or so but continue with normal filter maintenance and water change but no gravel vac and keep testing to see if any changes to dradually get back to normal zero ammonia readings.

Alright thanks, can I add seachem stability, will that help grow more beneficial bacteria. Do you think my test kit is reading ammonium because my fish are all healthy, swimming, and eating