Ammolock - Should I Have It For Emergencies?

[PaulQ]

I am doing many of the things you aren't supposed to do because I didn't find this forum until it was too late. I am FISH-in cycling the tank. I am trying to change the water regularly and started testing a couple days ago (read 0.25 ammonia today AFTER a 10% change).

I have read good and bad about Ammolock on here.

Should I get some in case I test a huge spike in ammonia during this fish-in cycling?

If yes, will it mess up my testing for some period of time?

I should also mention I am going on vacation soon for three days . Should I have my house-sitter use ammolock as a preventative?

I could be WAY OFF here.

Again, thank you!

 

[Katty]

I think water changes are the safest solution to an ammonia spike. The ammo lock might render the ammonia unusable to the bacteria and mess up the cycle for some time. Before your vacation, do a water change, clean out as much fish poo and old food as you can, and get the ammonia down to or near zero. Unless your tank is severely overstocked, I don't think the ammonia level would get too bad very fast. Then as soon as you get home check the ammonia and change water if needed. Perhaps do not let your house sitter feed the fish, they might overfeed them, as well as it cuts down on the chance of the ammonia getting out of hand during that time. They will be fine for 3 days without food if you feed them before you leave.

That's just my two cents.

 

[the biffster]

[ quote] There are two types of ammonia: free ammonia = very toxic to the fish, and totally ammonia = a total of free and ammonium. API reads total ammonia only, whereas the Seachem has the option to do two tests and read each. What you want is to convert the free ammonia to ammonium, thus getting a 0 reading for free ammonia. Using the API and the Seachem testers I got the same reading for total ammonia, but using the Seachem free ammonia test I could see that it was 0. So, yes, the API read correctly but using the two side-by-side I knew that it wasn't the harmful ammonia and it wasn't harming the fish.

this i got from someone else and this is
basically how ammo lock works

 

[Tolak]

Ammo Lock will convert ammonia to ammonium, a substance harmless to fish at levels found in an aquarium. Ammonium is used the same as ammonia by your biological filtration. It is also detected the same as ammonia by many tests, so you don't know if you have an ammonia level which is harmful, or an ammonium level which is harmless. The ammonia level often dictates the size of the water change, not knowing if you have ammonia or ammonium best bet would be to err on the side of caution & assume it's ammonia.

Ammo Lock will remain effective in the water for up to 48 hours, and is a good product for emergency situations as well as shipping, but is no replacement for water changes in a cycling tank. If your house-sitter won't be doing water changes I would advise a large water change before leaving, a dose of Ammo Lock, and a large water change when you return. As Katty stated, don't have the house-sitter feed the fish, less food means less waste produced.

The problem that occurs is the next step in cycling; nitrite. You will have to do large water changes to keep the nitrite level down in a traditional cycle with fish. If this is in progress or begins while you are gone you may have problems. The biggest problem caused by nitrite is the effect on the hemaglobin's ability to carry O2. In the days before tests were commonly available gasping at the surface in a newer tank was a sign of nitrite.

If this is the case keep the tank on the cool side, warmer water holds less O2. Increase suface motion to increase aeration to try to compensate for the nitrite's effect on the fish's blood cells.

 

[PaulQ]

Ammo Lock will remain effective in the water for up to 48 hours, and is a good product for emergency situations as well as shipping, but is no replacement for water changes in a cycling tank. If your house-sitter won't be doing water changes I would advise a large water change before leaving, a dose of Ammo Lock, and a large water change when you return. As Katty stated, don't have the house-sitter feed the fish, less food means less waste produced.

The problem that occurs is the next step in cycling; nitrite. You will have to do large water changes to keep the nitrite level down in a traditional cycle with fish. If this is in progress or begins while you are gone you may have problems. The biggest problem caused by nitrite is the effect on the hemaglobin's ability to carry O2. In the days before tests were commonly available gasping at the surface in a newer tank was a sign of nitrite.

If this is the case keep the tank on the cool side, warmer water holds less O2. Increase suface motion to increase aeration to try to compensate for the nitrite's effect on the fish's blood cells.

Ok. I will try to do all of this or as close as possible. To be clear, you are saying a massive water change AND add the Ammolock to the new water before I leave?

 

[Tolak]

Yes, a large water change to remove as much ammonia as possible, then add Ammo Lock.

 

[OldMan47]

The ammo lock is for when you are heading out the door to get to work on time and can't do a water change. The water change is for when you get home that evening and from then on, since the ammonia will no longer be a surprise as you are going out the door.

 

[waterdrop]

Agree with OM47 and Tolak. WD