Ammonia In My Tap Water?!?!?!?

[This Old Spouse]

I just restarted a 5 gallon tank that I shut down a couple days ago that only had a fiddler crab in it. I moved her back in with the guppies since she was acting a bit listless.

About the same time, I noticed my oldest female guppy didn't seem quite right. She wasn't moving around much and her breathing seemed labored. Also, her gills seem, er, swollen. So I thought I'd start up the 5 gallon again and use it as a sick tank and isolate the guppy (Big Momma) at least until I could determine what her problem is.

So ... long story short, I filled it up with dechlorinated tap water, and thought I'd better test it, and it showed 0 nitrate, 0 nitrite, but 1.0 ppm ammonia. Yikes. So I immediately did a 50% water change, let it stew for a bit (I used filter media from an established tank), took another ammonia reading, still 1.0 ppm.

So, I decided to test my tap water (I know, I know) and, you guessed it ... 1.0 ppm for ammonia!

NOW WHAT???

 

[This Old Spouse]

Do I need to start using bottled water?

 

[ian]

Seachem prime dechlor will bind ammonia from the tap water, not all dechlors do this. It binds ammonia into its harmless form, Ammonium. It might be worth while getting some.

 

[Joshwainwright]

Ammonia in your tap water shouldn't be too much of a problem if you're using a cycled filter. The ammonia should simply get abolished by your nitrifying bacteria.

 

[This Old Spouse]

Ammonia in your tap water shouldn't be too much of a problem if you're using a cycled filter. The ammonia should simply get abolished by your nitrifying bacteria.

So should I just wait 24 hours and test again?

 

[Joshwainwright]

Yes, your filter should see to it...

 

[ian]

i would still invest in some Prime, as your filter won't see to it all at once. You'll be head down the algae road with that amount of ammonia.

 

[This Old Spouse]

I'm heading out in search of some now (not easy in a town with no LFS, but we'll see).

I just don't understand how all my fish in all my tanks aren't dead. The only thing I can understand that would've kept them from getting doused with ammonia is that I pour the fresh water over the filter media when I replace it. Could this be what's stopping it from becoming a problem?

 

[Geoff-]

Ammonia (NH3) is only a big problem in tanks with pH 7+. In tanks with a pH above 6.5 it's a minor problem and in acidic tanks (pH 6 or below) it's not a problem at all.

In acidic conditions it reacts with hydrogen ions forming Ammounium (NH4+) and this is waaaaay less harmful to fish than Ammonia. Prime does the same thing, it temporarily locks Ammonia away as Ammonium.

I don't think pouring water over the filter would have made any difference, it's probably that your pH is preventing it from being such a big issue (that, and a healthy biofilter will munch up the ammonia from a minor water change before fish have time to show stress).

 

[This Old Spouse]

Well, I added some aquarium salt because the pH yesterday tested out at about 8.2

and I thought I'd just wait it out overnight and test again. Just now the pH was down to 6.8 and ammonia is at 0.

The female guppy I was going to put in there by herself is looking a lot better today, and I'm wondering if it's necessary to quarantine her at all. I just wonder why she was acting and looking so strangely.

 

[Geoff-]

aquarium salt doesn't affect pH.

 

[starrynightxxi]

that's a mighty big ph swing and might explain her odd behavior.

 

[This Old Spouse]

aquarium salt doesn't affect pH.

Then why do you think the pH dropped so much? Is it just the filter media?

that's a mighty big ph swing and might explain her odd behavior.

She's never been in this tank. I was just trying to get a Q tank ready for her in case she was sick.

 

[Geoff-]

Then why do you think the pH dropped so much? Is it just the filter media?

My tank dropped from the tap water's pH of 8.0 to 6.8 once cycled, although I do also have bogwood in there now.

Unless the aquarium salt is a blend with some other product, it will not affect pH. I'd say it was to do with the filter cycling.

 

[This Old Spouse]

Excellent ... good to know!