Chronic ammonia exposure

[Rusty_Shackleford]

Most aquarists only worry that they'll see a spike in ammonia. However long term exposure also has detrimental effects on fish. Liver damage being one.

https://share.google/8QDdmcn210P3Qv59P

 

[GaryE]

I keep trying to talk myself into doing fewer water changes, because it IS work, and I get lazy. Then I read things like this, and I go back onto my old schedule.

 

[Rusty_Shackleford]

I keep trying to talk myself into doing fewer water changes, because it IS work, and I get lazy. Then I read things like this, and I go back onto my old schedule.

That's just human nature. We get busy, distracted, tired, we think aw it can wait till tomorrow. In most cases, one more day probably isn't harmful. It's not the ticking clock on a bomb in a James Bond movie.

I always encourage people, especially newbs, to get on a schedule and stick to it. Soon it becomes habit. It's Tuesday, that means water change day. You get to a point you don't even think about it anymore, it's that day.
Maybe it's easier for you fish mongers with 20+ tanks to spread it out over a few days.

I've seen more than a few posts throughout the years where someone has 0.5 or 1.0 ppm of ammonia right out of the tap.
Personally, I would filter that water before putting it in my tank. Some think it's fine to let the biological filtration convert it in Tank.
You're still chronically exposing your fish to ammonia over that time period.

 

[GaryE]

If I had polluted tap water, I don't know if I would have as many tanks. In fact, I wouldn't. I would have to treat the water first and certainly wouldn't have the luxury of expanding.

I have a whiteboard on the fishroom door, and mark my water changes. There's a calendar beside it. I don't set a day, but I get all changes done within 10 days while aiming for 7. Life happens.

The environments we live in really affect how we keep fish. I've had very clean water in all the houses I've had tanks in. Some had hard water, some soft, but none have had agricultural run off or ammonia.

 

[JCinPA]

I've gotten into the water change habit. You are right, if you get on a schedule, you're likely to worry about it if you're a day late or something, as opposed to, "Well, I'll get around to it when I need to."

That said, I have one 10-gallon tank, to it's pretty easy. But If I got a larger one, I'd get a pump and devise a system that made it easy to schedule. I'm OCD that way.

 

[fishorama]

Ugh, I only skimmed through the article while cooking with a glass of wine.

I have chloramines in my tap water, seasonal variations & in all but 1 tank have lots of plants. I use Prime dechlor to give the nitrifying bacteria & plants a 24-48 hour "window of ammonia safety" (NH4+). I almost never test for ammonia or really anything after setting up a tank after a short while. I have pretty soft water & worry more about KH but not to the point of testing often. I just add crushed coral to the filter & call it good. My tanks are lightly stocked.

I actually was more disciplined about water changes when I had more tanks & my husband didn't help with them. Retired people, we have relaxed schedules for many things. But now I have more fish neglect guilt, thanks Rusty, lol

 

[GaryE]

Poor fish. I always kept the litter box clean when I had a cat. I take my beloved dog out several times a day, come rain or snow or gales from the north. And yet I can neglect the fish and leave the tank for 2 weeks without a partial water change. I water flowers. I grow vegetables. No problem there.

What makes fish so unfortunately special?

 

[anewbie]

That's just human nature. We get busy, distracted, tired, we think aw it can wait till tomorrow.

And that is why so many idiots end up in jail for children abuse.

 

[Rusty_Shackleford]

And that is why so many idiots end up in jail for children abuse.

Wha? Dude that's out there, even for you.

 

[Back in the fold]

Yeah , aquarium maintenance can be a chore and sometimes I don’t like doing it and sometimes I even get a bit resentful of having this chore that I HAVE to do . But . . . . and this is a big but , I took this hobby on and I do not like sick fish or fish that are in poor condition . The resentful mood passes and many water change days are a joy . I get that day to really stop and enjoy looking at the fish and smelling the water and futzing around like I did back when I was a kid . The tropical fish and aquarium hobby is still fun but that ammonia thing is something to not let get out of hand . You’ll be sorry if you do . I have way too many Endler’s in a twenty and I do a daily five gallon change for them . Takes me ten minutes and eases my mind for them .

 

[GaryE]

I've finished my water changes for this week, and it's a good thing. While working through the tanks, I scared out some fry from the biteniatum killies we caught in Benin - a first fry sighting for that location. I realized one of my cryptocorynes had produced 2 new plants I didn't see last week. My Neolebias powelli came out of hiding. My tanks all looked better, and my ammonia tester, my nose, was satisfied with the results.

My Procatopus nototaenia and Epiplatys togolensis young had put on visible growth spurts, and the Hoplisoma atropersonatus got frisky with the fresh water, before I'd even shut off the hose. On a negative note, I realized an HOB had a broken impeller and wasn't working, so I was able to change extra and move new cycled filtration over to that tank. If I had missed that with the summer heat, I could have lost some fish.

Water changes are part of it, and leaving your fish exposed to ammonia definitely shouldn't be.