My Tap Water Is Crazy High 2ppm

[elee49]

Hello friendly folks. Through all my recent issues with the tanks and why my ammonia got high again I found out something. Our tap water is 2ppm wow that's high! So now when I do a WC I have to put extra the amount of amquel or it just breaks at 1ppm before its in the tank. I'm starting behind to begin with. I'm trying to fix two tanks now!

 

[Crossfire]

Hello friendly folks. Through all my recent issues with the tanks and why my ammonia got high again I found out something. Our tap water is 2ppm wow that's high! So now when I do a WC I have to put extra the amount of amquel or it just breaks at 1ppm before its in the tank. I'm starting behind to begin with. I'm trying to fix two tanks now!

It's ok to have a tiny amount of ammonia, since your tanks bacteria will break it down. But that's a lot

Try using Seachem Prime as a dechlorinator, it has the added bonus of removing ammonia.
Or, just add some AmmoniaSafe or Ammo Lock to turn it into a less harmful ammonium.

 

[waterdrop]

In these situations it helps if you can manage more frequent but smaller volume gravel-clean-water-changes. This gives your immature bacterial colonies less excess to have to work on. Eventually they will become big healthy colonies and make quick work of the excess ammonia in your tap water. I too recommend Seachem Prime as somehow seeming to do a higher quality job despite the fact that technically the major real thing we can say that makes it more popular with experienced aquarists is the very high concentration it comes in.

Kind of off the subject but lately I've found myself dreaming of a product that goes like this: it would perhaps look a little like one of those water bags the long-distance exercise runners wear. So it would be a plastic bag with straps to hang on your back and it would have a gravel cleaning tube and perhaps a hand-pump starter. Obviously the bag might have to hang low off your waist or something to get some gravity feed. You'd do a little gravel cleaning, walk to the tub or outside and use a different drain hose it would have and then walk back to your tank and do it again if you needed to. The whole thing would have clips to keep the hoses neat and out of your way and you could hang the whole thing in a cabinet or whatever when not using. I use a nice big hose direct-fill system for my big water changes but I would buy a product like this in a heartbeat to help do smaller "spur of the moment" water changes.

Ah, well, that's waterdrop's little morning coffee thought and now it's off to work for me...

~~waterdrop~~

 

[elee49]

In these situations it helps if you can manage more frequent but smaller volume gravel-clean-water-changes. This gives your immature bacterial colonies less excess to have to work on. Eventually they will become big healthy colonies and make quick work of the excess ammonia in your tap water. I too recommend Seachem Prime as somehow seeming to do a higher quality job despite the fact that technically the major real thing we can say that makes it more popular with experienced aquarists is the very high concentration it comes in.

Kind of off the subject but lately I've found myself dreaming of a product that goes like this: it would perhaps look a little like one of those water bags the long-distance exercise runners wear. So it would be a plastic bag with straps to hang on your back and it would have a gravel cleaning tube and perhaps a hand-pump starter. Obviously the bag might have to hang low off your waist or something to get some gravity feed. You'd do a little gravel cleaning, walk to the tub or outside and use a different drain hose it would have and then walk back to your tank and do it again if you needed to. The whole thing would have clips to keep the hoses neat and out of your way and you could hang the whole thing in a cabinet or whatever when not using. I use a nice big hose direct-fill system for my big water changes but I would buy a product like this in a heartbeat to help do smaller "spur of the moment" water changes.

Ah, well, that's waterdrop's little morning coffee thought and now it's off to work for me...

~~waterdrop~~

You know every thing on the market started with morning coffee thoughts. Just sayin you never know.I did use prime but the a quell brought my tap down to 0 the prime only brought it to 1ppm. Can I put a higher dose? All this is doing is holding this tank off for my platy to give birth. Then I will let this tank cycle properly. I have to worry about my 55g that's off now!

 

[fluttermoth]

The ammonium that the Prime converts ammonia to (it just converts it, doesn't get rid of it, but it is non toxic to fish in that form) still shows up on ammonia tests, so it'll be safe for your fish, even if it doesn't appear that way on your test.

 

[elee49]

I'll keep this in mind. I just want to hold it long enough for the fry to be born if it happens at ll. I did get the ammonia down to 0 today after double dose of prime in my WC bucket. Then I poured it in her tank. My 55g showed 0 today as well I'm praying that maybe there was enough substrate in their so it will only have to mini cycle.

 

[CrustyOnEastCoast]

I often read 2ppm ammonia in my tap water. I have had success using Seachem Prime. Some test kits can distinguish between ammonium and ammonia, but most do not. I have a "Seachem Ammonia Alert" product ... it is an ammonia measuring system that is suctioned on the inside wall of my aquarium. It is like having a constant ammonia water test to refer to. The best thing is that it distinguishes between ammonia and ammonium. It is supposed to last up to 2 years. As far as I can tell, it has given me accurate results.

 

[elee49]

I often read 2ppm ammonia in my tap water. I have had success using Seachem Prime. Some test kits can distinguish between ammonium and ammonia, but most do not. I have a "Seachem Ammonia Alert" product ... it is an ammonia measuring system that is suctioned on the inside wall of my aquarium. It is like having a constant ammonia water test to refer to. The best thing is that it distinguishes between ammonia and ammonium. It is supposed to last up to 2 years. As far as I can tell, it has given me accurate results.

Wow I'll have to look for that product. Thank you. By the way I love the Pearl Gouramis they are so peaceful looking.