Stupid Tank- Constant Ammonia Troubles

[TallTree01]

Hi guys, many have spoken with me in chat about my all is troubles but it's reached a point now where I think I should bring it out into the big wide world.


Ok, so my 23 gallon/ 90 liter aquarium was setup about a month ago as an upgrade from another tank. Using old media from the old tank, I put all the old fish into the new tank.
Unfortunately, I did not use enough media and nitrite readings rose.
A week later, a bacteria bloom occurred and all was well in the tank.
At this point in the tank there is 9 flame tetras and 7 rummynose.

About a week after the bacterial bloom, I bought 7 peppered cories. That's when the ammonia troubles started. The day after purchase ammonia levels rose.
As I had just added fish I figured it was normal so did a waterchange and went on with life, hoping the filter would be able to handle it in a day or two.

I then left on vacation for 11 days and left them with no food. I thought surely this would either kill them or remove all ammonia. I get back and it's still sitting at 1ppm.
Now no matter what I do I cannot lower it past 1ppm!
My tap water has 1ppm of ammonia so waterchanges would be fruitless at this point.
Is there anything I can do to get the ammonia down bar rehoming fish?

 

[Ch4rlie]

Sounds like faulty test kit perhaps.
 
If your tap water really does have 1ppm ammonia, then that would explain why you have 1ppm ammonia even after water changes, however you filter bad should take care of ammonia in tank fairly quickly.
 
Which leads me to think its more likely the test kit?
 
Take a sample of tank water and tap water to LFS, see what their test kit says for comparison.

 

[star4]

What size filter are you using?

 

[TallTree01]

What size filter are you using?

I'm using too: one that came with the tank that is 500 liters per hour and has a fair bit of media. And one that is 1050 liters per hour with very little media.

Sounds like faulty test kit perhaps.
 
If your tap water really does have 1ppm ammonia, then that would explain why you have 1ppm ammonia even after water changes, however you filter bad should take care of ammonia in tank fairly quickly.
 
Which leads me to think its more likely the test kit?
 
Take a sample of tank water and tap water to LFS, see what their test kit says for comparison.

That's what I first thought too. But after trying 4 different test kits I really doubt it. Is there anything that could be giving false readings? I do not use any ferts and dose prime as dechlor. I've tested distilled water and it shows 0 ppm.

 

[attibones]

Perhaps it is prime. Prime will detoxify the ammonia in your tap water which may still show on a test kit.

 

[TallTree01]

It has been concluded that the test reading is false. I have been assured that it is impossible to get readings such as the ones I am seeing.
The main question now is why?

 

[TwoTankAmin]

The why part is not so easy to answer, there are any number of things which can cause bad results on a salicylate test kit;

 
Nitrogen, Ammonia                                               DOC316.53.01079
Salicylate Method                                                    Method 8155
0.01 to 0.50 mg/L NH3–N                                       Test ‘N Tube™ Vials
 
Scope and application: For water, wastewater and seawater...............................................
 
Interferences
Interfering substance                  Interference level      
Calcium                                      50,000 mg/L as CaCO3
Iron                                             All levels. Correct for iron interference as follows:
                                                   1. Use one of the Iron, Total procedures to measure the iron concentration of the sample.
                                                   2. Use an iron standard solution to add iron to the deionized water blank so that the blank has the
                                                   same iron concentration as the sample. The iron interference will be zeroed out from the test
                                                   result.                                                    
Magnesium                                300,000 mg/L as CaCO3
Monochloramine                        Monochloramine that is in chloraminated drinking water interferes directly at all levels and gives high
                                                   results. Use a Free Ammonia and Monochloramine method to determine free ammonia in these
                                                   sample matrices.          
Nitrate                                         5000 mg/L as NO3––N
Nitrite                                          600 mg/L as NO2––N   
pH                                              Adjust acidic or basic samples to approximately pH 7. Use 1 N sodium hydroxide standard solution
                                                   for acidic samples and 1 N hydrochloric acid standard solution for basic samples.
Phosphate                                  5000 mg/L as PO43––P
Sulfate                                        6000 mg/L as SO42–    
Sulfide                                        Sulfide will intensify the color. Remove sulfide interference as follows:
                                                   1.   Measure approximately 350 mL of sample in a 500-mL Erlenmeyer flask.
                                                   2.   Add the contents of one Sulfide Inhibitor Reagent Powder Pillow. Swirl to mix.
                                                   3.   Filter the sample through a folded filter paper and filter funnel.
                                                   4.   Use the filtered sample in the test procedure.
Other Substances                      Less common interferences such as hydrazine and glycine cause intensified colors in the prepared
                                                   sample. Turbidity and color will give incorrect high values. Samples with severe interferences require
                                                   distillation. Use the distillation procedure that is supplied with the distillation set.

from http/www.hach.com/asset-get.download.jsa?id=7639983747
 
Then there are the ammonia detoxifiers that can also cause issues.