Bio-Spira or bio-zyme products?

[jim692]

I thought I wanted some level of ammonia (albeit low so its not stressing the fish) so the bacteria would have 'food'?? .

You will always have a very low (trace amount) level of ammonia in the tank from the waste products of the fish. In a healthy aquarium environment this level is so low it will not show up on a test kit. Any reading of ammonia on a test kit in an aquarium requires immediate action to safeguard your fish.
As long as fish are in the tank there is food (watse products) for the bacteria to live and thrive.

 

[Chriznat20]

You will always have a very low (trace amount) level of ammonia in the tank from the waste products of the fish. In a healthy aquarium environment this level is so low it will not show up on a test kit. Any reading of ammonia on a test kit in an aquarium requires immediate action to safeguard your fish.
As long as fish are in the tank there is food (watse products) for the bacteria to live and thrive.

I re-tested about an hour ago and it came up .5-1.0 (the lowest yellow on the API master test kit that I use), so I did a 25% water change anyways. The test water w/solution is so light yellow I doubt its even .5, maybe .25 or less.

I will re-test tmo and see where to go from there.

 

[dkpate]

In the API test, yellow is 0. When it starts to get a little green, it has ammonia.

 

[Chriznat20]

In the API test, yellow is 0. When it starts to get a little green, it has ammonia.

Really?

Care to explain why my API Ammonia test is YELLOW then?

 

[dkpate]

Oh, well your's is a lot different than mine

 

[Chriznat20]

Oh, well your's is a lot different than mine

Yeah, but what really matters here is whose is bigger!

Sorry I just couldn't resist!!!

How old is your API test kit? That might make some of the difference here... I bought mine circa 2002.

 

[dkpate]

I bought mine in August. And MINE is bigger cause I have more rectangles lol!

 

[mgamer20o0]

there are different ammonia tests one with 2 drops the other with one.

In response to your question, each reagent bottle has a Lot # printed on
the bottle. The last four digits are the month and year of manufacture.
Example: Lot # 28A0102. This is a pH reagent manufactured in January of
2002. Pond Care Wide Range pH, Ammonia, High Range pH, Nitrate,
Phosphate, Copper, Calcium and GH all last for three years. Nitrite and
KH will last for four years. Freshwater pH(low range) and Pond Care Salt
Level will last for five years. I would not trust these kits after they
have expired.

save your self the money get some gravel or a sponge from a cycled tank. most of the products just dont work. bio spira worked the best but they no longer make it. its been rebranded under tetra no longer refrigerator.

 

[Chriznat20]

there are different ammonia tests one with 2 drops the other with one.



save your self the money get some gravel or a sponge from a cycled tank. most of the products just dont work. bio spira worked the best but they no longer make it. its been rebranded under tetra no longer refrigerator.

Yeah!! I saw the new product today at my LFS. No deal.

Mine takes 8 drops of ammonia test solution, btw 8 drops!

 

[dkpate]

Mine too.

 

[supradupafast]

lol... You two are funny...
Try keeping your Ammonia at .25ppm when cycling with fish. I see your test card shows only 0PPM , then it's .5-1.0PPM...
Might be hard to get a sense on the .25ppm, but you want it lighter colored than your .5-1.0PPM yellow.

 

[mfdrookie516]

just curious, but what is the lot number on your bottle? It would appear to me that it is expired, but i may be seeing it wrong

 

[mgamer20o0]

lol... You two are funny...
Try keeping your Ammonia at .25ppm when cycling with fish. I see your test card shows only 0PPM , then it's .5-1.0PPM...
Might be hard to get a sense on the .25ppm, but you want it lighter colored than your .5-1.0PPM yellow.

may not work anyways since its 8 years old give or take. say its only good for 3 years time to invest in a new one.

 

[Chriznat20]

just curious, but what is the lot number on your bottle? It would appear to me that it is expired, but i may be seeing it wrong

Thats the original bottle, its empty. The replacement bottle I bought at my LFS expires this year apparently, based on the lot # on the newer bottle.

 

[Chriznat20]

may not work anyways since its 8 years old give or take. say its only good for 3 years time to invest in a new one.

The kit itself is 8 years old, not the ammonia or nitrite solutions... the ammonia ran out about 2 years ago and it is due to expire this year (Sept 2010 to be exact). I just bought new nitrite solution last year.

Those are the only two that have run out this far, as those are the only 2 I use the most in that kit. Ive bought countless nitrate kits. 8-O

 

[Chriznat20]

lol... You two are funny...
Try keeping your Ammonia at .25ppm when cycling with fish. I see your test card shows only 0PPM , then it's .5-1.0PPM...
Might be hard to get a sense on the .25ppm, but you want it lighter colored than your .5-1.0PPM yellow.

Thats what Ive been trying to say

My test comes out very light yellow, obviously lower than the .5-1.0, which is my lowest ammonia level (sans zero).

So shouldnt I have higher ammonia with 4 zebras, 1 tetra, 2 cory's, and a mini-me pleco? Either Ive got some kind of funky bacteria action going on, or my fish are some kind of alien hybrids that do not expel ammonia...LOL.

My 55g tank cycled much more extreme than the 30g that I have now... I remember very very high ammonia levels and daily 50% water changes back then. And I had less fish in the 55g when it cycled! Then again, I never added any kind of product, like I did with this one ... might be the difference? ((shrugs))