Ammonia reading "0"

[librarygirl]

Will I be able to find pure ammonia at home depot. I don't have an ace hardware anywhere near me to get that janitor one that I see keep everyone recommending. What are some other alternatives?

Your other tank is awesome, btw. And yes assuming it's fully cycled by now you can take something from that tank (gravel, decor, a filter pad clipping) to help seed your new one.

I'm not sure about Home Depot. I called them and they told me they didn't have pure ammonia, but I don't know for sure, you could definitely try it. Just read the ingredients; make sure no dyes, perfumes or surfectants are listed. For an added test, shake the bottle; if it foams, it's the wrong stuff.

 

[Chino1130]

Thanks!


Just got home. Home Depot was a failure lol. Along with Kmart, Walmart, Stop and Shop, True Value, and a local hardware store. I ended up making the 45 minute drive to an Ace Hardware. I picked up a gallon of janitor strength ammonia. I've see several posts with people saying it works. I also picked up a fresh water master test kit from Petsmart. About to add the ammonia now, as well as the cave and a large rock from my other tank (fingers crossed).

I'd like to say thanks to everyone who posted in this thread for helping a noob out. If interested, this the build thread I started in regards to my new tank. http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f70/tank-2-build-thread-170391.html

Thanks again! I'm sure I'm going to be back in this thread with more questions.

 

[Chino1130]

So I added 4ml of ammonia to my tank (25 gallons) and 25 minutes later I did my first test. I felt so professional doing it, lol. Anyway, this is what I got. I know everyone says aim for 4ppm, but I've seen many noob guides that said anywhere between 3-5ppm was fine. The color in got in the sample looks to be just a tad darker than 4ppm, but no where close to 8. What do you guys and gals think?

 

[librarygirl]

Those tests are the devil to read, at least for me. It's hard to tell if the pic is skewing the coloring but I'd say it's between 4 and 8 lol. I don't think it's overdosed, so you could leave it I think.

 

[Chino1130]

Yeah, I tried comparing tube to sheet in at least 8 different lighting conditions. I was driving myself nuts trying to determine it.

 

[LyndaB]

The best thing to do is use one inside light for each reading. This will keep your numbers consistent.

I place the tube on the card directly to the right of the column of colors. When I hold it up to the light source, the color strip that runs vertically down the back of the tube lines up with one of the color options.

 

[Chino1130]

Color strip that runs down the back of the tube?

 

[LyndaB]

When you hold the tube against the white section of the card, then hold the card and tube up towards your light source, a vertical stripe will appear down the back of the tube. It's a visual thing, not an actual thing.

In fact, in the picture above, I can see a vertical stripe. That's what I mean.

 

[Chino1130]

Oh, I see. So you are saying hole the tube against the card, with the light source to the back of the card?

 

[LyndaB]

Let me see if I can explain this so that it makes sense.

I use the light fixture above my dining room table. It's a chandelier of sorts. I hold the card and tube maybe 8 inches to the right of the light and this gives me the clearest results. I get a nice solid stripe and there's no question as to what the reading is.

Depending on what light source you use, just move your card and tube around a bit and see what works for you.

 

[Chino1130]

Cool, I'll try that when I get home tonight. Out of curiosity, where in CT are you from?

 

[Chino1130]

Woohooo! Excellent news.

I checked my levels today and my ammonia was down to 2-3 ppm. I got excited and had to check my nitrites, they were between 4-5 ppm. I got real excited. I then checked my nitrates, and they were at 20 ppm. Looks like the party is starting after only 4 days! I am very happy. Tomorrow after classes I plan on adding more ammonia.

I have a question though. When hould I remove the seeder pieces that I borrowed from my other tank?

 

[librarygirl]

Woohooo! Excellent news.

I checked my levels today and my ammonia was down to 2-3 ppm. I got excited and had to check my nitrites, they were between 4-5 ppm. I got real excited. I then checked my nitrates, and they were at 20 ppm. Looks like the party is starting after only 4 days! I am very happy. Tomorrow after classes I plan on adding more ammonia.

I have a question though. When hould I remove the seeder pieces that I borrowed from my other tank?

Not for a while. Check your other tank and make sure the media you removed isn't affecting that cycle. Even after this current tank cycles I'd leaev the borrowed media in for at least a few weeks just to be sure enough bacteria is on the media in the new tank and not just relying on the borrowed piece.

 

[Chino1130]

My bacteria are doing very well (I think).

Sept 26 - 3:30pm
Ammonia < 1
Nitrites > 5
Nitrates >20/<40

I added more ammonia and got it back up to 4ppm.

Sept 27 - 7:30am

Ammonia = 1
Nitrites > 5 (I'm guessing between 6-8)
Nitrates = 40

I again added more ammonia to get the level back to 4ppm


So, what should my next step be? PWC?

 

[Chino1130]

Something interesting with my reading tonight. I re-upped my ammonia to 4ppm this morning. 14 hours later it was down to <.5. My nitrites stayed the same, maybe a little higher. My nitrates were between 40ppm and 80ppm this morning (7:30), tonight (9:30) they were 5ppm-10ppm.... Something doesn't seem right there. I'm going to do a 75% water change tomorrow afternoon after I finish class.

Question... In the master test kit, the nitrate test bottle #2, is there some kind of solid or powder in it? I shook it for 40 seconds, and at drop 7 it got clogged. I shook it a few time and drops 8,9, and 10 came out fine. I'm guessing that had something to do with my funky reading.

Edit*

Tested nitrates again (15 minutes later), got the same reading....

 

[librarygirl]

Something interesting with my reading tonight. I re-upped my ammonia to 4ppm this morning. 14 hours later it was down to <.5. My nitrites stayed the same, maybe a little higher. My nitrates were between 40ppm and 80ppm this morning (7:30), tonight (9:30) they were 5ppm-10ppm.... Something doesn't seem right there. I'm going to do a 75% water change tomorrow afternoon after I finish class.

Question... In the master test kit, the nitrate test bottle #2, is there some kind of solid or powder in it? I shook it for 40 seconds, and at drop 7 it got clogged. I shook it a few time and drops 8,9, and 10 came out fine. I'm guessing that had something to do with my funky reading.

Edit*

Tested nitrates again (15 minutes later), got the same reading....

Do you have live plants in the tank?

Yes there is a reagent powder in bottle #2 of the nitrate test. Bang the bottom of the bottle hard against a table a few times to loosen the powder as you shake it, I find that helps, and shake it very vigorously for more than the 30 sec the test recommends and see if the reading is any better. You can do a pwc if you want, shouldn't be necessary, but it won't hurt if you wanted to do one.