At my wits end with Ammonia

[jk315]

I started my tank back in August, cycled it, now I have 12 fish in my 36 gallon tank. Everything is great except for this ammonia its driving me CRAZY. I do water change after water change and its still slightly high. Its at .25mg all the time never goes down. I will check the tank water and it will be .25mg, then I'll do a 50% water change and its still .25mg, is that even possible?

I've been doing 50% water changes constantly, and I'm very careful about making sure I don't overfeed my fish. I'm at my wits end. I'm starting to really regret getting fish.

Will .25mg ammonia hurt my fish? I'm thinking keeping it at .25 and not worrying about it anymore.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Have you checked for ammonia in your tap water? What about the used by date on your test kit? Are you using liquid or strips to test your water?

 

[Tashangel31]

I feel you frustration!! That's along time to have ammonia build up like that.

Are u using a tap water dechlorinater like prime??

 

[jlk]

What kind of fish are you keeping? There a huge difference in bioload between 12 minnows & 12 goldfish (and your beneficial bacteria's ability to handle it). Also, have you checked your tap water for ammonia? I have city water that (depending on the day of the week...) sometimes shows up at .25 but it zeroes out in my tank not long after a pwc.

 

[eco23]

Are you using an API Master test kit? If so, it's notoriously difficult to tell the difference between zero and .25. Try testing some bottled water as a control. If it looks the same...chances are your tank is actually at zero.

 

[jk315]

I have 2 german blue rams, 3 danios, 6 neon tetra, and 2 cory cats. I'm using the liquid test, and Seachem Prime. I also bring a sample into Petsmart and they tell me the same reading, .25. When I first started adding fish it was always saying the ammonia was zero, then for the last 6 weeks its been .25.

 

[tarpon]

Did you throw away any filter media?
How long did it sit without fish?
Id still do ecos control suggestion anyway, and maybe double check youre testing correctly

 

[jcolon]

I have 2 german blue rams, 3 danios, 6 neon tetra, and 2 cory cats. I'm using the liquid test, and Seachem Prime. I also bring a sample into Petsmart and they tell me the same reading, .25. When I first started adding fish it was always saying the ammonia was zero, then for the last 6 weeks its been .25.

As eco23 said, I'd test a bottled water and also test your tap ... kinda sounds like your chloramine was added to your tap water ... hence ammo in your tap.
Either your test kit shows a zero as a .25ppm which is common, or your tap has ammonia in it ... also common enough.

Your fish will tell you if the current concentration's a problem, if they look healthy and happy and have been all this time, I'd say your ok.

 

[jk315]

Ok, i'm going to test my tap water. if there is ammonia in my tap should I treat it with something along with the Prime when doing water changes?

 

[eco23]

Ok, i'm going to test my tap water. if there is ammonia in my tap should I treat it with something along with the Prime when doing water changes?

If the tank is fully cycled, it should convert any residual ammonia in the tap water down to zero within hours. Prime will neutralize it during that time anyway...so it's really a moot point and of no concern during that small window.

The fact that the tank is cycled and it's constantly reading at .25 regardless of water changes is what leads me to believe it's a testing issue.

 

[tarpon]

Test a bottle of water too for a comparision. And no, prime should detoxify it long enough to be broken down by your biofilter. Unless something "fishy" is going on.

Loll most overused pun on AA