new cycled tank, after fish in, showing 0.25 amm for 2 days straight?

[shynepo3]

so i had recently finished cycling a 10 gallon tank. prior to doing the big pwc, it had been able to convert 2.0 amm into 0 within 24 hours two times in a row. there was no nitrites, and nitrate readings were about 40-80ppm.

after i did the big pwc (he was suffering fint rot so i mixed in 3 teaspoon of api salt, tetra bwe, and ial), i immediately tested and ammonia was reading 0.25 (due to prime and my tap water having ammonia), nitrites 0, and nitrates 10-20ppm. i then took my betta out of his 5 gallon and put him. temp was 82.

it's been two days now, and his fin rot is improving, and he's fine, loving his new home. but ammonia is still reading 0.25. i know prime sometimes shows readings if ur tap water has ammonia in it, but it normally goes away after 24 hours. is something wrong?

 

[rich311k]

Test water that you know has no ammonia to be sure the kit is accurate.

 

[shynepo3]

i did that...i tested bottled water... and it comes a tiny bit more yellow reading closer to 0..i should add, the tank water doesn't look 0.25..it looks more between 0-0.25

 

[rich311k]

That says to be you test has probably been contaminated. i would imagine you have little or no ammonia. I would do a water change to be on the safe side and get yourself a new kit.

 

[shynepo3]

Hi rich ...if bottled water is at 0 and tank water is at 0-0.25, then how is the test kit wrong? I just bought the ammonia one because I ran out from the master
Kit.

I hope your right though. It's the API one, liquid

 

[eco23]

The API kits are notoriously difficult to tell if it has a greenish tint. To this day I still wander around the house looking in different lighting, lol. Did you test the bottled water in the same room / lighting as you tested the tank water? If you cycled at 2ppm and there's a single Betta in a 10 gallon, I can't fathom a way it would be producing an ammonia level. Unless something went awry (spelling?) during the pwc, I'm sure everything's fine. Just continue testing the next few days to ensure all is well

 

[rich311k]

Hi rich ...if bottled water is at 0 and tank water is at 0-0.25, then how is the test kit wrong? I just bought the ammonia one because I ran out from the master
Kit.

I hope your right though. It's the API one, liquid

Didn't you say you got a bit of a result? If not I am sorry I misunderstood you.

 

[shynepo3]

The API kits are notoriously difficult to tell if it has a greenish tint. To this day I still wander around the house looking in different lighting, lol. Did you test the bottled water in the same room / lighting as you tested the tank water? If you cycled at 2ppm and there's a single Betta in a 10 gallon, I can't fathom a way it would be producing an ammonia level. Unless something went awry (spelling?) during the pwc, I'm sure everything's fine. Just continue testing the next few days to ensure all is well

Omg...me too! I'm walking outside and around the house, looking at it from diff angles. Constantly asking my wife for her opinion . She gets so annoyed. Lol

Is there a better test kit for ammonia? Well one that easier distinguishes between 0 and 0.25? And I do think the tank water is slightly less yellow....maybe the salt, bwe or even the ial caused the tiny bit of amm?

 

[eco23]

Omg...me too! I'm walking outside and around the house, looking at it from diff angles. Constantly asking my wife for her opinion . She gets so annoyed. Lol

Is there a better test kit for ammonia? Well one that easier distinguishes between 0 and 0.25? And I do think the tank water is slightly less yellow....maybe the salt, bwe or even the ial caused the tiny bit of amm?

API is the best bang for your buck. Another member told me about the ultimate freshwater test kit, but it was a couple hundred bucks.

As long as you can comfortably say, okay it's yellow, that's pretty much the best conclusion you hope for. You can do pwc's if you want using Prime to neutralize any ammo that's potentially in there...but it's just going to increase your reading (on the test kit) for a time until the bio-filter absorbs it.

 

[shynepo3]

API is the best bang for your buck. Another member told me about the ultimate freshwater test kit, but it was a couple hundred bucks.

As long as you can comfortably say, okay it's yellow, that's pretty much the best conclusion you hope for. You can do pwc's if you want using Prime to neutralize any ammo that's potentially in there...but it's just going to increase your reading (on the test kit) for a time until the bio-filter absorbs it.

It doesn't really make sense..unless the prime is still in the water. Maybe I'll do a pwc with a diff conditioner. I still have some aqua plus from my tank kit. And I need to change the salt anyways.

For arguments sake, if the tank had like .15 of ammonia, would thAt hurt my Betta?

 

[eco23]

It doesn't really make sense..unless the prime is still in the water. Maybe I'll do a pwc with a diff conditioner. I still have some aqua plus from my tank kit. And I need to change the salt anyways.

For arguments sake, if the tank had like .15 of ammonia, would thAt hurt my Betta?

The Prime isn't going to cause or prevent an ammo reading...it just temporarily detoxifies it while the bio-filter converts it.

I know you said you're adding salt, remind me, how often are you doing pwc's?

* oops! I just saw you said you haven't in 2 days

 

[eco23]

Honestly I don't see cause for concern. If you see the ammonia level rising (not counting from the tap water after pwc's), then it's time to look for a cause. At this point I wouldn't worry about anything. You can continue pwc's with Prime until you're certain the ammo is 0...but personally I wouldn't stress other than keeping an eye out for changes.

 

[shynepo3]

ok thanks for the insight....i'll just hold off for now...since his fins are recovering, i'll probably just continue to test and do a pwc on sunday like normal (unless amm rises).

man, without everyone's help here, i'd be going NUTS..

 

[Gillie]

I painted a broad whit stripe down each one of my API test tubes to make the actual color easier to see.

 

[shynepo3]

I painted a broad whit stripe down each one of my API test tubes to make the actual color easier to see.

That's not a bad idea. My issue is more with the colors not matching the scale at all. The shade of yellow isn't the same.

Anyways, the tank is reading 0 now. I think the tiny bit of amm came from the lid, which would touch the water when I opened it. When I was cycling, I would place the dropper that I used to dispense the ammonia on top before rinsing it down. I wiped the lid yesterday and today it seems to have brought the reading down to 0.