Ammonia Increase After Water Change

[RWH1986]

Ammonia was 0 then I did a partial water change and the ammonia increased to .25ppm should I be worried and react right away or will it decrease after a few hours a day etc?

 

[jondamon]

Ammonia was 0 then I did a partial water change and the ammonia increased to .25ppm should I be worried and react right away or will it decrease after a few hours a day etc?

It's possibly just chlorine or chloramine reading as Ammonia. It should be gone within a few hours to a day.


Jon

 

[carey]

I would test the water that you use, it may have ammonia in it to begin with. :-(

do you buy pre-made water or do you mix your own?

 

[Ingy]

Other sources could include outside contaminates. Any chance someone used your bucket for cleaning (ammonia based cleaners)?

 

[reefrunner69]

I have had similar experiences and after researching I have found many salt mixes will mix up with ammonia. Ammonia is used in the making of these salt mixes. We should start a sticky with people posting ammonia results on freshly mixed salt water when it is known there is no ammonia in the make up water.

My results are: red sea coral pro salt = .25 - .75 ppm @ 1.026

http://web.archive.org/web/20001215...om/fish2/aqfm/1999/mar/features/1/default.asp

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-02/rhf/index.php

 

[RWH1986]

One of my angels has been laying on its side so I may suspect that the brief encounter with the high ammonia may have poisoned him? I retested 2 hours after the water change and it dropped back to 0. Would I be out of line to go to the LFS where I bought the water pre mixed and asked them to test it?

 

[reefrunner69]

One of my angels has been laying on its side so I may suspect that the brief encounter with the high ammonia may have poisoned him? I retested 2 hours after the water change and it dropped back to 0. Would I be out of line to go to the LFS where I bought the water pre mixed and asked them to test it?

Nope, just realize if it's the salt mix there isn't much they can do about it. I would take my test kit, buy a gallon and test it myself right there in front of them, and if it were positive, I would ask to test the FW they use to make it.

Edited to remove the last sentence, had my threads confused. Also I think a couple of hours of .25 ppm ammonia shouldn't have that dramatic an effect on your angel, but it is possible, and if nothing else was amiss, is most likely the cause.

How big was the pwc?

 

[RWH1986]

Nope, just realize if it's the salt mix there isn't much they can do about it. I would take my test kit, buy a gallon and test it myself right there in front of them, and if it were positive, I would ask to test the FW they use to make it.

Edited to remove the last sentence, had my threads confused. Also I think a couple of hours of .25 ppm ammonia shouldn't have that dramatic an effect on your angel, but it is possible, and if nothing else was amiss, is most likely the cause.

How big was the pwc?

I did 5 gallons in a 29 gallon tank. My buckets are clean so no contaminates there. However prior to the pwc my angel has been dealing with lymph but I put in stress coat a couple days ago and scraped some off and he was looking and acting much better until after the water change.