ammonia readings

[shuvit]

After having zero ammonia I was rather miffed to suddenly start getting a 0.25 reading in both my tanks after changing nothing. Tested the tap water and low and behold, its 0.25 ammonia!
Is this normal and should I worry?

 

[blert]

It is very normal, yes. Consider yourself lucky it is so low actually. A well established aquarium will be able to convert it in well under a day.

 

[bud29]

And in addition to what blert said, .25 ammonia is not toxic. The toxic level of ammonia is .4+ppm. Now, that's not saying that .25 is good, I am just pointing out that no fish will die if you occasionally get a reading of .25.

Also, if you are not doing so already, I recommend using seachem prime for your dechlorinator as it converts ammonia into ammonium which is much less toxic to fish.

 

[jetajockey]

Ammonia toxicity depends on ph and temperature, so it's not a fixed number that applies to every situation.

 

[shuvit]

Thank you ph is 7.5 and I try to keep the temp between 24-26. Wasn't massively worried as my nitrates are 20ppm and nitrites are 0, though best to check though. X