ammonia rebound

[xyyz]

i thought i had my tank cycled, but about three weeks back i started to notice the ammonia crawl to higher levels.

the ammonia's close to .25ppm, and there are no signs it's dropping to zero.

i'm doing PWC of about 1/3 to 1/4 of the volume of the 29 gallon tank either daily, or every other day. i siphon any waste from the gravel bed while doing the water change.

i've reduced the quantity of food i feed the fish to a meager amount, but i've increased the frequency of feedings to compensate. they're good about devouring every last bit, usually sifting through the gravel for ten minutes after feeding.

i've been forced to dose amquel+ daily. while i know it tends not to work with API's test kit, i'm using tetra's kit too (solutions kits, not strips.) the results are pretty much the same with both kits. i figure the tetra kit wouldn't give false postives like the API kit. i test the water right before the water change btw.

interestingly enough, seachem's ammonia sensor doesn't detect any amount of toxic ammonia, which makes me wonder if it's working.

any suggestions on what i outta do? i guess i can go out and buy some biospira and dump some of that into the tank. i rather not, but if it's the best option at the moment, then i'll do it.

 

[Sum22]

If it is staying below .50ppm, then you should wait it out. I don't think you need to chnage the water daily unless it is at .50 or higher. Have you tested your tap water?

 

[MichaelsLilGray]

could be having the same problem i am, just less severe. My tap tested at 2.0 ppm.

 

[xyyz]

i tested the tap water a few weeks back and iirc, the ammonia checked out at about 0.25ppm... hmmm, now you have me thinking.

i'll give it another test tomorrow.

typically how long does the biological filter take in reducing a 0.25ppm ammonia count to zero under a ph between 7.0-7.5 and a temp of around 86-88F?

 

[CaptainAhab]

<12 hours I would think depending on the load in the tank

Couple questions:

86-88? That's the temp you're keeping the tank w/ fish?
What leads you to believe that a tetra ammonia test kit out performs an API?
What kind of filter do you have? tank size? Fish?

 

[xyyz]

yes, that's the temp. i raised it recently because of injuries. i didn't want any oportunistic infections to get a hold of the wounds on the fish.

personally, i like the API kit better. however, according to the kordon website, amquel+ is not compatible with the API kit. they don't mention why, just that you won't get accurate results with the API kit when using amquel+.

i have a penuin biowheel 350. i also have a marineland powerhead w/ sponge filter. i forget the GHP rating on the powerhead, but it's more than enough for this 29 gallon tank.

the tank is a bit overstocked. i have 4 angelfish, 4 small discus, 4 killies, and an opaline gourami. a pair of angels will be removed within the next few days to give them a their own spawning tank. most likely, the opaline gourami will be moved to another tank too, but this move won't happen for a few weeks.

 

[CaptainAhab]

Your Amquel may give you false positives on your ammonia tests. Sometimes quite high if it's not a salicylate test. I don't remember if the tetra is a Nessler or salicylate test. I use Prime , which is a salicylate test and gives false positives.

I can't remember which off hand you might want to check that out.

 

[MichaelsLilGray]

Well Now here is a question for you guys.. if its cloramine or whatever not just clorine. Will the filter be ABLE to remove the ammonia.. since its not just an NH3 compound?

 

[JohnPaul]

Well Now here is a question for you guys.. if its cloramine or whatever not just clorine. Will the filter be ABLE to remove the ammonia.. since its not just an NH3 compound?

If you treat chloramine-containing tapwater with a dechlorinator that states explicitly that it is capable of neutralizing chlormaine (such as Seachem's Prime), then yes, the now-bonded chloramine is in a chemical form where filter bacteria can and will be able to use it as a source of nitrogen (ammonia). What makes this confusing is that after you treat chloramine-containing water with a chemical like Prime is that, even in the now-safe form, it will still register as "ammonia" using normal test kits. That is because the test kits cannot adequately distinguish ammonia in its free form, ammonia bonded with chlorine (chloramine), and ammonia/chlorine bonded with whatever is in the Prime (or Amquel) into its harmless form.

Untreated chloramine, however, is NOT something filter bacteria can use; indeed untreated chloramine is actually toxic to filter bacteria.

Lots of good info about this on both the Novalek website (for AmQuel+) and the Seachem website (for Prime).

 

[neilanh]

I agree, I wouldn't be stressing too much with levels of 0.25ppm - although I know discus are far more sensitive to the water conditions.

If you're getting .25 out of the tap, chances are it's chloramines, not ammonia. I agree with the others, switch to prime and see what happens.