Ammonia rising after water change

[youngfin]

The title says it all...and yes i am using a dechlorinator. I live in the city, tank is 29 gallons, there is 6 zebra danio's in there, week 3 of the cycle. I use nutrafin brand water conditioner, label says it removes both chlorine and chloramine. Last water change was about 30%, and expecting to see the ammonia drop, it actually rose. Before water change ammonia level was between .25 and .50 ppm, and now its definitely over .50 ppm I tested the water coming out of the tap for ammonia before , and got 1ppm. knowing this when I did the water change of 10 gallons, I added 30 ml of water conditioner. Label says 10 ml is good for 10 gallons...what am I supposed to do? If water changes don't remove the toxins then what? Anyone else had this problem and resolved it?

 

[librarygirl]

What conditioner are you using? I know people here have had higher ammonia levels in their tap water but not sure what they did. Since you're cycling you want to keep ammonia under .25 but if your tap has more ammonia than in the tank...hm.....Sorry I hope someone else can help.

 

[eco23]

The water conditioners that "remove" ammonia don't actually remove them...what they do is temporarily neutralize them to protect the fish while the bio-filter converts it. That's why even after you've added the product ammonia will still show up on the test kit...it's not gone, it's just converted to a non-toxic form.

Tap water containing ammonia makes getting the tank cycled,water changes and dosing Prime all that much more important. Products like Seachem Prime will temporarily detoxify up to 1ppm ammonia and nitrItes for 24-36 hours...but within that time frame another water change should be done adding more Prime. You'll just need to repeat the process until your beneficial bacteria is able to consume the ammonia. Once cycled, the ammonia will disappear from the tank within hours of adding fresh water...long before the Prime loses effect.

Again, if you're using Prime and changing water often...the low levels of ammonia will be a moot point since it is neutralized...but if it sets your mind at ease you can use this chart jetajockey (AA member) put together which takes pH and temperature into account showing at what ranges ammonia becomes toxic.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f12/your-guide-to-ammonia-toxicity-159994.html

 

[blert]

Breaking the chloramine bond also produces more ammonia so test the water after you add dechlorinator to get a better reading of what you are putting in your tank.