checking ammonia after the water change

[Dbouchard]

I just did a 50% water change , how long do i wait to test and see how much ammonia there is still left.


I got the api kit so i want to get an accurate reading, can I do it right after the water change, or wait awhile?


Dee

 

[HeatherW]

wait maybe 10 - 15 min and then retest. have you tested your tap water? go ahead and test that so you have a baseline of what you are starting with

 

[Dbouchard]

my tapwater tested at 0 ammonia,

the tank is at0.25 ppm 15 min later, another water change? I have water ready to do so if need be

Dee

 

[HeatherW]

that will work. what is your ph? and tank temp?
how big is your tank and what filtrationa are you using?
your doing good! you are treating the water before you add it to the tank (and you are temp matching too - right?)

 

[BBradbury]

I just did a 50% water change , how long do i wait to test and see how much ammonia there is still left.


I got the api kit so i want to get an accurate reading, can I do it right after the water change, or wait awhile?


Dee

Hello D...

What are you doing with your tank? Are you cycling it? Just curious.

B

 

[Dbouchard]

its a 20 gallon tank,
I cant tell you exact details about the filtration without grabbing the leaflet that came with it, but its a whisper something or other, it just hangs off the tank.
I treated the water with prime and I have made sure the water is matched temp wise

 

[Dbouchard]

yes I am cycling it, I have a couple of zebra danios in it, so im trying to keep them as healthy as possible

 

[Dbouchard]

oh and I was lucky enough to grab gravel from a friends tank, I hope it helps things along for me

 

[Dbouchard]

ph is about 8.5, not sure if that is what it should be but the fish dont seem distressed in any way, and the temp of the tank is hovering around 74

 

[HeatherW]

sounds all good

 

[BBradbury]

yes I am cycling it, I have a couple of zebra danios in it, so im trying to keep them as healthy as possible

Hello again D...

The "Fish In" cycling method is good and you've made a good choice of fish, but you need 5 or 6 fish and their waste gets the cycling process going. Zebra Danios and Platys are probably the best able to handle the process. They'll be fine if you closely monitor the water.

A 50 percent water change is quite a bit. Half that is all that's needed to get the water back into the "safe zone". This cycling method is very simple and easy on the fish if you test every day and change a quarter of the tank volume as soon as your test shows a trace of ammonia or nitrites.

You just need to test daily and change 25 percent of the water if you test positive for pollutants. After several tests of "0" ammonia and nitrites, you can add 5 or 6 more fish and keep testing daily and replacing the water when needed. Keep following these steps until your tank is fully stocked.

Pretty simple.

B