KaylNeko
Aquarium Advice FINatic
- Joined
- Dec 23, 2011
- Messages
- 766
Hi folks. I don't remember if it was this one or another forum (sorry! I belong to several) where I mentioned having issues with the ammonia readings.
My ten gallon has been set up since October. It has for quite some time now consistently given me 0 readings for nitrite and (apparently) .25 readings for ammonia (nitrates vary between 5 and 20). Someone suggested testing bottled spring water to make sure I was reading the color right. I did so at the same time as I tested the tank water and the tank water was every so slightly greener than the spring water (like a very light spring green with a touch of yellow rather than yellow). The QT tank (insta-cycled with filter media) gives the exact same readings as the ten gallon (well, nitrates vary sometimes *lol*). The 55 gallon is going through a mini-cycle, so I've been through some ammonia spikes and working my way through high nitrites and nitrates, so I'm pretty sure the test kit is working.
So what is going on? Tap water tests the same as the tank water--it's well water, so no chlorine/chloramine so SHOULD be no ammonia. I find it hard to believe that after four months, I still have ammonia, much less ammonia and no nitrites, every single time I test (two or three times a week). I went through an ammonia spike in the ten gallon that, unfortunately, burned the Betta's gills and they are all healed up now. Someone responded and said they got the same results and finally figured that was their 0 ammonia result--I'm about ready to make the same decision myself, but I thought I would ask about. Do the readings make sense? I've not seen anyone post or write an article that has the cycle doing what it appear to be doing in my tank, so....yeah. I am a little confused. *lol*
Any input would be appreciated.
^_^
My ten gallon has been set up since October. It has for quite some time now consistently given me 0 readings for nitrite and (apparently) .25 readings for ammonia (nitrates vary between 5 and 20). Someone suggested testing bottled spring water to make sure I was reading the color right. I did so at the same time as I tested the tank water and the tank water was every so slightly greener than the spring water (like a very light spring green with a touch of yellow rather than yellow). The QT tank (insta-cycled with filter media) gives the exact same readings as the ten gallon (well, nitrates vary sometimes *lol*). The 55 gallon is going through a mini-cycle, so I've been through some ammonia spikes and working my way through high nitrites and nitrates, so I'm pretty sure the test kit is working.
So what is going on? Tap water tests the same as the tank water--it's well water, so no chlorine/chloramine so SHOULD be no ammonia. I find it hard to believe that after four months, I still have ammonia, much less ammonia and no nitrites, every single time I test (two or three times a week). I went through an ammonia spike in the ten gallon that, unfortunately, burned the Betta's gills and they are all healed up now. Someone responded and said they got the same results and finally figured that was their 0 ammonia result--I'm about ready to make the same decision myself, but I thought I would ask about. Do the readings make sense? I've not seen anyone post or write an article that has the cycle doing what it appear to be doing in my tank, so....yeah. I am a little confused. *lol*
Any input would be appreciated.
^_^