Let me try to keep this short.
After my tank had been up for about 6 weeks I guess and testing @ zero for everything after a slight ammonia spike early on I decided to change some water.Mostly because I hadn't and wanted to see if RODI would help with my algea issues since I started with tap.
Twenty gallons later (90g tank) it went well.Two days after I tested at something just over .25 ammonia.Thats was worrisome and not at all what I expected.
So Off I go again to buy RO water (an hour round trip or so) and twenty more gallons later....the ammonia is there and just as high.
Off I go to get more to mix the next day and my bud suggests I salt it up and test it before adding it to the tank as though the new water may be the issue since I was at zero before the first change.I agree to do it,but I doubt the theory in all honesty.
Long story a bit longer the "new" rodi water tested at just under .5 ammonia after mixing.This is with two seperate (ap) test kits and a sample of known zero run at the same time to compare vials (not just to the card).
Cloramine will test as ammonia,or so I've read...so I declorinated a bucket and tested again....0.This was more then a little frustrating as you can imagine.
I called the store and let them know what I found,but of coarse he didn't see how that could possibly be...ect.
This whole thing may have cost me an angel fish (my third fish in total),but i'm not sure about that...it was either sick or stressed of both.....no way to know now I guess.But the first change came a day or two after adding him.
The questions:
Will cloramines test as ammonia?
Will declorinating the water take that ammonia test to 0?
[the above seem true per this experience]
Lastly..the fish store guy and ro/di unit engineer suggested that if that were the case the inverts would have died instantly,but my snails and crabs are/were doing fine.What do you thnk?
I should also mention that after declorinating the whole tank it too tested at 0.
After my tank had been up for about 6 weeks I guess and testing @ zero for everything after a slight ammonia spike early on I decided to change some water.Mostly because I hadn't and wanted to see if RODI would help with my algea issues since I started with tap.
Twenty gallons later (90g tank) it went well.Two days after I tested at something just over .25 ammonia.Thats was worrisome and not at all what I expected.
So Off I go again to buy RO water (an hour round trip or so) and twenty more gallons later....the ammonia is there and just as high.
Off I go to get more to mix the next day and my bud suggests I salt it up and test it before adding it to the tank as though the new water may be the issue since I was at zero before the first change.I agree to do it,but I doubt the theory in all honesty.
Long story a bit longer the "new" rodi water tested at just under .5 ammonia after mixing.This is with two seperate (ap) test kits and a sample of known zero run at the same time to compare vials (not just to the card).
Cloramine will test as ammonia,or so I've read...so I declorinated a bucket and tested again....0.This was more then a little frustrating as you can imagine.
I called the store and let them know what I found,but of coarse he didn't see how that could possibly be...ect.
This whole thing may have cost me an angel fish (my third fish in total),but i'm not sure about that...it was either sick or stressed of both.....no way to know now I guess.But the first change came a day or two after adding him.
The questions:
Will cloramines test as ammonia?
Will declorinating the water take that ammonia test to 0?
[the above seem true per this experience]
Lastly..the fish store guy and ro/di unit engineer suggested that if that were the case the inverts would have died instantly,but my snails and crabs are/were doing fine.What do you thnk?
I should also mention that after declorinating the whole tank it too tested at 0.
