Could 0.25 ammonia be coming from testing kit?

[Aqua315]

I've been doing an in fish cycle for about 3 weeks now I've been struggling with keeping the ammonia in my tank down because although my nitrites are at 0 my ammonia is staying at 0.25 which seems a little weird to me. The nitrites were previously at 0.25 as well but after adding Tetra SafeStart they went down to 0.

Then a thought occurred to me. Every time I finish with my test kit I rinse the test tubes out with tap water and let them air dry. If there's ammonia in my tap water, could it have gotten on the test tubes and could that be giving a false reading?

 

[HUKIT]

Test your tap water and bottled water for a control.

 

[kaiofcanada]

potentially, but you can easily test your tap water for ammonia but it would not be in the tubes if they are rinsed and allowed to dry...only if you have remaining fluid in the tubes.

It would be unusual to have ammonia in your tap water but not unheard of...a couple people have posted in the forums about it. Check your tap water and see what you might be dealing with.

 

[eco23]

Ammonia in tap water is fairly common. Many municipalities have switched from chlorine to chloramines which is responsible for the ammonia content.

API kits are also notoriously difficult to tell between 0 and .25.

I agree with HUKIT to test the tap as well as having a control.

 

[Aqua315]

In the process of checking my tap water now, should have the results in a few minutes. I don't have access to any bottled water right now though. Actually, sometimes I have put the tubes away without them being completely dry so we'll see.

 

[Aqua315]

It looks like the tap water is between 0-0.25, it's kinda hard to tell. Is 0.25 ammonia and 0 nitrites common during cycling? It's been like this for a few days now. Nitrates are staying at 20

 

[eco23]

What is your nitrAte level? If no2 is staying at zero and ammonia isn't climbing it should signify the tank is cycled. If there is ammonia in the tap water, it should be consumed by the bio-filter very quickly after pwc's...it could potentially be a bad reading. Is it an API Master kit you're using?

 

[Aqua315]

nitrate is at 20 and yes it's an api master kit.

 

[eco23]

nitrate is at 20 and yes it's an api master kit.

The ammo may actually be zero. I wander around the house holding it up to different lights sometimes. Sometime my eye thinks it has a green tint...but my tank is extremely stable and I know it's 0.

I don't have unwavering faith in cycling products (Safestart seems to be the most respected though), so I'd keep testing daily and do pwc's if any numbers climb. If ammo and no2 remain at zero...I'd call you cycled.

 

[Aqua315]

I haven't done any pwc since I added the safestart on friday. I tested yesterday and today and the results stayed at ammo-0.25 no2-0 no3-20. I'll test again tomorrow without doing a pwc tonight and see if I get the same results. If so, do you think it's cycled?

 

[eco23]

I haven't done any pwc since I added the safestart on friday. I tested yesterday and today and the results stayed at ammo-0.25 no2-0 no3-20. I'll test again tomorrow without doing a pwc tonight and see if I get the same results. If so, do you think it's cycled?

If the ammo is actually .25 and not zero, it shows things aren't stable but on the right track. It is possible the ammo is zero though since the test kits are tricky.

Like I said, I don't hold full faith in cycling products...so regardless of what happens I'd test the parameters every day for the next couple weeks to be safe.

 

[Aqua315]

ok i'll continue to check the water daily. I plan on doing a 10-15% pwc on thursday (will have been a week since the last pwc by then) as recommended by a lfs employee

 

[eco23]

ok i'll continue to check the water daily. I plan on doing a 10-15% pwc on thursday (will have been a week since the last pwc by then) as recommended by a lfs employee

Sounds good . Remember to never listen to the guy at the pet store 99.9% of the time. They tell people that tanks do not cycle if you do water changes...that isn't true. There are hundreds if not thousands of members here who cycled their tanks while doing daily pwc's. Never worry about changing water if that is what is needed to keep the ammo and no2 below .25 at all times.

If levels climb, here's a great guide to check out-
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...-but-i-already-have-fish-what-now-116287.html

 

[tulip55555]

Before you fill the test tubes with the water you want to test rinse it out with that water. I put a bit of aquarium water in the tube and shake it around then dump it out and add the water to be tested.
I also cycled with fish. I tried many bacteria starters like Safestart. Nothing worked for me except Seachem Stability. With the others I noticed the same thing you did. I would have some nitrites, use the bacteria, then no nitrites. I do believe this stalled my cycle. I have some ideas as to why, but that's another story. At week 6 I started using Stability. 3 days later I started to see Nitrites. 10 days after nitrites I was done cycling. It did take a total of 8 weeks to cycle with fish, but like i said i think using bottled bacteria stalled it.
Depending on your Ph and temp .25 ammonia could contain very little free ammonia (NH3 or the toxic kind) API test kit tests for combined ammonia-NH3 & NH4 (ammonium or non toxic) I found this out around week 7 I also felt a little better about cutting back on PWC which i also think helped my cycle to progress faster.
I'm not promoting Stability, just telling you what I observed. Here's a link about Ammonia Toxicity as it relates to ph and temp...
Ammonia Toxicity

 

[roundar]

Before you fill the test.....[/url]

I don't do a lot of "+1" posts, but this one warrants it imo. I think there may be some merit to some of the 'cycle starters.' But it's always good to experiment and post results. The Ammonia Toxicity link is a must for anyone who wants to really understand their tank.

 

[Aqua315]

Ok I just tested my water again and for the third day in a row I got the same results.
Ammo:0.25
No2:0
No3:20.
I don't get it, if the ammonia becomes nitrites, then why do I have 0 nitrites and 0.25 ammo? Am I cycled or not? I'm really confused!!!

 

[eco23]

Ok I just tested my water again and for the third day in a row I got the same results.
Ammo:0.25
No2:0
No3:20.
I don't get it, if the ammonia becomes nitrites, then why do I have 0 nitrites and 0.25 ammo? Am I cycled or not? I'm really confused!!!

I still lean towards it actually being zero. As I said, the API kits can be tricky to tell the difference with a 0-.25 level. It should either be climbing or dropping, not staying parked at .25. It's possible the test tube is dirty or there's some other cause.

Can you post a picture with it on a well lit white background?

 

[Aqua315]

This is the best picture I could get

It definitely has a greenish color to it.

 

[Hatterz]

I get the same color on mine, .25 ammo, 0 nitrites, 10-40 nitrites depending on the day. Weird thing is I didn't rinse mine out today and after the Argentina soccer game (+1 soccer fans) I noticed it was a really dark yellow after sitting out for several hours.

 

[eco23]

This is the best picture I could get

It definitely has a greenish color to it.

Man, that's really hard to tell. I agree with a HUKIT from earlier that you've got to get some bottled water to use as a control. At first glance it looks yellow, but if you stare hard enough you can think green. Believe me, I've walked all around the house and even outside holding my tube up to random things...and my ammo is absolutely, 100% at zero. I think I've just conditioned my eyes to tell the difference when I see it in person.

A pwc never hurts (in any situation), but I don't see enough evidence to be overly concerned. I'd personally knock out a 30% pwc to be on the safe side.