HELP, AMMONIA!

[brooksst]

I've had my GSP for two weeks now. A brief battle with Ich that is gone I noticed I have ammonia in my water somewhere between .5 and .25 ppm. Based on what I read on this website I started doing 40% to 50% water changes every day but the ammonia situation has not improved. I got to thinking and then I tested my tap water only to find that the tap water ammonia level matches the tank ammonia level. I then tested the Milwaukee city water that is supposed to be incredibly good and it still had levels of ammonia around .25 ppm. I've using an API ammonia test kit to test. Not the strips. So I don't really know what to do. I can't afford RO water and to be honest it sounds like a real pain to go buy water every week. The LFS wasn't too worried about the ammonia levels. They are generally pretty good but I always take what they say for granted. When I expressed that puffers do not tolerate ammonia and shouldn't have any in the water (which I learned here) they recomended a Tetra Aqua product called Ammonia Detox which claims to "detoxify dangerous ammonia". From what they told me it wouldn't take the ammonia out of the water but it would help him deal with the ammonia. Will using this help at all? Also, to dechlorinate my water I'm currently using a product called Chlorine & Heavy Metal Neutralizer by a company called "PondCare". Is this an acceptable product to treat my water with? It's what the store gave me but now it has me worried. The fish doesn't seem to be struggling but his sides have gone a touch browner I'm guessing because of the ammonia now. What can I do?

[edmlfc1]

First: If your tank has been properly cycled the cycle itself with take the ammonia out of the water within 24 hours of a water change.
Next: Some people swear by prime, some swear by amquel+, I use prime but have thought about switching to amquel+. You just need a product that removes harmful chlorine and chloramine the plus side is that they both detoxify ammonia. Look for this on your bottle.

Last: My ammonia in my tap water is .50, if I test my water right after a water change it shows ammonia in my water. If I wait until the next morning and then test my water my amm. is 0. Don't make yourself crazy over this, you know where it's coming from, just wait until the next day and test your ammonia level to see if it's down to 0.

Hope this helps.

[brooksst]

So from what you're saying the bioload in the tank should be able to manage the little ammonia added during the water change. Also, I checked my water treatment product and it doesn't say anything about chloramine so I think I'm going to replace it. Do you think I should use that Ammonia Detox product to treat what's in there?

[edmlfc1]

If you use prime or amquel you don't need ammonia detox. No need to add extra chemicals to your tank that you don't need.

[puffertt77]

Can you really get Ammonia in freshwater from your tap!

I would've thought that wasn't aloud to happen?!

Isn't the water suppose to have been treated for all that kind of stuff before it gets to your house?!

[edmlfc1]

Yes you can have ammonia in your tap water. There are some days mine is as high as 1.0. Especially after a heavy rain.

[Dadof4]

Actually in some areas ammonia is a byproduct of the filtration process, they say that small amount is harmless to humans.....

[Nick]

Our kidneys are quite effective at eliminating ammonia, quickly binding it into less active urea and performing a reverse osmosis process to remove as much water as can be safely retrieved from the waste concentrate.

[Christemo]

Our kidneys are quite effective at eliminating ammonia, quickly binding it into less active urea and performing a reverse osmosis process to remove as much water as can be safely retrieved from the waste concentrate.

Which is why urine smells as it does.

SCIENCE.

[Pufferpunk]

Boy, Nick sure is a fountain of knowledge!

[julianchan]

I think the pages name needs to be changed to Nick-e-pedia....

I am lucky enough to have ammonia pretty low in my tap water, near untraceable. But it really tastes bad with all the other stuff in it.

[Iliveinazoo]

You could buy a water butt and capture rain water.

[Pufferpunk]

Ewwww... I'm not drinking butt water!

[Iliveinazoo]

Ewwww... I'm not drinking butt water!

lol!!

[lilgirlkat]

I live in Milwaukee, and I've never had problems with the ammonia levels in my tap.

Which LFS are you frequenting?

I also use PRIME when I do water changes.