Why Your Ammonia Test Kit is Probably Lying to You!
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- Опубліковано 16 жов 2024
- Hello Fellow Fish Keepers,
In this video we talk about the importance of unionized ammonia in your fish tank and why your ammonia test kit isn't telling you the whole story. Below are a couple really good references that will help you calculate unionized ammonia:
Explanation and chart: www.patroutint...
UIA Calculator: www.hamzasreef...
API Test Kit (Affiliate Link): amzn.to/2GSjqoy
If you want to see more behind the scenes stuff, exclusive videos and support the channel consider becoming a member! / @primetimeaquatics
Also, our new shirts can be found at: www.primetimea...
For the latest in the fish room check us out on Instagram primetime_aquatics
Thanks for watching!
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Looking for a water test kit? API Test Kit (Affiliate Link): amzn.to/2GSjqoy
Want to know more about water parameters? Check out these videos!
Here is more information about water parameters. Definitely worth a look if you are trying to learn all you can about the subject!
What exactly is the nitrogen cycle? ua-cam.com/video/dFpN4wXgmfI/v-deo.html
What is Water Hardness? ua-cam.com/video/xRYdtvakfv0/v-deo.html
How Does pH Impact Fish Health? ua-cam.com/video/d9N-JliqsJg/v-deo.html
How to Lower Ammonia: ua-cam.com/video/5l-POiCc0dI/v-deo.html
How to Lower Nitrites: ua-cam.com/video/3t8yq-ydOaE/v-deo.html
How to Lower Nitrates: ua-cam.com/video/rTdjjZRBIDU/v-deo.html
What Does Water Quality Really Mean? ua-cam.com/video/TkPwQGG1LMQ/v-deo.html
Api sucks, doesnt distinguish between nh3 and nh4 get a sera master box
Brilliantly explained. I am a freshwater newbie who is currently waiting for first ever tank to cycle. Keep up the good work.
Test kit is lying to you! ...Now buy the test kit?
I've heard somebody talking about pH and temp affecting amonia toxicity, but I've never had it explained so well! Thank you!
Thank you!
Thank you! Appreciate you watching
That’s true
I've been having such a hard time trying to keep my ammonia at 0, its been constantly rising back up to .25ppm or so and driving me crazy! The fish never seemed bothered and it puzzled me and now I know why, the calculation says the true level is negligible. Thank you for the peace of mind!
Growing up I feel like keeping fish was never this complicated. I had a couple Pacu for 5-6 years and I never did one water test.
I was just saying I reckon most fishkeepers don't do any water tests.
Same with me, but all my fish died😥
My mom says this all the time
Same I had a tilapia in a 20 gal for atleast 10 years
@@dankystanky7438sarap ulam hahahaha. we cook and eat tilapia in Philippines 😅
I wish videos (like this)existed 30 years ago when I started in the hobby. Your channel is such a great resource to all of us in the hobby, because no matter how long you have been doing this sometimes it is good to get a second opinion.
I find myself wishing the same when I watch other channels too! : -)
Bamm!!!
API showing 1.0 in my QT was driving me crazy!
7.7PH 25C = 0.028 makes way more sense!
Thanks
bud!
Thanks for the good information! As a wildlife biologist it drives me crazy when people in the hobby explain things but doesn’t give you the full picture or explain the whys! I love your channel! I almost don’t watch anything else about fish keeping but your videos!! Still struggling with my first tank cycle but having patience. Thanks!!
Thank you for being here!
I'm new to fishkeeping, and had quite a shock when I tested my tap water and my API test kit read 0.5ppm of ammonia. Apparently my city adds ammonia to long pipelines to keep the water sanitary. Thanks to this video I know that's actually about ~0.02ppm of the toxic stuff. I was much relieved. Thank you!!
Im not so sure. Our tap water in Tampa, fl also reads 0.5ppm but the Ph is at 8.2 and and during summer water temperature is about 80 F and with salinity near 0 this comes to over 0.0561 witch is not all that good in my opinion. Maybe you should recalculate your tap water again!
@@dimitrovbmw they don’t have the same water as you…
Prime from Seachem will help to keep that added ammonia from being an issue in addition to neutralizing chlorine and chloramine. It works by keeping the ammonia bound up as the not-as-toxic ammonium this guy is talking about until your biological filter has a chance to break it down, which should happen quite quickly.
Wow...probably one of the most important uploads for the Aquarium Hobby. Thank You Most Kindly!
Thank you! Appreciate it
This is the most helpful video I’ve watched for a long time. This gave me so much peace of mind as my total ammonia has remained at 0.25 ppm for quite some time now. However, My UIA is quite low. I’m so happy to have learned this. Thank you!!!!!!
I cannot stress enough to you how informative this video has been. I by chance i suppose, set up a pretty dark blackwater aquarium for my Betta, because I knew they liked the tannins and I think blackwater aquariums are beautiful and have diligently kept him nice and warm. Every time i test for ammonia it stresses me out, All the other parameters are fine, my fish is alert and happy, the tank is booming with growth, so I decided to leave it be, not really sure of why he seemed to be thriving. But i'm cycling him a new tank (a bigger one, because I adore him) and I'm trying to check for the ammonia levels when I came across this video. I feel like i understand so much more about the balance of the aquariums now, thank you.
I know this is an old video but I am getting back into the hobby after many years away & it is so helpful along with everything else yall post. Thank you so much.
Bloody great explanation. I've been keeping adult fancy goldfish for the past 5 years in the same tank and i kept getting ammonia readings of 0.25-0.50ppm and burned to different kinds of test kits. No wonder all my fish survived these past 5 years.
Thank you!
I've never had this really explained to me in detail, just bits and pieces like if your ph is lower than 7.0, ammonia is in its less toxic form. Never have I seen a tool to actually calculate UIA, so thank you very much for providing that. I can see why companies might want to make test kits to calculate total amounts, as this would be very difficult for new or inexperienced fishkeepers to understand. I love that there is so much science to go along with fishkeeping, but it does take a LOT of time, research, and trial and error to begin to understand how your aquarium functions. I feel like every time I stumble upon one of your videos a new door opens up and I love that feeling of discovering something new about my aquarium! You are very articulate and being able to explain complicated topics in a straightforward way is truly a wonderful skill!
Thank you Victoria! Appreciate you watching. I love the science behind fish-keeping as well!
Very interesting! I've always heard that there were reasons why people do plop and drop instead of drip acclamation, but now I know why. Thanks so much for explaining things!
Glad to help!
Its simple you just add a drop or 2 of prime to the bag once you open it then do drip acclimating
I have been in the hobby for over 50 years and I have never tested for NH3, back in the "old days" of brute force filtration with lots of Carbon and massive water changes it wasn't a problem, then when the hobby switched to biofiltration, I never even thought about ammonia unless there was a massive rise of pH.
Now I know that if my biofiltration is working and the pH is stable then there is no Ammonia problem.
If pH starts rising then the likely culprit is ammonia
Great video, I once read an article about this topic but it wasn't described nearly as well as in your video.
I also like how you stuck to the relevant topic and kept it short and simple. A lot of people will post a long video mostly rambling about fishkeeping, which isint necessarily bad but sometimes you just want the important info. Thanks!
Thank you! I try to keep the informational videos on task. : -)
Thank you so much for including both Fahrenheit and Celsius! Save me so much calculating!
I have been in a panic about ammonia in my tank doing water changes and never testing 0. Using the calculator was very enlightening. Turns out it was only .0005 ppm. These companies need to do a better job of explaining on the packaging what the ammonia is actually testing! I have been doing unnecessary water changes. Thank you for educating me!
Thanks much for this info.
I measured 4-8ppm today. Fish seemed fine, but I didn't want my wife to lose her fish!
Added started doing a 50% water change and added some ammo lock.
Glad to know they will be fine.
She got excited and added fish when we she saw the ammonia level hit zero for the first time.
Maybe was the plants pulling it down, and wasn't fully cycled yet.
Keep learning more about ammonia. Now how to fine tune it precisely concerning the welfare of the fish. Thank you so much!
We’ve know about this in the hobby for a long time, but I think when forums quit being popular and Facebook started being popular certain myths or half truth become popular. Good video
Thank you!
facebook groups have pushed me back to forums. much more respect and etiquette on forums.
@@Bhousm76 exactly! I have ran intp bullying egotisical a holes on groups nothing but beat down bullies!
For a newbie like me... Facebook groups destroyed me! I lost 2 weeks of cycling because of them saying nonsense and eventually I started reading forums and that's where I found the most accurate opinions. That actually have been validated with facts not just rumors..
Excellent video. This isn't talked about nearly enough . And isn't very well understood among new hobbyists and even some of the old schoolers. so glad to see someone covering the in depth learning required to properly care for fish.
Thank you!
Thank you so much!! I’ve been driving myself crazy because my ammonia tests always come up positive. Everything else I’ve read said it’s super dangerous and all my fish are about to die, so I’ve been breaking my back and bank account buying SO many products to fix it and doing many frequent water changes just to still see it test positive for ammonia, even though my fish don’t look sick/distressed. After watching your video everything makes sense now! You just saved my sanity!! 😂
Good to hear!
Great info, my ammonia levels were driving me nuts even when my tank is cycled, turns out I have some ammonia in my water. Something to bare in mind to test your tap water not just what you’re putting in your tank I find has helped me a lot. API test kits will always show if you do.
This is a really good explanation, but at the same time, I think 0 ammonia on the test is still the condition that you would want to shoot for. 0 TAN means 0 NH3 regardless of the other parameters, so in a way, I think it's a more useful reading to the average (beginner) aquarist.
If you're reading ammonia on your test kit, it's something you need to deal with. If it's all NH4, then it's probably not going to kill your fish, but I would still want to know where it's coming from.
I know it's not the intent of the video, but some people are going to see 1.5ppm ammonia in their tank, punch it into the calculator, and see that they're
Thank You so much I ended up having to do a fish in cycle and I've been doing water changes and prime doses to keep my fish healthy but my ammonia kept reading back at about 3ppm i just went to the website and my unionized ammonia is only 0.043, you have made me feel more confident and now I know that my fish will be fine while I continue to monitor them closely for the nitrites to show up.
You do an excellent job of explaining the entire Ammonia issue.
I use the Seachem Test Kit which can give you readings for both even AFTER using water conditioners in water with chloramines.
Iv watched many blogs on this subject and I really have to say this was the best ! Many thanks
I been fishkeeping since I was about 8. Your videos are very good. Still learning new info from watching your videos. Good job!
Thank you! Glad you are watching.
This is so useful, I'm new to fish keeping but it's so much easier to remember what to do and how to make your own decisions when someone has taken the time to explain the science behind it clearly, thankyou!
Thank you!
You have explained everything so well and so clearly! Thank you very much! I'm really pleased I found your channel! I'm new to fish keeping and only have a basic tank at the moment, one little bristle nose pleco and some blue jelly shrimp. I didn't have a test kit which I know is bad, so thought I'd better learn a bit more about which one to buy. I have been really confused by all the sales and waffle on the internet. Everything makes sense now! Thank you.
Glad it helped - good luck!
I was told about keeping ammonia levels below 1ppm but was never really explained why. And I believe these test kits are meant for inexperienced people who were told to keep ammonia levels near zero without the explanation in this video. It’s just a general test.
Would be neat if the companies making the test kits would also include the formula to calculate this.
In 50+ years in the hobby I only ever tested for ammonia on salt water when I first got into that. I stock lightly and and filter heavily. I replace evaporation loss with distilled water. I do water changes but I'm not pulling 25 gallons out of a 75 gallon tank every week. I've had success with breeding silver angelfish, ocellaris clownfish, danios, and of course lots of live bearers.
Thanks. Learnt something today which is always a goal for everyday. New fishkeeper of a few weeks. Had a very slight (0.25 ppm) ammonia spike after adding some more fish, which I'm hopeful the will resolve itself with a reduction in feeding and giving the filter time to catch up. But at least i know I'm not at danger levels when other parameters are taken account of.
Thanks for watching!
Mind blown!! This makes so much sense with acclimation!
This helped so much. My total ammonia is always around .5-1ppm but my fish seem fine. Now I know why. Thanks.
This explained clearly what i have been experiencing. i have had a rash of fish die offs when adding fish to my quarantine tank, ammonia was reading 0ppm, ph was 8.0 -8.5 (central Texas hard water) and temp was 76-77 degrees. id add fish and it seemed almost instant where the smaller fish would roll over and start gasping and/or sit at the surface gasping, usually by the next morning they would be dead. when i would inspect the fish they always had reddening around the gill plate. so potential ammonia burns to the gill tissue? i'll work on now lowering my water ph closer to 7.0 and lowering my temps a couple degrees and see if the situation improves. Thank you for a very clear explanation of the relationship of ph and temps and ammonia/ammonium.
This is a great video and very educational. I've been battling constant reading of 0.25ppm in my 6 week old shrimp tank and doing daily water changes with prime... and allsorts of stupid stuff.. panicking and thinking my shrimp are going to die.
I'm going to leave the tank now for 3-4days and just see what happens...
Is this what you would advise?
I'm at 7ph and 20c so hopefully there isn't any problems...?
Matt,Zeolith will suck up your ammonia.
Gosh, I am so glad I found your video. New to fishkeeping with a newly cycled tank and just a betta in...I experienced a 0.5 API test for ammonia. I went mad, did a water change and kept stressing about it...I asked multiple people and they all told me it should be 0 your betta may die, triple dose seachem prime....glad I found you so I can explain what I could see myself that API tests give you a total of ammonia which includes the seachem prime binded one!! And having a trace or 0.5 on that API test is not necessarily dangerous!
Glad it helped. :-)
Great explanation, helped me understand what just happened in my tank, thanks.
My new guppies showed signs of ick. I turned up the temperature, gave them some minerals, broke out the air stone, and started medication. The raise in temperature, ph, and the recent birth of fry made the ammonia spike and red brown algae started taking over. I read that that kind of algae likes ammonia and is a sign things aren't right in the tank. Now the ich is gone, the temp and ph are lower, the parameters are all good, the algae is gone and the water is clear and smells normal. Knowing how these variables can affect each other makes it easier to make informed decisions.
Appreciate you sharing. Great example of how everything ties together!
My new tank apparently completed its cycle 10 weeks ago but maintained an "ammonia" reading of .0.5 and nitrite of 0. Because of the high ammonia reading I have not put any fish into the tank. The .ph had also dropped to 6. However using the formula described in the video, I find that the NH3 content is 0.0003, which is acceptable for fish! A great video and so easy now to undertand the content.
Thank you! Glad it was helpful. : -)
An A class explantation that’s both comprehensive and resourceful, that has now fortified my water quality management approach to marine biology 👍🏾 . I will certainly promote your channel and this video in my upcoming marine tank series 🔥💨🇯🇲🇨🇦
Thank you!
Thank you for this video! Both the info provided and the link to the UIA Calculator is a game changer for me.
Thanks for explaining this so well, very informative! 👍
This is such important and helpful information! Thank you so much for putting this in such a well explained format.
Thanks Heidi! Appreciate you watching!
I’ve been doing daily water changes due to 1ppm ammonia. My pH is 8 and water temp is 76. This confirms I was making the right call. Finally got the ammonia down to 0 but now dealing with high nitrites. Ugh I hope everything settles in the next week. Tank is just over one month old.
Thank you very much. I knew there was a good reason to subscribe to your channel. This episode clarified what I should have known when experiencing an ammonia spike a month ago. Unfortunately, one out of a community of 14 fish died, but the rest are healthy. The link to the FL unionized calculator is one I will keep. Again, thank you for using your education to help others.
Glad it helped. We all learn as we go. : -)
This may be easier. The common aquarium “ammonia” test measures the total ammonia, both ionized
and un-ionized (Total Ammonia Nitrogen or TAN).
The chronic toxicity, where the ammonia kills slowly by a variety of mechanisms, is as follows:
20 to 100 ppm of ammonia TAN at a pH of 6.0
2 to 10 ppm of ammonia TAN at a pH of 7.0
0.2 to 1 ppm of ammonia TAN at a pH of 8.0
Any pH between the above numbers you will have to make a linear interpolation. As you can see there
is a 10X increase or decrease in toxicity between pH levels.
A pH of 6.5 will reduce the growth of beneficial bacteria by 90%. A pH of 6.0 will virtually stop beneficial bacteria from oxidizing ammonia to nitrate; hence ammonia may be on the rise.
Just an FYI...
Thanks for this. I've been trying to figure out what's going on in my 300L(80g) tank as I had a couple of fish start looking sick. I've not been doing much maintenance or water changes as the tank is lightly stocked, has a big filter, and is half full of java moss (and because I have a young child who exhausts me and isn't aquarium maintenance friendly). I freaked out when my ammonia came back as at least 8.0ppm (as high as the chart goes) and wondered why everything wasn't dead... but the other scary result was the pH coming in at 6.0 or lower (again, as low as the scale went). After a few water changes I'm down to about 2.0ppm ammonia and the pH is up to about 6.4. What's perplexing me is how my pH 8.4 tap water got down to 6.0?? Also, after reading your post - are all my bacteria dead due to the low pH, or just inert - ready to spring back into action now the pH is on the rise? Also (last one) if the pH is at 6.0 how is all the fish and food waste processed?
@@marcuscooper9544 How did you end up sorting this one?
I currently have the same problem as @Marcus Cooper.
Using the API Freshwater Master Kit daily, but no changes all this past month:
- Tank: 75 gallon standard
- Fishes: 7 goldfishes
- Filters: 2 Cascade 1500 canisters & 1 sponge filter
- Airpump: Hailea CP-60 AC/DC
- Set-up Date: 10/30/2021
- Date Today: 1/3/2022
a. AMMONIA: Stuck at 4.00ppm since 12/14/2021
b. NITRITE: Stuck at 0.00ppm since 11/20/2021
c. NITRATE: Stuck at 40.00 to 80.00 ppm since 12/14/2021
d. pH: Stuck at 6.00 since 12/10/2021
- Double-dosing daily with SeaChem Prime every 24 hours (3 capfuls = 75g)
- Dosing daily with AquaVitro Seed by SeaChem every 24 hours (4 capfuls = 75g)
@@atty.veronicainoturanosg3487 you have to get your Ammonia well below 4.0ppm, between 2.0ppm to a maximum of 3.0ppm. WATER CHANGES!
Ammonia at 4.0ppm is TOXIC to the Bacteria that convert Ammonia to Nitrite, and even more so to the Bacteria that convert Nitrite into NitrAte.
Seachem's Prime Does NOT remove or lower Ammonia concentration, it simply reduces the Toxicity of Ammonia for a short term of only 2 days.
Get the Ammonia level Down and start dosing with Seachem's Stability to seed your Bacteria Colonies.
Interesting how the TAN is less toxic with decreasing pH but also ends up being processed more slowly, and vice versa. I would guess that aiming for a neutral to slightly basic pH (7 - 7.4) is optimal?
Thanks for explaining this, it will help a lot of people.
Thank you so much for this video and the calculator. First time I was hearing this!
This is probably one of the best fish-keeping videos on UA-cam. Great explanation. 📊 🐟🐠🐟🐟🐠🐠🐟🐬
Thank you! Hope it was helpful. :-)
Thank you so much. I’ve been having ammonia problems in a new planted tank everything is fine and normal but can’t get ammonia at 0 now I know it’s fine as the fish see absolutely fine
Much needed video Jason. I was trying to explain the ammonias to someone last week and because I hadn't broke it down like that in a long time I struggled with the explanation.
It's an easy thing to forget! : -)
Absolutely amazing explanation! Thank you so much!
Yippie! I finally got it straight... I think. Thank you! Why are there not more NH3 only kits out there? Because they are not accurate (not factoring the pH and temp?) I did find one from Seachem that will test total and free seperate, but most all tests are clumped NH3/NH4+. I know I can use the free ammonia calculator. All in all, I think my tank is doing better than I assumed.
Thanks so much. I am stressing because my tap water comes out with a 1ppm reading but I'm going to use the info you just shared to look into what is the UIA.
Awesome!
Armed with this info, I stopped doing such frequent water changes on this current fish-in cycle. Found that my NH3 levels are quite low. 👌
.......thank you! I have a API Master kit and everything checked out perfectly except for ammonia. Was getting about 1ppm with weekly partial water changes with all fish healthy/eating/active/breeding even! I've been using just water conditioner tetra safeplus water conditioner and read that my kit will read the ionized ammonia (ammonium) so knowing that and your link with the calculator I will be running those numbers try get better understanding about ammonia and why my kit giving me headache!
Hope it works out for you!
Very professional and concise explanation...and you arent a huge Nerd about it. Subscribed!!
Appreciate you being here!
Yup... knew about this new in the hobby, it’s amazing how many people don’t know about this
considering the good brands tell u about this in the manual im really suprised how many ppl use the tests and dont know about it.
@@dhoogduin It's the outstanding explanation of the calculation that brings it home. Would have been good for him to have wrote those previous manuals for all of us stupid people huh?
Good video, so many folks freak out when they see NH3 +NH4 in their tank.
Wow. This is great information. I really love your channel. I always love your videos, so informative.
Thank you for being here!
Much appreciated, wasn't expecting the calculator to be a free downloadable Excel spreadsheet. Thanks.
It's a cool resource. : -)
Prime Time Aquatics, thank you very much for the chemistry lesson. I always wondered why the pH and ammonia go up when you open the fish bag and you just explained it very scientifically. I appreciate that. Does this also happen with Kordon breather bags?
Thomas Ashe I don’t think it’s as big an issue because you can’t float the breather bags so the fish just go right into the tank!
@@PrimeTimeAquatics you don't need to drip acclimate in a bucket with the breather bags?
A major piece of the fish keeping puzzle. Keep'em coming.
Thank you! Will do!
Thank you for the video! I learned a lot. If my calculations are correct, I’m in good shape. My aquarium has been steady at around .25 ppm Ammonia with temp averaging at 75 F and pH at 7.5. I think it came out to .004
Thanks for watching!
You sir are a Legend!
by far best explanation I've seen, where was this info 20 years ago...
very confusing science put forth in layman's terms
Thank you!
Just saw this!!! Good info!!! Thanks!! Also noticed that your filters are not running in the background!! Thanks again for the info!!
Thank you! Yes, I turn them off when I'm recording for better sound. : -)
@@PrimeTimeAquatics Makes sense!! Thank you for your reply!!
Thank you for taking the time and breaking this down, no doubt it has helped lots of people in more ways than one
Thanks for watching!
Wow I rarely see a good fish keeping video on UA-cam. Good job my friend.
Great video thanks, was going nuts with the .50 ppm reading of Ammonia from my tap water, this helped.
Very good video. Very well explained. Thanks for the information.
Thank you!
Found you on a couple aquatic experience videos and checked out your Channel. Like what I see thanks for the info. And as you must be aware of, a lot of times at a glance, I wasn't sure if it was you or John Hudson🤗
Thanks for being here! Ya, I think John may be my UA-cam twin brother. Haha
How would you go about acclimating betta fish? At PetSmart, they come in cups with lids. What would be the best way to acclimating them to my aquarium water?
Great question. You can ask for them to be bagged at the pet store so you can float them when you get home. Just don't let any of the store water into your tank.
Excellent Video! Thank you so much for this advanced explanation xx
Thank you, I had this problem a few year back with moss pellet, and not much info on the web back then.
I am surprise someone made a video about his.
Thank you! I love nerding out about water parameters. : -)
@@PrimeTimeAquatics Me too, now I can freely use my moss pellet again.
A great explanation of a complex issue. Well done!
Thank you!
I've really enjoyed learning about the science involved in this hobby. I'm new to it and I find it interesting.
So, I've been using the API TAN test kit, but I've been frustrated with the results as the kit is indicating that my TAN never falls below 0.25 ppm. (I'm performing fishless cycling on two tanks)
I did some research and found out there is an issue between the water conditioner I use, Seachem Prime, and salicylate based kits (API is one, as is the one from Sera). According to the Seachem Prime FAQ: "Under the conditions of a salicylate kit the ammonia-Prime® complex will be broken down eventually giving a false reading of ammonia."
So, I dumped the APR (and Sera) TAN test kits and bought the Seachem MultiTest Ammonia test kit. It provides the ability to test for TAN and UIA separately.
I just ran tests for TAN and UIA. The tests results showed that TAN was about 1.5 ppm and UIA was about 0.05 ppm. So, as a check, I took the pertinent information: Water temperature (75 degrees F), pH (7.8) and Salinity (0.3 mS/cm). I used an online calculator and calculated that my UIA was 0.0486 ppm. Rounding error...Close enough for me. And not bad, considering I just dosed 10% Ammonium Hydroxide to 2.8 ppm about, 5 hours ago.
The calculator I used is here: www.hamzasreef.com/Contents/Calculators/FreeAmmonia.php
You have nailed it! Nice job.
@@PrimeTimeAquatics Thanks!
@@PrimeTimeAquatics I just discovered the Seachem Ammonia Alert. Pretty cool. Takes some of the guesswork out of it. This is beginning to sound like an ad Seachem. Haha.
My city uses chloramine to treat the water and most conditioners I've found will break the bond between the ammonia and the chlorine creating ammonium. Ammonium tests in a master test kit as ammonia as you've said. So my questions are... 1 - Ammonium is the unionized form of ammonia? 2 - Will the nitrifying bacteria metabolize the ammonium present? I currently use Ozarka spring water for changes, but if this info is right then I can go back to tap with the right conditioners.
Once your tank is established it really doesn't matter. You will have the microbial population to deal with it.
You have no idea how much you helped me. Thank you!!!!!!!!!
Glad it helped!
Thanks a great video that goes into a bit more depth about about the toxicity levels of ammonia than normal, look forward to more informative videos, nitrates are what l seem to be obsessing about at the moment!
Thank you! We recently did a video on nitrates as well. : -)
I jave 40 to 60ppm nitrates my guppies and mollies and shrimp are happy, my tap water itself has 30ppm
Awesome video!!! Thank you so much!! So much stuff I didn't know!!
That was a little bit click batey, but I'm glad I clicked. I learnt something today, a fairly complex concept explained very well.
Hi John, thank you for a very informative video..👍🏼😁why are these test products sold with no explanation or calculator as to what the real ammonia levels are for both NH3 and 4. We have been struggling with our 3 tanks doing continual water changes adding nitrifying bacteria and no ammonia lowering has barely occurred! Now with your explanation and calculator we can get a real reading of ammonia.. one question? The calculator shows salinity as ours is a freshwater tropical do we just put zero in that box? 😳 thanks in anticipation... ps we love all your vids! 👍🏼😁
Thank you! Since we are dealing with freshwater the salinity doesn't impact it as much (usually freshwater is around 0.9% NaCl).
I actually love my Seachem ammonia alert. It's rather basic, but i can move it around from tank to tank, and it reads it within 15 minutes. From
Great videos, they really help me understand this better! I have an aquarium that cycled correctly once, ammonia to nitrite to nitrate then near zero for nitrates. Then after a few weeks the ammonia and nitrates went up high so I did some partial water changes which helped a little but not all the way. I then cleaned my eheim canister sponges after adding a separate sponge filter to my 55g. Now the ammonia is a little elevated, no nitrites, and elevated nitrates. Do I just keep doing water changes at this point? Also, what happens when cycling is you get ammonia, no nitrites, but some nitrates? will this still cycle Ok or do I need to see nitrites whenever ammonia is present during and after the cycle?
The goal is to have zero ammonia and nitrites and registered nitrates. Yes, water changes and used filter media are my main go to methods. Obviously, reducing the feeding will help too! Thanks for watching!
So much valuable information in one video. Thank you sir.
Thank you!
Hey this brings up something interesting...at I think it would be interesting. I don't even test my water anymore because month after month for well over a year and it's always been fine, I just stopped testing. I have some strips that I'll use maybe 4 times per year. Yall should do a survey so people hopefully will be honest, to see often people really test their water, and what they use ...strips or the master kit
I think I will do that! I don't test my water unless something is wrong, which is very rare.
@PrimeTimeAquatics awesome!
Almost 20 years ago I read one magazine article that changed everything for me. I was young without much experience. I started prepping my water before putting it in the tank #1! I was raising Africans so I only started measuring hardness. I started using a fluidized bed that hung on the back of the tank. Weekly water change of about 25% and I completely siphoned the gravel each time. Added a grow light that grew a little bit of green algae. Reduced feeding a lot. The fish mostly ate the algae. They started breeding a few months later. That tank ran like that for years until I had to move. The algae fed the fish and the fish fed the algae. Very little mechanical filtration was needed. I miss that tank, the years before that was a crime scene if you know what I mean.
So interesting!
Great info my man 👍
Mines measuring 4ppm.....API master kit tester.....using ammo lock right now every 2 days and using sea chem stabilizer every day. Did a few water changes And ammonia staying strong at 4ppm......tank isn't cycled properly. Though I gave it enough time read my tests wrong through it cycled but it didn't. Corydoras sent doing well
Try Fritz Turbo Start. The ammo lock will just prolong the issue.
Getting into the science of fish keeping is so helpful good info
Thank you! It's fun stuff😃
This video was a god send
Thank you!
Another great video! Thank you
Thank you so much for making this video! I am somewhat new to fish keeping with two goldfish, and knowing how much ammonia goldfish produce I've always closely monitored the water parameters. I have been using the API Test strips, and although they measure the ammonia, they do not state what ammonia levels are safe for what fish which left me quite confused. This video put my nerves at ease! Thanks!
Great to hear! Thanks for watching.
Great video, I'd heard a lot of it, but never explained so well altogether! One question though, when you open that fishy shipping bag that's been closed a couple days, how fast exactly does the water pH shift? People describe it like it goes from 6 to 8 in 10 seconds lol. Just wondering what your thoughts are.
It can happen quick, but I haven't timed it myself.
Thanks, at least I know I need to keep that in mind when I order these fish in the coming weeks! Keep doing what you do!
This was extremely helpful to me. Thank you so much! xox
The look of betrayal and hurt you have on your face in the thumbnai!😂 Thanks for sharing the education!!✌️❤️🙏
Ya, it hurt me real bad. :-)
Thank you for sharing this information. This is incredibly valuable to know....
Thannk you!