Ammonia Spike

[Nostrathomas]

Not long ago I noticed an ammonia spike in my established 55 gallon tank. There is ammonia in my tap water so water changes have little effect on the level. I used Amqeul+ to detoxify the ammonia and ever since (Over a month now) I've been getting extremely high ammonia readings. The fish are fine though, not one of them shows any signs of illness. I tested the ammonia in my other tank and it read 0. I know the test is accurate, the pet shop also got the same high reading on their test. I used the Amquel because I believed I had an emergency on my hands, but had I known I wouldn't be able to get an accurate ammonia reading for over a month, I would've left it on the store shelf. Anyway, my question is- Is there any other water I could use for water changes? Bottled water maybe? Maybe wait until it rains, then collect water in buckets? lol I actually tested rain water once, and it looked really good.

 

[Dylandrewsdad]

I would be careful of rain water....we humans mess EVERYTHING up! LOL Bottled will work, but may be expensive! How much ammonia is in your water?

 

[achase]

I agree bottle water would be better than rain water.

 

[Nostrathomas]

The ammonia levels have consistently tested at anywhere between 4.0 ppm to 8.0 ppm. Dark green. I find it hard to believe my fish wouldn't be dead, or at the very least ,showing any symptoms, if it was really that high.

 

[achase]

What brand is your test kit? I know with my API kit that if I don't shake the bottle quite enough it can give false readings.

 

[lauraf]

AmQuel, like Prime, will treat chloramines that may be found in your tapwater. While it converts the chloramines into a form of ammonia, it is basically a 'safe' form of ammonia that won't hurt your fish. That's why your water still tests positive for ammonia, even though your fish are surviving. There is a relatively new test available that measures both the 'safe' ammonia and the toxic kind. OrangeCones knows way more about this than me.
If your fish are doing well, don't change your water treatment. But do you know why you had an ammonia spike to begin with, that started you on using the AmQuel? Are you still using it with each water change? Finally, do you know if your tap water has chloramines? (You can call your local utility company to find out.)

 

[achase]

I totally forgot about the two different forms of ammonia. I read a post by OrangeCones explaining it. Why do some tests read the safe ammonia and others do not? Is it just a matter of the chloramines being present within the water and then it being converted because I'm assuming not all water sources contain chloramines?

 

[Nostrathomas]

I use the API master test kit and the ammonia in my other 3 tanks reads 0. The pet store also got a high ammonia reading when I brought a water sample in. I don't know if the tap water has chloramines or not. I believe the spike came from not enough filtration. The only filter I had was a Marineland 350 bio-wheel, which supposedly can handle 70 gallons of water. I added another one 2 weeks ago. I was told by the guy at the pet shop to stop using the Amquel (He said they won't even sell it there)because it's only putting a band-aid on the issue, and that eventually once it wears off it will release even more toxic ammonia. I don't know how true that is but I did stop using it, it's been well over a week now, the ammonia still shows as being very high, but fish are showing no ill effects. It's driving me nuts not knowing what's really going on.

 

[lauraf]

achase, it's relatively new that these test kits are available at a price most people can afford. The one that differentiated between free ammonia and safe ammonia used to be prohibitively expensive. Again, OC can explain better than me.

 

[Nostrathomas]

I'll look into it, thanks for your input.

 

[lauraf]

If your other tanks are showing no ammonia, then it must be something with that one tank that shows the high ammonia - don't know if it's the lack of filtration, but maybe some kind of bio-overload? Constant water changes, and not using the AmQuel anymore, should bring the ammonia reading down over time. What's your water change schedule like?
And if your fish are looking good, it's likely that the ammonia you are reading is in 'safe' format for now. But yes, it is a temporary measure, so lots of water changes are needed because the ammonia will unbind itself and become toxic.