Hello, I have a 20 gallon Freshwater tank, that has been set up for 6 weeks. My ammonia spike will not drop, its like a 6.5 . I have a whisper 2 hob and a fluval 305 canister (overkill i know) For fish there is 1 molly, 1 platy and 2 catfish, all small. I have started changing 4 gallons per night and the test readings will not drop. Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance
Help with ammonia spike!
- Thread starter Steve O
- Start date
I feed them once a day with Tetramin flake food (clean and clear formula). I use Startright water conditioner in tap water that i let sit for one day uncovered. I vacuumed for the first time 2 days ago and hardly anything comes up. As for test kits i have both API ammonia and a nitrate (dropper). The ammonia is testing between a 6 and a 8. The molly and platy show no signs of stress, the cats don't seem too happy though. So i took a sample to petco to see if my kit was bad and they used a strip and it showed up as 6.5 I have not tested for nitrite but my nitrate is barely showing maybe a 2.5. Thanks for the reply
According to Jungle Labs (the maker of "Start Right Aquarium Water Conditioner for Salt or Freshwater"), the product "Removes Chlorine, Chloramine, and Neutralizes Heavy Metals." If your local water contains chloramine (a combo of chlorine and ammonia), then using this product will ADD ammonia to your tank water. A better product if your local water company does use chloramine (just my opinion) would be to get Seachem's Prime. It removes chlorine, breaks the chlorine from chloramine and then binds the ammonia, and neutralizes the heavy metals of the water. The only trouble is that the ammonia level will still show on the test kits used by those in the aquarium industry, even though it is in a form that is not harmful to fish. I recommend getting an Ammonia Alert disk sold also by Seachem. It reads your ammonia level 24/7 for a year (I've had one going since February of last year, so they can last longer). It will ignore the bound ammonia that shows up on the standard aquarium test kits, so you can know the water is safe.
The instructions should be on the bottle. Its 2 drops per 1 gallon of water you are putting in the aquarium. If you need to treat a nitrite spike, you can overdose the amount by 5x, just add extra aeration as it is an oxidizing agent.
The smallest bottle of Prime has a dropper. I've always reused the smallest bottle due to it having the dropper, and bought the bigger bottles as refills for the smaller. If you have an eye dropper, you can use that also (just make sure its new, not been used for any medications, etc.).
The smallest bottle of Prime has a dropper. I've always reused the smallest bottle due to it having the dropper, and bought the bigger bottles as refills for the smaller. If you have an eye dropper, you can use that also (just make sure its new, not been used for any medications, etc.).
Glad to hear it, Steve! Prime often helps a bio-filter 'catch up' with the bio-load of an aquarium. Its like a 'bucket' that can hold the ammonia until the bacteria can process things.
The ammonia that is 'bound' by Prime (and other products) will still register on the test kits, but it makes it 'safer' for the fish. I've been using it for 20+ years, starting with saltwater tanks (doesn't overactivate a protein skimmer). I also use the 'Ammonia Alert' made by the same company (Seachem) since it doesn't register the 'bound' ammonia like the ammonia test kits do. They say they last a year, but several of mine have been working for longer than that. To me, it was worth the $6 to know for a year, 24/7 what the ammonia level is in any tank.
I don't mean to act like a saleswoman for Seachem, but that product is a good one, for sure!
The ammonia that is 'bound' by Prime (and other products) will still register on the test kits, but it makes it 'safer' for the fish. I've been using it for 20+ years, starting with saltwater tanks (doesn't overactivate a protein skimmer). I also use the 'Ammonia Alert' made by the same company (Seachem) since it doesn't register the 'bound' ammonia like the ammonia test kits do. They say they last a year, but several of mine have been working for longer than that. To me, it was worth the $6 to know for a year, 24/7 what the ammonia level is in any tank.
I don't mean to act like a saleswoman for Seachem, but that product is a good one, for sure!
Last edited: