Puffer tank..

Byron

As you PM'd me, I have reviewed the last couple of pages with respect to the ammonia issue. This is not as bad as it might seem at first; of the three nitrogen issues (ammonia, nitrite and nitrate) that might occur in tap water, ammonia is the easiest and frankly safest to handle.

I would not reduce the volume at water changes and go with more. All you need to do is deal with the initial influx of ammonia, for the first 24 hours; after that, the live plants and bacteria will easily deal with it. Especially in this minimal amount.

I would use a water conditioner that detoxifies ammonia, but not Prime. Sorry, but this product simply does too much that is unnecessary in a healthy tank where nature should be dealing with things. The extra TDS added to the water does affect fish, notwithstanding what Seachem may like to tell us. There are several conditioners that detoxify ammonia, any one will do fine. All of them as far as I know detoxify ammonia by changing it to ammonium; plants and bacteria will take this up readily.

The initial 24 hours is the key. Nitrosomonas bacteria will multiply in about 9 hours if ammonia increases. And live plants will take it up very quickly. I don't have specific amounts or time periods, but when I raised this very issue with Tom Barr he said there would almost never be an issue over ammonia in a fairly well-planted tank because the plants can grab so much of it. For all I know, the ammonia-detoxifying conditioner may be unnecessary for this reason, but using one is not going to do any harm.

Byron.

Boredomb

Thanks Byron, Welll hmmm I will have to see what the store has as for Conditioners that handles Ammonia then.
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Boredomb

Ok So I left a cup (plastic) of tap water on the counter over nite just to see if the lvl would change. It was like 2.0ppm now!
Anyone care to explain that one????

2013-01-09 12.31.37.jpg

Also retested the tank for ammonia and it looks to be 0 now also.

Boredomb

Ok I am seriously confused!!!!!!
Tap water (didn't let it sit. Does that matter???)
GH=7
KH=6
Ph=7.4

Now my Scarlet Badis Tank
GH=5
KH=1-2
PH=6.8
How is this even possible??????
I tested like 6x or more cause this doesn't make sense to me??????
All I have in the tank is 2 rocks, Malaysian Driftwood, and oak leaves.
These shouldn't change the GH or KH numbers should they??

Does The API liquid test kits go bad?? I have had it about a 1 1/2 years maybe close to 2.

thekoimaiden

You're supposed to read the tests on the timeline given in the instructions, so I wouldn't worry too much about that 2.0ppm reading of ammonia. Once it passes the 6 min mark I don't know how valid the results are.

As for the tests going bad, yes they can. I was told to replace them every year or so. It's entirely possible it's gone bad. But having driftwood and leaves in the tank can lower GH. It's also possible that your source water changed because I thought you said that you had like 12 dGH tap water.

Byron

I don't see any issues here. And yes, dry leaves and wood will lower GH and pH. Rocks will not, though calcareous rock would go the opposite. All this depends upon the initial GH and KH of the source water.

BTW, when testing pH of tap water, let it sit overnight or shake it briskly for several minutes to out-gas the CO2. Depending how much CO2 is in the tap water, this may or may not alter the pH result number.

The ammonia issue in the previous post I can't explain, as I am not a chemist and I have no idea as to the source of the ammonia in the tap water and how it might react in various situations.

Byron.

Boredomb

Yes Izzy I did tell you that cause when I first tested my water in March 2011 it was that. So either my test kit is bad or my water changed. Though I wouldn't think The Source water of the tap wouldn't change on hardness????

Boredomb

I knew it was possible for leaves to lower KH and ph but I had no clue they would lower GH
I was putting them in there for the microorganism to form though and not for the affects they had on the water as far as GH was concerned.
How does that affect water changes??

thekoimaiden

If you're on city water maybe you should call the water works. I know I've seen my city water change GH a few times, but it was +/- 1dGH and that was because of very heavy rainfall or prolonged drought. They might have some answers about the ammonia reading, too.

Byron

I don't worry about water changes and the GH. I'm sure I have this occur. I have near-zero GH and KH in my tap water, and I use Equilbrium to keep the tanks around 5 or 6 dGH. At the weekly water change, when I have tested, GH is say 5 dGH. I remove half the water and replace it with zero GH water, then I add "x" amount of Equilibrium to raise the GH. I've frankly never bothered to test GH subsequently except just prior to the next week's water change, when it will read 5 dGH. So I know this is stable as I did this testing for several months with never a variance except for the times I may have addedd less Equilibrium deliberately and the GH did lower to say 4 dGH the following week.