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ammonia in my tap ><

3K views 13 replies 7 participants last post by  beetlebz 
#1 ·
so out of frustration with the health of my tanks, I decided to check my tap water params again.

ammonia between .25 and .50 ppm, and nitrate between 5 and 10ppm. GRR. Well im sure thats at least SOME of where the ammonia is coming from, but 1) is it possible that that much ammonia could be keeping my tanks from cycling completely? the ammonia level was a smidge higher in my 29g than my tap water, so that would lead me to believe the ammonia is still accumulating as it should NOT in the 29g itself.

and the big question... If I go with something like purapad, or filter bags with pura complete or any kind of filtration media to remove nitrates and ammonia, will this solve my problem, and not negatively affect my plants?

I cant see spending the money for crystal rock, nor a RO filter system when I have a 110g tank to do water changes in ;)
 
#2 ·
Your tap water readings for Ammonia are typical for most metropolitan areas. You should be adding a product such as Amquel to remove the ammonia from your tap prior to adding it to your tank. Even after adding Amquel, your test kit may still show an ammonia level, because Amquel causes toxic ammonia ions to bond with other ions, placing the ammonia into a non-toxic form. (Sorry, i'm not a chemistry expert, but the general idea is whats important.)

The Nitrates of 10ppm are really not a concern for a freshwater system.
 
#4 ·
this is actually a private well, which is why its troubling. I tested it once almost a year ago and didnt see any signs but then again who knows... im a moron sometimes. i have the api master kit, btw, im not sure what it tests for, but i think it does test for both types of ammonia. Is that really the best way to neutralize the ammonia, versus something that will physically remove it?

the thing about the nitrates that concerns me, is the continually high in-aquarium levels. so, if I have 40ppm nitrates, and do a 20% w/c with water that already has 10ppm nitrates, my nitrates even over time arent going to go down as far as they should
 
#7 ·
I have not, but I will make it a point to do that. Im just afraid my poor betta wont have any tail fin left by the time I get to petco for some prime :( oh well, I guess I need more buckets so I can start pre-treating my water at w/c time.
 
#9 ·
As I understand it in your particular area private wells fall under somewhat different regulations than municipal water supplys. Did you drill this well? has it been evaluated in the last five years? I know this can be expensive 100dollars per hour for inspection but in the Interest of your family it may be something you want to do. Could be as suggested that unhealthy chemicals are leaching into your water supply. RO sytem may prove to be mandatory rather than somthing you are pondering. Google search on consumer reports on water supplys in milford conneticut area may prove helpful as well. :?
 
#10 ·
beetlebz said:
Is that really the best way to neutralize the ammonia, versus something that will physically remove it?
Yes. Nearly every aquarium hobbyist in the world uses this type of product. It is inexpensive and extremely effective.
 
#12 ·
okie, adding the prime at w/c time at the normal 1 cap per 50g dose, so far the fish seem to be doing pretty well. I dont have a specific NH3 test kit still, but <shrug>

I figure the progress of the tail-rot on my betta will be the final gauge I suppose. I was going 15%ish water changes every day before it started getting better, then got worse again when the water went south. so far the progression has halted, so im hopeful. in another day or two I should see some new growth on that puppy :D

and willow, its all good. the prime seems to be doing the trick.. and I now use pants in that context all the time. thats a new one to my neck of the woods lol I love it!
 
#13 ·
well you could always test it yourself to see which one your kit tests for.

1. test your tap for ammonia.

2. treat your tap with prime.

3. retest for ammonia.

if you get no ammonia reading you know your test is only testing for the free ammonia. if you do get a reading knowing that prime is supposed to bind with the ammonia to make it safe then you can pretty much disregard that much off any test you do in your aquarium.
 
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