Ammonia Stuck At 0.25Ppm

[snazy]

The bacteria do not consume NH4+ aka ammonium, the use NH3 ammonia. When in water ammonia/ammonium exist together. How much of each there is will depend on the pH and temperature of the water. The higher the pH, the more NH3 there will be, which is why the advice is to cycle at about 8.3 pH. The same is true for temp, but to a much lesser extent.
 
Once you get below 6.5 pH there is almost no NH3, it is all NH4+. This is why the cycle seems to stop at that level. he bacteria are ultimately able to adapt and thrive at lower levels but that is another story.
 
While it is correct to say that NH3 is the more toxic form of ammonia, it is incorrect to say NH4+ is completely non-toxic. NH3 at levels of about .05 ppm is harmful to fish and much higher can become fatal fairly fast. And exposure times need not be long. NH4+ when it is present for extended periods or at higher levels can cause burns but this is nowhere near as damaging as the NH3. This can enter the fish's system through the gills whereas the NH4+ is a larger and can not. So it does it greatest harm externally.
 
The good news is that at your pH and Temperature there is almost no NH3 present. Until your test kit reads over 2 ppm your fish are not in any short term danger from NH3 levels. However, it is also important to realize the the toxicity of nitrite increase as the pH drops.
 
Ammonia detoxifiers can screw heck out of ammonia test kit results. So at this time we need to look elsewhere for the answers. Nitrite readings can be an excellent place to start. If you have ammonia oxidizing bacteria working in a tank, then we know that should make nitrites. If nitrite readings are rising it means more nitrite than nitrite oxidizers can handle. Once nitrite falls it means the nitrite eaters are catching up and when nitrite is 0 it means there are the right number of nitrite oxidizers to handle all the nitrite the ammonia eaters are producing. But due to the nature of the nitrite vs the ammonia oxidizers, ammonia always drops to before nitrites do. Also, if the is more ammonia than your ammonia eaters can handle, there nitrate they produce should be more than the nitrite eaters cans handle, and that means you get a nitrite reading until they catch up. So, if one is constantly getting ammonia reading but nitrites are staying at 0 one of two things is reasonable to assume.
 
One- the ammonia kit is giving false readings because the nitrite kit shows this with its 0 readings. Two- you have ammonia and the nitrite kit is bad. Given that certain dechlorinators and most ammonia detoxifyers can screw up ammonia test kit results, I put my money on option one. And then you can look for some backup evidence. If the ammonia readings are real, then your fish should be showing signs of distress. Corys are particularly sensitive. If your fish are behaving normally, that is usually a good sign that conditions are OK.
 
You might want to look at the SeaChem site regarding their Prim product and its potential effect on ammonia results when using salicylate test kits like the API one or their own- read items 1 and 2: http/www.seachem.com/support/FAQs/Prime.html
 
I do not think you have any issues in your tank, I think you have false readings for ammonia.

 
I dont agree with you about the bacteria not consuming ammonium. If you read the seachem site, it clearly states that the ammonia is converted to a less toxic (they say nontoxic) form and then removed by the biofilter.  How is the ammonium removed from the water?
 
http/www.seachem.com/Products/product_pages/Prime.html
 
 
I do agree that he is getting false readings

 
Just to clarify this, but Prime does not convert ammonia to ammonium. Its a completely different substance which slowly converts itself back to ammonia so the filter has time to catch up. The filter bacteria does use ammonia only( NH3). At very low Ph, like 6ppm and below, the filter bacteria is inhibited and does not do anything much. Thankfully in such a low ph the NH3 is in its non-toxic form NH4, but it will still be detected by a test kit

 

[Lunar Jetman]

I could do yeah, if I knew which test would give me a true reading?? I was under the impression that the API was the best kit on the market ?

How old is your kit and are you shaking it properly?

 

[This Old Spouse]

It could just be a faulty vial for ammonia only. I'm just tossing stuff out there since there doesn't seem to be a clear answer.

 

[geordieelvis]

The kit is brand new, only had it a month or so. I have tried borrowing another ammonia test from a friend and it still reads quite high. Like I said, my fish are as happy as ever so there's no way that there is 4ppm ammonia in there?

 

[This Old Spouse]

If that's what your test is reading, then do a 90% water change. You might need to do 50% water changes daily until the problem is under control. Without getting into all the scientific data, if your readings are that high the fish are sustaining damage whether it's immediately evident or not. 
 
EDIT: After re-reading this whole post, there appears to be something wrong somewhere that water changes aren't going to cure. I'm going to agree with an earlier comment about taking a sample to your LFS to check. And be sure to ask them for the specific readings, not just "Oh, it's all okay." Have them write down the numbers. 
 
I'm confused by the 0 nitrite reading if your ammonia levels are so high. 

 

[geordieelvis]

Eventually!, after a few weeks of swearing these are my results this morning. Is my Nitrate a touch too high at 40ish??

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Here we go again with the same lunacy. Its really very simple but doesn't seem to resound no matter how many times its posted.
 
If you have a tank with bacteria at work then the following must be true:
 
1. If you are getting ammonia readings that are indeed true and close to accurate, it means you have more ammonia present than the bacteria can handle.
2. Before the new ammonia readings, the nitrite oxidizing bacteria were sufficient to handle whatever amount of nitrite was being created when you were getting a 0 ammonia reading.
3. So if the ammonia readings are valid, the ammonia oxidizers will be multiplying to handle the additional levels which means they will then be producing even more nitrite than before.
4. If more nitrite is being produced than the nitrite oxidizers can convert to nitrate, you must also get nitrite readings until they catch up.
 
Now if you are getting daily ammonia readings but 0 nitrite readings, there are only a few possibilities. Ruling out tester error, this means one or both test kits must be wrong. I will almost always vote for ammonia kit error over nitrite kit error. This is especially true in light of the other facts. If the tank was indeed cycled earlier on, if nitrite went from 0, to the top of the kit and then back to 0, that would seem to follow convention and indicate the test is likely working OK. But if the ammonia kit tells you ammonia is up and then nitrite doesn't follow, would one not be better off assuming the ammonia kit is off and not the nitrite and not both?
 
Did you know that any amount of iron in one's water will throw off the accuracy of any salicylate based kit such as the API one? Did you know that the less clear ones water is, the less accurate the results will be? I would leave this final observation
 

Swimming behavior as an indicator of sublethal toxicity in fish
 
Swimming behavior of fish is impaired by exposure to a diversity of contaminants. Gross aberrations in swimming can be qualitatively
assessed while subtle changes in swimming behavior arising from sublethal exposures can be detected through a more detailed analysis of
this response. Compared to other swimming behavior variables, the physical capacity to swim against water flow tends to be affected at
relatively high toxicant concentrations and often presages mortality. Orientation to water flow, however, is altered at sublethal
concentrations. Frequency of activity is a more sensitive measure in detecting contamination than measurements of survival alone. Alterations in swimming behavior have been detected during exposures to various contaminants at concentrations as low as 0.7 to 5% of their LC50 values and at concentrations that subsequently inhibited growth after longer periods of exposure. Analysis of swimming patterns provides even higher resolution for analysis of swimming behavior, and increased availability of the instrumentation necessary for such measurements should facilitate use of this approach. Fish swimming activity can easily be incorporated in test protocols to expand the sensitivity of standard toxicity tests.

From http/onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/etc.5620090103/abstract
 
Your fish can often tell you if your test kits are reading something not there or when they are failing to measure something that is there.

 

[geordieelvis]

We aren't all scientists in afraid. Some of us are just beginners in this hobby trying to find some decent advice.