Aqueon ammonia neutralizer

[Tdiggy74]

Does Aqueon ammonia neutralizer help to lower ammonia levels?

 

[Rocky998]

Does Aqueon ammonia neutralizer help to lower ammonia levels?

Why do you need to lower ammonia levels? The tank should always read 0ppm ammonia with fish in. Do a large 75% water change daily until all ammonia and nitrites are 0 for multiple days in a row. Unless it is for your tap... In that case you should use a tap water conditioner that says that it detoxifies ammonia

 

[Tdiggy74]

Why do you need to lower ammonia levels? The tank should always read 0ppm ammonia with fish in. Do a large 75% water change daily until all ammonia and nitrites are 0 for multiple days in a row. Unless it is for your tap... In that case you should use a tap water conditioner that says that it detoxifies ammonia

I have been doing significant water changes for several days and the ammonia will not go into acceptable levels. I normally use prime, but recently changed to API essentials and I am still getting hi ammonia levels.

 

[Rocky998]

I have been doing significant water changes for several days and the ammonia will not go into acceptable levels. I normally use prime, but recently changed to API essentials and I am still getting hi ammonia levels.

What fish do you have in the tank? Your tank is not cycled, no doubt. What do your nitrites read in the tank? And when you say "high ammonia levels) how mich ammonia? Can you give numbers? What test kit are you using?

 

[Tdiggy74]

What fish do you have in the tank? Your tank is not cycled, no doubt. What do your nitrites read in the tank? And when you say "high ammonia levels) how mich ammonia? Can you give numbers? What test kit are you using?

I have had my tank since March 2020, I currently have 2 angel fish and electric blue acara. I am using API test kit, my levels are between .25 and 4.

 

[Tdiggy74]

I have had my tank since March 2020, I currently have 2 angel fish and electric blue acara. I am using API test kit, my levels are between .25 and 4.

I had quite a few fish...a 9 Priscilla tetras, 3 Phathoms, 5 corys, but when my levels went out of whack, those fish died. The three I mentioned above are all I have left.

 

[enricosonic]

What size/how many gallons is your tank? Are you doing regular water changes?

 

[Rocky998]

I have had my tank since March 2020, I currently have 2 angel fish and electric blue acara. I am using API test kit, my levels are between .25 and 4.

I had quite a few fish...a 9 Priscilla tetras, 3 Phathoms, 5 corys, but when my levels went out of whack, those fish died. The three I mentioned above are all I have left.

Sorry for your losses... Ok, did you recently take anything out of the tank or accidentally use soap? Did you wash anything with tap water? What filter do use? Did you forget to add a water conditioner during a water change?

You may have unintentionally done something without even realizing what you have done... I know one time I forgot to put a dechlorinator in my tank when adding water... Luckily there were no fish because the tank was cycling but that scared me a bit still...

 

[Tdiggy74]

55 gallons and I do weekly or bi weekly water changes and I always add Prime or most recently Api essentials.

 

[Tdiggy74]

55 gallons and I do weekly or bi weekly water changes and I always add Prime or most recently Api essentials.

I rinsed off some decorations

55 gallons and I do weekly or bi weekly water changes and I always add Prime or most recently Api essentials.

I was adding PH plus bc my PH was around 6, and I read somewhere that can cause ammonia spikes, but by now that water is no longer in the tank.

 

[Rocky998]

I rinsed off some decorations

I was adding PH plus bc my PH was around 6, and I read somewhere that can cause ammonia spikes, but by now that water is no longer in the tank.

Ive never heard about ammonia spiles due to PH... I would not recommend attempting to change the PH. Just keep it to what you have...
About the rinsing of decor... Sometimes decor like rocks or wood with algae or fungus needs to be rinsed but if there is nothing wrong, dont rinse it because tap water will kill off all the good bacteria that is built up on those pieces of decor.

 

[Byron]

I have been doing significant water changes for several days and the ammonia will not go into acceptable levels. I normally use prime, but recently changed to API essentials and I am still getting hi ammonia levels.

Both Prime and the API Essentials detoxify ammonia by changing it to harmless ammonium. This however still shows as "ammonia" with most test kits. So you will not see the difference, but it will be harmless temporarily. This is the second issue here. This detoxification is temporary, not permanent; I don't know how long API's works, but Seachem say their Prime is effective for 24-36 hours, after which the detoxified ammonium will revert back to toxic ammonia.

The other thing is pH--in an acidic pH (below 7.0) "ammonia" is largely ammonium, which is harmless. Above pH 7.0 ammonia is ammonia aside from the temporary detoxification using these conditioners.

Both products should only be used with a water change, as they are designed to temporarily detoxify ammonia that may be in the source (tap) water. The live plants (if any) in the tank, and/or the nitrifying bacteria, will be able to take up the detoxified ammonia (ammonium) before the conditioner becomes ineffective.

If you have on-going ammonia occurring within the aquarium, that is a totally different issue and needs resolution. These conditioners do have an impact on fish, notwithstanding what the manufacturers say, so they should not be used continually as some sort of treatment.

 

[Byron]

I was adding PH plus bc my PH was around 6, and I read somewhere that can cause ammonia spikes, but by now that water is no longer in the tank.

Never use any chemical substance or additive that is aimed at adjusting the pH. This can be deadly to fish. The pH is part of the GH (general hardness) and KH (carbonate hardness or Alkalinity) of the water, and depending what the GH and KH level is, adjusting the pH is likely to be impossible permanently. Fluctuating pH is far worse on fish than a stable pH eveen ifd it is outside the preferred range for the species.

To explain the ammonia spike...as I just wrote in my previous post, ammonia in acidic water is harmless in the form ammonium; in basic water (pH above 7.0) it is toxic ammonia. If ammonia/ammonium is present in the water at a pH of 6 it is harmless. But if the pH should be raised somehow to be above 7.0 the ammonium changes into toxic ammonia. This was likely the reasoning behind whatever you read. Another reason never to mess with pH.

 

[Tdiggy74]

Both Prime and the API Essentials detoxify ammonia by changing it to harmless ammonium. This however still shows as "ammonia" with most test kits. So you will not see the difference, but it will be harmless temporarily. This is the second issue here. This detoxification is temporary, not permanent; I don't know how long API's works, but Seachem say their Prime is effective for 24-36 hours, after which the detoxified ammonium will revert back to toxic ammonia.

The other thing is pH--in an acidic pH (below 7.0) "ammonia" is largely ammonium, which is harmless. Above pH 7.0 ammonia is ammonia aside from the temporary detoxification using these conditioners.

Both products should only be used with a water change, as they are designed to temporarily detoxify ammonia that may be in the source (tap) water. The live plants (if any) in the tank, and/or the nitrifying bacteria, will be able to take up the detoxified ammonia (ammonium) before the conditioner becomes ineffective.

If you have on-going ammonia occurring within the aquarium, that is a totally different issue and needs resolution. These conditioners do have an impact on fish, notwithstanding what the manufacturers say, so they should not be used continually as some sort of treatment.

Any ideas as to what is causing the spike?, I did watch my angel swim towards the bottom of the tank and her gills were red and irritated, once I turned the filter back on she perked up and seems to be okay.
I am worried that the ammonia is killing the three that survived.

 

[Tdiggy74]

Any ideas as to what is causing the spike?, I did watch my angel swim towards the bottom of the tank and her gills were red and irritated, once I turned the filter back on she perked up and seems to be okay.
I am worried that the ammonia is killing the three that survived.

Will adding drift wood help at all?