It could just be a false reading, or that you are reading it under the wrong light.
I would only worry if the ammonia went higher.
I would only worry if the ammonia went higher.
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Can The Addition Of Living Plants Raise Ammonia Levels?
- Thread starter Aquatony
- Start date
Answering your questions...
I rinse the test tubes under the tap several times (maybe 6-7). Use no chemicals, soaps, solutions, etc, just straight tap water. Just before testing, I rinse the tube in the aquarium once or twice, then fill. Never rinse the tube with the regent in it in the tank, obviously.
Out-gas means allowing the tap water to sit in a glass or jar for 24 hours, or you can very briskly agitate it in a small covered jar for a couple of minutes. You may or may not see different results. As the water runs through the pipes in the ground, it can become saturated with CO2. This is not a worry, but this will affect the pH test because CO2 creates carbonic acid, thus a lower pH. With the CO2 out-gassed, if any was present, the test result could be higher. This is not necessary with tank water, just tap. Another thing with tap water...some authorities add chemicals like soda ash to raise the pH. This is especially so in areas of soft water where the low natural pH can corrode pipes, etc. Some of these substances can dissipate out fairly quickly, so this may be involved too. I have this here in Vancouver.
Now to the latest test results. The tank water is on the acidic side, so it is time to consider the GH and KH of your tap water. GH is general hardness, which is the level of dissolved minerals (primarily calcium and magnesium) in the water. KH is the carbonate hardness, also called Alkalinity (not to be confused with "alkaline" pH which is better termed basic). The GH and KH are interconnected, and they affect the pH. The KH acts as a buffer to prevent the pH from changing. We need to know the numbers for GH and KH, and for these you are best to check the data on the website of your municipal water authority. Once we know the numbers, I will explain more, but I am suspecting them to be low rather than high, i.e., soft water rather than hard.
As organics accumulate in the aquarium, bacteria break them down primarily in the substrate. This produces CO2 (and ammonia), and the CO2 again creates carbonic acid, so the pH lowers. This lowering can be influenced by the GH/KH, water changes, fish load, fish feedings, live plants, and so forth. It is not usually a problem in itself, but you want to avoid significant fluctuations, like the previously mentioned pH 6.4 up to 7.6, which frankly can be deadly for fish if it is relatively rapid. There is a normal diurnal fluctuation in pH of a few decimal places; this occurs in many natural waters too, and fish can easily handle it, because it is minimal and over 24 hours back and forth.
So, I am assuming a low GH/KH, meaning the pH will lower naturally. Provided this is kept under control, with regular water changes, not overstocking or over-feeding, cleaning the substrate a bit (or more, it depends), it will pose no dangers, at least not for soft acidic water fish species.
Last, I agree with JD and whomever else, on the ammonia. This is minimal, and in acidic water less of an issue anyway, and it will be handled naturally. All assuming it does not suddenly increase.
Byron.
I rinse the test tubes under the tap several times (maybe 6-7). Use no chemicals, soaps, solutions, etc, just straight tap water. Just before testing, I rinse the tube in the aquarium once or twice, then fill. Never rinse the tube with the regent in it in the tank, obviously.
Out-gas means allowing the tap water to sit in a glass or jar for 24 hours, or you can very briskly agitate it in a small covered jar for a couple of minutes. You may or may not see different results. As the water runs through the pipes in the ground, it can become saturated with CO2. This is not a worry, but this will affect the pH test because CO2 creates carbonic acid, thus a lower pH. With the CO2 out-gassed, if any was present, the test result could be higher. This is not necessary with tank water, just tap. Another thing with tap water...some authorities add chemicals like soda ash to raise the pH. This is especially so in areas of soft water where the low natural pH can corrode pipes, etc. Some of these substances can dissipate out fairly quickly, so this may be involved too. I have this here in Vancouver.
Now to the latest test results. The tank water is on the acidic side, so it is time to consider the GH and KH of your tap water. GH is general hardness, which is the level of dissolved minerals (primarily calcium and magnesium) in the water. KH is the carbonate hardness, also called Alkalinity (not to be confused with "alkaline" pH which is better termed basic). The GH and KH are interconnected, and they affect the pH. The KH acts as a buffer to prevent the pH from changing. We need to know the numbers for GH and KH, and for these you are best to check the data on the website of your municipal water authority. Once we know the numbers, I will explain more, but I am suspecting them to be low rather than high, i.e., soft water rather than hard.
As organics accumulate in the aquarium, bacteria break them down primarily in the substrate. This produces CO2 (and ammonia), and the CO2 again creates carbonic acid, so the pH lowers. This lowering can be influenced by the GH/KH, water changes, fish load, fish feedings, live plants, and so forth. It is not usually a problem in itself, but you want to avoid significant fluctuations, like the previously mentioned pH 6.4 up to 7.6, which frankly can be deadly for fish if it is relatively rapid. There is a normal diurnal fluctuation in pH of a few decimal places; this occurs in many natural waters too, and fish can easily handle it, because it is minimal and over 24 hours back and forth.
So, I am assuming a low GH/KH, meaning the pH will lower naturally. Provided this is kept under control, with regular water changes, not overstocking or over-feeding, cleaning the substrate a bit (or more, it depends), it will pose no dangers, at least not for soft acidic water fish species.
Last, I agree with JD and whomever else, on the ammonia. This is minimal, and in acidic water less of an issue anyway, and it will be handled naturally. All assuming it does not suddenly increase.
Byron.
Byron,
The municipality's water report states that our KH is 8-10ppm (CaCO3) and the GH is 14-39. Both are very low numbers compared to surrounding towns serviced by the EBMUD. So it's safe to say, this water is VERY soft, and therefore the buffering amount is pretty low.
We'll just keep up with the ~50% water changes and see how it goes.
Thank you all!
The municipality's water report states that our KH is 8-10ppm (CaCO3) and the GH is 14-39. Both are very low numbers compared to surrounding towns serviced by the EBMUD. So it's safe to say, this water is VERY soft, and therefore the buffering amount is pretty low.
We'll just keep up with the ~50% water changes and see how it goes.
Thank you all!
OK one more post on this.
I used a brand new test kit. I off-gassed the tap water for 24h.
Both tap water and aquarium water tested the same, at 0.25-0.5 ppm. I repeated the test 3 times using 3 different pipettes to ensure cleanliness.
Tap pH (off-gassed) was 7.2, aquarium pH 6.4.
I used a brand new test kit. I off-gassed the tap water for 24h.
Both tap water and aquarium water tested the same, at 0.25-0.5 ppm. I repeated the test 3 times using 3 different pipettes to ensure cleanliness.
Tap pH (off-gassed) was 7.2, aquarium pH 6.4.
Aquatony said:
There is ammonia in your source water as we previously mentioned, but I wouldn't worry. So long as the pH remains below 7, this is ammonium and not going to matter at all. And remember, test kits read ammonia and ammonium as "ammonia." Now that we have the various numbers, there are no surprises.
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