High ammonia... can't get rid of it .. someone please help

[Ryan231211]

Right thank you so much for the advice Byron really appreciate it

 

[Ash Paws]

So I know you use the API test kit and I don't know if this has been mentioned yet but the API test kits are known for showing .25 ppm ammonia in a tank that has 0. The test has a hard time distinguishing ammonia and amoonium.

 

[Ryan231211]

Thank you for the information ash paws that's useful to know

 

[NickAu]

Using the test kit correctly is also important, Heres a video on how to correctly test the water.

 

[Ryan231211]

Byron I'm so sorry I have given you false information ... when I tested the tap water for nitrates it was the first day I had the test kit... I'm guessing I tested it wrong as I just thought I'll test it again just to be sure.. it's come back at around 40ppm... I'm so sorry for giving you the wrong information I must not of tested it correct at the start.... where do I go from here.. I take it this could be my problem and why all my fish have died

 

[Colin_T]

40ppm nitrate won't kill fish. It stresses them out but they can live in it for a long time before they suffer adverse side effects.

 

[Ryan231211]

Right thank you very much... if you have read my posts you will be able to see that I lost a lot of fish in less than 48 hours.. like I mean a lot of fish... could this be down to the nitrates? As sometimes I'm not sure if my tank is showing 40ppm or 80ppm.. as the colours are so similar to each other...

 

[Byron]

Nitrate is toxic to all fish. However, unlike ammonia and nitrite which can rapidly kill fish, the effect of nitrate depends upon the species, the level, and the exposure time. You want the nitrate as low as possible, and never above 20 ppm. Some fish, especially cichlids and many wild caught sensitive species, will react adversely to this level. Nitrate has not been all that well studied in aquarium fish, and the best way to think of the detriment is that the fish will slowly be weakened and stressed, and this is the direct cause of 95% of fish disease (the stress) so obviously the fish may eventually die from "x" or "z" but these problems might well be directly the result of the nitrate over time. Fish have remarkable capability to fight off many diseases, but in the aquarium they are immediately being hampered by all sorts of things, so keeping stress as minimal as possible is the aim.

Nitrate occurring within the aquarium is easy to deal with, as we have discussed previously in this thread. Nitrate in the source water is a very different issue. I will leave this as we have other members who have dealt with this issue and they can better explain it. AbbeysDad is one member who has had success dealing with high nitrate, and you could PM him to enter this thread.

Back to your fish losses...if nitrate was at 80 ppm which was a test number given earlier in this thread, and this or similar continued for several months, it would without question weaken the fish, making them more susceptible to various other issues. The ammonia was another possible; with high nitrate, ammonia would be more toxic than otherwise.

Re the API nitrate test...there are two regents. Regent 1 is added to the test tube of tank water, then you shake Regent #2 and then add drops and shake the test tube. When shaking Regent #2--the regent itself before adding the drops--shake it for a good 2 minutes, not just the 30 seconds it says in the instructions. Insufficient shaking of the Regent #2 can result in false readings. Regent #2 tends to separate in the bottle over time, which is why it needs to be well shaken before using it.

 

[Ryan231211]

Thank you so much for the advice

 

[seangee]

I know everyone here recommends the liquid kits but for nitrates I have found the strips to be 100% reliable and much easier to use. I use JBL or Tetra.

I am one of those that @Byron refers to with high nitrates in my tap water. I filter my water to reduce this so run weekly nitrate tests on my source water as well as the tanks. I do have an API kit but the results are identical - so I dip the strip, wait 60 seconds and job done. It also means I get a free weekly health check. I would not rely on the numbers for the other tests on the strip but in the same 60 seconds I can see if anything is not what I expect and investigate further if I need to. (Note that the strips do not test ammonia)

 

[Ryan231211]

Thank you for that.. maybe I should look into getting some strips then

 

[NickAu]

40ppm nitrate won't kill fish.

40 ppm nitrates will cause disease and sterility in shrimp

 

[Ryan231211]

Sorry guys but I'm back again... I have 4 little fish as you all know my others have died.. I guessed this would sort my ammonia problem out... I've just tested it now... it's nearly at 4ppm.. does anyone have any idea why this is.. surely it should not be that high with 4 little fish.. I only done a 70% water change a couple of days ago ...

 

[Colin_T]

If you have 4ppm ammonia in the tank, do a 90% water change now.
Make sure the new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the tank.

 

[Ryan231211]

Thanks for you reply... I done a 80% water earlier today.. would of done 90% if I saw your message sooner.. anyway so I've done 80% and I've just checked my water.. my ammonia is still just over 1ppm... how is this possible after such a big water change... I hovered the gravel... I cleaned my rocks.. I've done everything possible.. but ammonia still very high.. I only have 4 small fish in the tank