Seachem Prime Overdosing And Nutrafin Ammonia Test Results

[N0body Of The Goat]

Has anyone else experienced pale yellow/brown test results from the Nutrafin ammonia liquid kit (single bottle, 6 drops, "nessler" type test ?), shortly after 50%+ water changes, having overdosed the new water with Seachem Prime?

I've experienced this on two tanks this afternoon and even after further 75% water changes, I still get that same shade of yellow/brown, suggesting ~0.6mg/l ammonia!

One tank has an established filter that has been active for over 12 months, the other is my second APS2000EF (finally unwrapped) with mature sponges (they had been living in the Juwel integrated filter for several months after being removed from my Eheim 2078) running alongside the fresh ceramic noodles. Neither tank's occupants are showing signs of ammonia stress, such as flicking.

An ammonia test on my 560l tonight came back perfectly clear, but then again this tank had a 50% water change last Sunday, so any excess Prime should have well and truely degraded five days later.

http/www.seachem.c...FAQs/Prime.html suggests everything is fine and this could have been happening every time I do water changes, but because I normally do not test straight after them, these puzzling readings have not cause me stress before.


Any thoughts/experiences?

 

[KkAaNnEe]

Hmm i would say that i have the Nutrafin test kit too and I sometimes I get that watery pale yellow. I dont worry too much about it, fish are all ok, havent noticed any relationship between prime and the tests though.

 

[catfish4ever]

nutrafin test kits like the rest tend to be very innacurate. as long as fish seem ok it should be fine

 

[Overload]

If you have chloramine in your tap water that could be the cause.

 

[rob_s]

Yes to OP, my test gives dark yellow just after a change also.
And the prime binds the chlorine and ammonia together to give chloramine...the nutrafin test raises the ph to 12+ which just breaks this bond I read somewhere.

Seachem FAQ notes to try test after 24 hours I think, I assume the chloramine will have been eaten in this time...

 

[Overload]

Yes to OP, my test gives dark yellow just after a change also.
And the prime binds the chlorine and ammonia together to give chloramine...the nutrafin test raises the ph to 12+ which just breaks this bond I read somewhere.

Seachem FAQ notes to try test after 24 hours I think, I assume the chloramine will have been eaten in this time...

Chloramine is chlorine and ammonia bonded together, however it is often used in place of chlorine in tap water these days.

Prime breaks that bond producing chlorine (which it deals with) and ammonia which it turns into ammonium (which is less toxic to fish) this is used by the filter but also shows up as ammonia in some tests