Removing Ammonia From Tap Water

[Mrs. J]

I am having issues with ammonia in my tanks...after much help and discussions on this forum the conclusion is that there is ammonia in my tap water.

I would like to set up a system to filter/age the water. Was told that a carbon block (?) would help. I am thinking a large (Brute) garbage can to filter/age the water. Concerned about toxins in the plastic in the garbage can. Can anyone help with suggestions for the best way to handle this. I will unfortunately have to use the good ol' bucket system refill the tank. Storage can be inside my utility room.

[dbfzurowski]

Hi there.
I use a carbon house filter. No aging, no chemicals(prime/safe) to condition the water. Going 5 months straight.

Carbon filter $30(I think) is rated for 30,000 gallons

http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn29/wadopl/120G%20build/IMG_0491_zps8154a966.jpg (http://s300.photobucket.com/user/wadopl/media/120G%20build/IMG_0491_zps8154a966.jpg.html)

[Larry Bugg]

People here have been using brute trash cans for years with no problems. I have one in my fish room that has been in use for 4 years now.

[kris2341]

I dont think a carbon filter can remove pure ammonia, but it can remove the chlorine component of the ammonia handily.

an RODI filter is the only thing I know of besides unreliable zeolite that can remove ammonia.

Reverse Osmosis with Deionization.

a quality unit can give you true 0 TDS water.

Like i said in your thread at least twice now though, your test kit is probably faulty, or you are waiting too long for the result. usually 30 seconds is enough for those things then it starts to turn green on its own.

any ammonia usually means the tank is not cycled but from what you describe, even your non discus tanks seem healthy more or less.

here's an idea: since we cannot confirm that your discus tank is cycled, test for NITRATES in your 60 gallon community tank. If there are nitrates, then that means it is cycled and it is confirmed your ammonia reading is off.

[kris2341]

Oh and along the lines of the brute trash cans, I DO have a problem with those.

I cannot age water for long periods of time in them or the water goes cloudy, If i leave the water in there for say, 2 days, I come back to it all white and cloudy.

I switch to a blue poly drum for potable water and i dont have said issue so something is up with that trash can....

Also, thanks for the idea dominik, I will probably utilize this system on my cichlid pond so i can enact a constant water change.

[OC Discus]

Kris

I think she has determined that the tap water is her ammonia source since it tests the same as the tanks.

[kris2341]

but she has been using the same test kit for everything, it could still be a tester error as the ammonia would usually disappear overnight in a cycled tank.

and since she has a matured community tank that tests the same, this shows that her test kit may be to blame as long as said tank is fully cycled.

I've seen this happen with API tests due to either the water conditioner or user error, not really the test kit failing but it is possible.

I cannot see a fully cycled tank showing an ammonia reading unless theres something dead and festering in there...

[OC Discus]

Good point

[Larry Bugg]

Oh and along the lines of the brute trash cans, I DO have a problem with those.

I cannot age water for long periods of time in them or the water goes cloudy, If i leave the water in there for say, 2 days, I come back to it all white and cloudy.

I switch to a blue poly drum for potable water and i dont have said issue so something is up with that trash can....

Also, thanks for the idea dominik, I will probably utilize this system on my cichlid pond so i can enact a constant water change.

First time I have ever seen anyone with an issue with the brute cans. They are Food grade safe.

Gray, White and Yellow are USDA Meat & Poultry Equipment Group Listed and assist in complying with HACCP guidelines.
Certified to NSF Standard #2 (gray, white and yellow) and Standard #21(all colors)

http://www.rubbermaidcommercial.com/rcp/products/detail.jsp?categoryCode=waste&subCategoryCode=waste_brute_utility&rcpNum=2643&categoryCode_subCategoryCode_rcpNum=waste_waste_br ute_utility_2643

http://www.rubbermaidcommercial.com/rcp/products/certifications.jsp

[kris2341]

yea i was VERY surprised when i saw that problem, and quite a bit pissed off!

I paid a decent bit for the trash can, the lid, and the little wheelcart thing to wheel it around on.... only to be unable to use it

made sure to check the rubbermaid site, and check the bottom of the trash can for the rating on it when i was there, food safe...

[Mrs. J]

Nitrates read sppximately 25 to 30 today

[OC Discus]

Time for a big water change. Sounds like kris is saying you can't have high nitrates and ammonia. I'm not sure if that is correct. How long has the tank been running and what is the water change schedule? I think you could have nitrate from infrequent or too small water change and ammonia spike at the same time from something dead or overwhelmed bio filter.

[kris2341]

Nitrates show that the bio filter is there, but the level of nitrates shows that maintenance is borderline for a normal community tank and BAD if this is on the discus tank.

This calls for a water change and a gravel vac if the community tank has a lot of stuff in it. If you are doing 20% water changes to the community tank weekly or every 2 weeks, increase to 50%

If this is on the discus tank, you really need to do much more water changes because those kinds of parameters will most likely stunt the fish.

[Mrs. J]

Ok thanks to all .... tonight we tested distilled water and guess what- Tested positive for ammonia with the API liquid test kit. Nitrates and Nitrates both show 0 in both tanks.
I change the water in the Discus tank daily approximately 25 to 30 percent, and clean substrate, under any rocks, etc. almost none of these in the tank, I do have a resin "driftwood" piece but remove it and clean under it as well. Before I got this kit I regularly tested (daily, sometimes twice a day) with API strips and Nitrate/Nitrates always tested in the 0 to very low range. I appreciate that you feel that I am not doing my tank maintenance....no gravel in the tank but we did raise Discus to 6 inch size twice while we live in Houston and again in Arkansas while on well water. As Hans can attest, I worried him to death about getting everything right, to the point that he told me I worry too much, and needed to enjoy the fish more. I plan to obtain a different test kit since this seems to be some of the problem. Any suggestions on what to buy? I will have to order on line. Again, critical thing is to determine what I do have (or don't) and move forward.

[OC Discus]

I keep a simple ammonia alert in my tank all the time. It is not an exact measurement, but you can visibly see a color change any time ammonia starts to rise. Petsmart has these for about $8. It sticks to the inside of the tank with a suction cup. This can eliminate the need for daily use of drops or strips.

[Mrs. J]

Thank you....I believe I have seen them here and maybe at Petco (new here). I will pick one up. Do you use any kind of test kit? I probably should not if I keep obsessing over this. My water is very clear, babies have grown an inch or so in a month. Is this about normal? Always hungry....or at least ready to eat, and in wonderful color, bright reds, pearls, blues (diamonds) and Marlboros are very orange. Thank you so much for your patience and help.

[OC Discus]

Early on I tested regularly with 6 in 1 strips. Since the tank is cycled and established I don't test regularly. I change enough water to keep nitrate below 10 and other levels at 0. The ammonia alert is the first indicator that something is not right leading to other tests. Once your tank is cycled and your water change schedule established, you won't have to test as much.

Others have far more experience growing out fish than me, but one inch per month is very good.


Thank you....I believe I have seen them here and maybe at Petco (new here). I will pick one up. Do you use any kind of test kit? I probably should not if I keep obsessing over this. My water is very clear, babies have grown an inch or so in a month. Is this about normal? Always hungry....or at least ready to eat, and in wonderful color, bright reds, pearls, blues (diamonds) and Marlboros are very orange. Thank you so much for your patience and help.

[Len]

Hi there.
I use a carbon house filter. No aging, no chemicals(prime/safe) to condition the water. Going 5 months straight.

Carbon filter $30(I think) is rated for 30,000 gallons

http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn29/wadopl/120G%20build/IMG_0491_zps8154a966.jpg (http://s300.photobucket.com/user/wadopl/media/120G%20build/IMG_0491_zps8154a966.jpg.html)

100% agree. This can work very well. The only chnage I'd make is adding a sediment filter in front of it to prevent the carbon block from getting clogged quickly. For ammonia/chloramine removal you can use http://www.buckeyehydro.com/chloraguard-chloramine-carbon-block/

[kris2341]

As far as test kits, I too use the API kit but know how the ammonia reads on it when i just dose Safe. When it comes down to it, i think we can just say that you are doing everything just fine!

As far as a test kit for you to use, just give this a try http://www.amazon.com/Seachem-MultiTest-Ammonia-Test-Kit/dp/B0002A5XFU

i only test my ammonia and nitrites during the beginning of the tank build, once it is established, i dont do anything except check fish activity and smell my water for anything foul.

the only test i did regularly is nitrates.

[dmartinx]

Check to see if your local water company uses chloramines to purify your water. My water company started using chloramines a couple of years ago and we found that the chloramines alone result in a positive ammonia test using the API test kit. A "so-called" false positive. Since I change my discus water daily there is always a trace of chloramine in the tank water. On one occasion I didn't change water for 3 to 4 days and the tank water tested zero for ammonia thus supporting my thesis. Finally, the discus were active and healthy further refuting the high ammonia hypothesis. API also says that chloramines will create a false positive ammonia test. Does that help explain your problem?

[Fishquake]

Try the Seachem Laboratories Multitest: Ammonia Test Kit.

[oliverk]

FYI have done some research on this and talked with the City of Houston. They inform despite some of the literature that says ammonia above .5ppm is not the best they habitually release water to the tap with ammonia in the 1.0+ range +/- that and they were not surprised that my raw tap reads very high 1s or 2 by the time it reaches me. (The breakdown of chloramine will result in ammonia release) Since my swimming pool grade total chlorine, chloramine test kit was reading down from what they release, it made perfect sense to them.

I would test your tap and indeed call your water provider and see what they release into the system and what you can reasonably expect.

The only reliable way I know by standard filtration to remove ammonia is RO and many of those membranes say only 85%+ so if you are starting at nearly 2 like me you may have an impossible task. A second RO filter, at least without a pressure boosting pump can be problematic because after the first RO you will lose a lot of pressure.

If you go RO do flush your membrane it does help performance..... would also test your water and keep backups of your carbon filters your RO membrane and other critical components) I'd also keep a good chlorine chloramine ammonia tap treatment supply for emergencies - in fact I do.

Aquatic plants in your filter system (read as aquaponics can help a lot on ammonia - nitrate and nitrite too as they feed on these things)