water is not right

[thomasasalvatore]

I cant seem to get my water just right. nitrite and ammonia is just to high. 55 with two hob filters and two huge sponges. The fish seem to be fine but cant seem to get these readings down. Just did a large water change same thing I just don't know. fish seem to be fine.???

[kris2341]

test your tap water and let us know what is up.

[thomasasalvatore]

ok tested tap readings look good. ammonia 1.00pm?

[thomasasalvatore]

Nitrite seems close to 0 on tap

[kris2341]

1.0 ppm ammonia in the tap is NOT good, I wonder if that is a solid reading or a false positive?

since you say you are having ammonia and nitrite readings in your tank constantly, are you doing proper water changes? if you are getting nitrite spikes with every other day water changes and your tank is still pretty new, this water may be to blame.

[thomasasalvatore]

what the heck can I do about that?

[nc0gnet0]

typically an ammonia reading in the tap is a clear indicator you have chloramines in your water. Are you de-chlorinating and if so with what? Where are you located?


-Rick

[thomasasalvatore]

Iowa here. Have used prime all the time.

[nc0gnet0]

When are you taking your ammonia readings? Right after a water change or before? Is the tank fully cycled and if so for how long?


-Rick

[jsullins]

If your tank is fully cycled it could be the lakes in your area are turning over, i seem to have that problem here around this time of year but i normally have a high nitrite reading coming out of the tap when that occurs not ammonia.

[aquadon2222]

I cant seem to get my water just right. nitrite and ammonia is just to high. 55 with two hob filters and two huge sponges. The fish seem to be fine but cant seem to get these readings down. Just did a large water change same thing I just don't know. fish seem to be fine.???

First you should check to determine if the source of nitrites/ammonia is coming from your tap or from your aquarium, so check the tap water.

Chloramine is sometimes added to tap water which can raise ammonia. If you detect chloramine in your tap (if your fish store or a pool store doesn't have a test kit, order one online for $10), typically a good carbon filter will remove not only chlorine but also chloramine. Prime will only remove the chlorine.

If your tap water also has nitrites (nitrites in water come from decaying organic matter, including, well... poop). If you're living in a rural farming area, and/or are getting your water from a well, it's likely that nitrites are leeching into your water from fertilizer or a leaking sewage or septic system.

If you've got both, I think your best option is going with a reverse osmosis system

If your tap is fine but your aquarium has ammonia and nitrites, theres probably something dead somewhere in your tank. (Nothing in your aquarium would produce chloramine). In a heavily planted tank, dead plant matter can also add nitrites to your water, in which case you should probably do a thorough cleaning, start over, and possibly consider fewer or no plants.

Hope that helps.

[thomasasalvatore]

Bare bottom tank no plants nothing but fish.

[DISCUS STU]

Prime lists chloramine as one of the things it's supposed to neutralize but maybe it takes a while. How old is the test kit? I believe some of them have expiration dates on them.

[thomasasalvatore]

its up to date stu. must not be to much of problem the fish seem to be trying to pair off i guess. They are kinda shaking themselves next to each other?

[DISCUS STU]

Would the fish be showing mating behavior with high levels of ammonia and nitrite? I'm also wondering if your getting some type of false positives from your readings.

[coffeessss]

test your tap then tell us

[jsullins]

test your tap then tell us
they did already

[nc0gnet0]

Prime lists chloramine as one of the things it's supposed to neutralize but maybe it takes a while. How old is the test kit? I believe some of them have expiration dates on them.

It does (NEUTRALIZES IT) and you don't understand how it works(it works almost instantaneously), If the OP could answer my question it would go a long way towards solving the problem. In short chloramine is chlorine and ammonia bonded together. Your dechlorinator will break the ammonia/chlorine bond, neutralize the chlorine, and then bind with the ammonia (just like ammo-lock does). You will still however get a false positive.

http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/waterfaqs/f/faq0050.-5eR.htm


When are you taking your ammonia readings? Right after a water change or before? Is the tank fully cycled and if so for how long?

[DISCUS STU]

P.S. I checked my nitrites last night. First they were off the scale, or at least very high, and then I immediately checked again and they were 0. Scratching my head...strange.

Are most people using the API test kit?

[DISCUS STU]

It does (NEUTRALIZES IT) and you don't understand how it works(it works almost instantaneously), If the OP could answer my question it would go a long way towards solving the problem. In short chloramine is chlorine and ammonia bonded together. Your dechlorinator will break the ammonia/chlorine bond, neutralize the chlorine, and then bind with the ammonia (just like ammo-lock does). You will still however get a false positive.

http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/waterfaqs/f/faq0050.-5eR.htm

I know what chloramine is though I wasn't sure how long it took to act or how quickly the water was being tested after it was added. Thanks for your clarification.

[nc0gnet0]

Even after being neutralized with Prime it will still show a false positive with an API test kit.

[DISCUS STU]

It does (NEUTRALIZES IT) and you don't understand how it works(it works almost instantaneously), If the OP could answer my question it would go a long way towards solving the problem. In short chloramine is chlorine and ammonia bonded together. Your dechlorinator will break the ammonia/chlorine bond, neutralize the chlorine, and then bind with the ammonia (just like ammo-lock does). You will still however get a false positive.

http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/waterfaqs/f/faq0050.-5eR.htm

I know what chloramine is though I wasn't sure how long it took to act or how quickly the water was being tested after it was added. Thanks for your clarification.

[aovifo]

I researched it, Prime neutralizes chloramine almost instantly for sure as said here. I think that RO system is to radical and extreame solution. It needs maintanance, can cause many problems, you have to add some vital minerals in proper way and amounts. I would advise to recheck with other good company test kit. If you use prime properly and the fish look healthy, it seems that it's false positive or something else but not real problem

[aovifo]

See here:
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?t=116628
reply #20

[SHARPAIN]

I agree running out to get an RO system is too extereme. I have had significant loss due to fluctuation of PH levels straight out of the tap. I am now aging my water in a 55G barrel (aerated of course) for at least 24hours before any water changes. Try testing straight out of the tap and aged water, you should be able to see the change in levels.