Noticing Ammonia BB RO water tank

[chaoslite]

Can I add Prime to my 50% water change to help with this? I have never used Prime with my RO water.

Mishka

[Eddie]

Can I add Prime to my 50% water change to help with this? I have never used Prime with my RO water.

Mishka


Whats your PH?

[chaoslite]

PH is 7.0

Mishka

[Jhhnn]

Prime renders free ammonia into ammonium, and can be added basically at any time for that purpose. The Seachem ammonia test kit is the only one I know of that can tell the difference- all the other kits convert ammonium back into ammonia for testing purposes, giving false high free ammonia readings.

If your water has chloramines, then the presence of ammonia in the RO product may indicate a problem with your membrane.

If the ammonia level in your tank goes up w/o water changes, then your biofilter isn't working properly...

[chaoslite]

Thanks guys. Getting a Seachem test. I was worried because my pair had eggs and I did not want them ruined. Tonight I have wrigglers. Would it be ok to shut off the HOB? I have cycled media in the HOB but the sponge filter in the tank has only been there since Friday night? I don't want to muck up the water.

Mishka

[NunoDinis]

I think that if you have a cycled Sponge filter, it wont be a problem, in fact i would turn it off, because the wrigglers can be sucked...
If you dont have a sponge filter, then you must do WC several times...

[Foxfire]

You must bring down the ammonia reading using a number of water changes - until proven otherwise, assume ammonia; however, you shouldn't even have ammonium if the water is being kept clean - something isn't right.

In any case, be very careful with the water changes; don't change the pH or temperature of the water or the young could suffer and/or the parents eat the them.

Recheck the ammonia level to be sure it is down.

By the way, any filter operating just a few days will not, in any way, be cycled. Since the other filter could suck up the young, do turn it off and use WC's. Avoid adding any chemicals if possible.

Good luck!

[Jhhnn]

I'd take a contrarian opinion wrt to the HOB filter- leave it on, with a fine sponge or nylons stocking over the intake so the fry don't get sucked up. Just me- I honestly have no experience with fry, so take it for what it's worth.

I'll agree that something's not right if you're seeing more than a slight trace of free ammonia, ever. If you're treating chloramined water with prime, then you may see some ammonium after a water change, but the biofilter should quickly convert it to nitrites and then nitrates... you can test the water before putting it in the tank to see if that's the case...