Ammonia 0.25 no matter what

Hello all!

So I've had my tank for a while and all my fish have been doing fine for months now. However, no matter when I test my water, the ammonia is always 0.25. All of my other levels are fine. I'm pretty sure the water in my town is horrible and is the culprit. I do use Aqueon water conditioner and stress zyme when doing water changes, but I don't think it's completely neutralizing the ammonia present in my town water. Is there a better water conditioner I can buy? Or should I start using like jugs of distilled / spring water that you can buy at the store?

Thanks in advance!

 

Have you tested your tap water? Is there also ammonia?

Have you tested bottled water? Is there also ammonia? (There definitely should not be!)

I ask because I have a difficult time telling the difference between API's 0 and 0.25 for ammonia. The colors are too similar. Depending on the lighting it could be either. However, when I test my tap water side-by-side it's the same color (assuming no problem). I don't think it's legal to have ammonia in tap water? But I'm not sure where you live.

 

Stop using the Stress Zyme it is not needed. Cycled tanks do not need a bacterial additive with water changes. But that one is not a true aquatic bacteria. Could be the problem. So stop using it and see what happens.

The biological filtration should process that 0.25 reading as it is only a trace but the stress zyme could be hindering things. Dont really know for sure, just my thought.

Switch to seachem Prime for your water conditioner.

 

The stress zyme isn't causing ammonia. It's likely in your tap water. At 0.25 a healthy bacterial colony should deal with it in under a day. Not an issue in my experience.

You should dose seachem prime though, with water changes and directly into the tank if your ammonia gets any higher than 0.25.

 

Having .25 ammonia is a little distressing, especially if it never goes away regardless when ever you test. I've had tanks that had between 0 and .25 sit like that for months then one day it was gone. Never figured out why, but what helped was adding some beneficial bacteria to move it along.

If your tank is cycled, then it's more then likely coming from your tap. I do not recommend the use of bottle water because it lacks kh and gh, and you will have to remineralize it so you don't experience PH crashes or hinder the osmotic process of your fish. Plus depending on the ph of your tank, it will rapidly drop your ph, which will cause ph shock.

I recommend prime daily as long as you see ammonia, and maybe a BB to give your bacteria a little push to catch up.

 

Hello all!

So I've had my tank for a while and all my fish have been doing fine for months now. However, no matter when I test my water, the ammonia is always 0.25. All of my other levels are fine. I'm pretty sure the water in my town is horrible and is the culprit. I do use Aqueon water conditioner and stress zyme when doing water changes, but I don't think it's completely neutralizing the ammonia present in my town water. Is there a better water conditioner I can buy? Or should I start using like jugs of distilled / spring water that you can buy at the store?

Thanks in advance!

Hello jt...

I'd recommend using Seachem's "Safe" to treat your replacement water. It makes ammonia, nitrite and nitrates non toxic. So, there's no harm to the fish from your tap water.

Old

 

Hello all!

So I've had my tank for a while and all my fish have been doing fine for months now. However, no matter when I test my water, the ammonia is always 0.25. All of my other levels are fine. I'm pretty sure the water in my town is horrible and is the culprit. I do use Aqueon water conditioner and stress zyme when doing water changes, but I don't think it's completely neutralizing the ammonia present in my town water. Is there a better water conditioner I can buy? Or should I start using like jugs of distilled / spring water that you can buy at the store?

Thanks in advance!

I also suggest testing your tap for ammonia but as mentioned, the bacteria should process that trace. What are your other parameters - pH, nitrite, nitrates?

Could you also be overfeeding? Do you rinse your filter media regularly and vacuum your substrate?

I agree that you'll want Prime to use as a water conditioner to detox the ammonia instead of the Aqueon water conditioner.

 

Don't forget that fish are producing ammonia all the time and it will take some time to move from the fish into the water and then into the filter. While it is in the water it is available to be detected by your water test and there will always be some present.