Elusive 0ppm?

[FishMommer]

Hi all, sometimes I test my water, often I don't. Recently I was testinf again. I noticed that All 3 tanks appear to have .25 Ammonia? 2 of the tanks are established a over a year or more. One is newer. All seem to read .25 ppm - I have been doing weekly w/c and condition with Prime? What gives? Could it be they got so dirty it will just take time (numerous cleans) to get it down? I have had 0 before I thought?

Also one tank recently had a bit of extra bubbles - little foam at the top? But never tested beyond .25 ppm Ammonia. I had just cleaned the tank a few days ago. I cleaned it a little again last night, not to much as I had just done so. More like a 10% w/c or so.

 

[jkkgron2]

Hi all, sometimes I test my water, often I don't. Recently I was testinf again. I noticed that All 3 tanks appear to have .25 Ammonia? 2 of the tanks are established a over a year or more. One is newer. All seem to read .25 ppm - I have been doing weekly w/c and condition with Prime? What gives? Could it be they got so dirty it will just take time (numerous cleans) to get it down? I have had 0 before I thought?

Also one tank recently had a bit of extra bubbles - little foam at the top? But never tested beyond .25 ppm Ammonia. I had just cleaned the tank a few days ago. I cleaned it a little again last night, not to much as I had just done so. More like a 10% w/c or so.

Are you using the API master test kit? That test often reads 0.25 ppm instead of 0, mine does and I know that some other people hav experienced this too.

 

[LightBrownPillow]

Are you using the API Master Test kit? It is known to show 0.25 ppm even when levels are below that, so you don't need to worry about those readings.

Foam on top of the water is just organic stuff that builds up over time. Best way to keep it down is 1) having your filter outflow break up the surface tension 2) regular water changes to reduce organics floating around.

 

[jkkgron2]

I cant see any signs of ich but im on my phone

Wrong thread?

 

[smee82]

Wrong thread?

Yep as soon as i pressed post i realized. I

 

[FishMommer]

Thanks all! I have never heard that on API. Good to know. Maybe it's because I'm towards the end of one of my Ammonia bottles. Hm.

Re foam: weird. I do have filter water breaking the surface and I had just done a w/c. Seems like the extra one I did last night cleared it up. Hopefully for good!

 

[Redshark1]

All my five tanks have always measured what looks like 0.25ppm total ammonia on the API test and I am a very successful fish keeper with exceptionally long-lived and healthy fish.

I don't worry about this ever because as a biologist I know that ammonia is a naturally occuring compound and it is essential to life in low amounts. It is always present in the natural environment. My local river has 0.3ppm.

I also know that fish produce it 24/7 so some ammonia will always be in your water and on its way to the filter.

0.25ppm will never harm your fish (it is far too low) so do not worry about it as long as it does not go significantly above this figure.

If you have a green tinge to the yellow on the API test it could still be well below 0.25ppm anyway.

There is nothing wrong or inaccurate about the API test which is an excellent piece of equipment. I tested my water butt and I got a clear yellow.

I hope I can put yours and other people's minds at rest about ammonia. I feel there is a misconception and misinformation about it.

In these charts the red is where ammonia becomes dangerous to fish.

 

[AvalancheDave]

My old place had hard water with a pH of ~8.3. I setup a hospital tank of sorts and it didn't quite cycle the way I hoped. One night I noticed the fish had become inactive and weren't eating. Tested ammonia and it was 0.3-ish.

 

[FishMommer]

Thanks for the perspective all.

I am still dealing with foam on the top of the tank.

Any ideas? What can I do? A w/c the other day helped some. But I worry about doing too much, as I had just cleaned the tank a few? 2? days before the w/c.

 

[Redshark1]

Any pictures of the tank?

I've not had to deal with foam but it is present in the natural environment when organic materials break down and the molecules produce act as surfactants, preventing bubbles from bursting.

You may have something in the tank that is producing these molecules.

Be careful not to overfeed as this can be a reason for the molecules and other issues in the aquarium.

Fish need very little food to maintain bodyweight. 1/2 a flake a day for a Neon Tetra to 4 flakes a day for a small Goldfish. Something inbetween for most of our tropical community fish.

I don't think your foam is likely to be dangerous, although access to the surface for Labyrinth fish may be an issue, but it is unsightly. However, it should disappear once these molecules are no longer being produced e.g. when the digestable parts of aquarium wood have been fully decomposed.

 

[FishMommer]

Hmm...yes no wood in tank. Again, it is back after last water change? Going to test parameters again and do another cleaning. Hopefully this will knock it out once and for all.

Thanks again everyone!