How To Lower 8.0ppm Ammonia??

i recently started a freshwater tank and I plan to plant it. After adding soil the ammonia spiked up to 8.0ppm. How do I lower the ammonia?? People say plants eat ammonia but I feel like it’s way too much to put plants in. All help is appreciated thank you!!

 

Do a large wc before you plant it and plant it heavily from the begining. Also add some cheap floating plants to help suck up the ammonia.

You might still need to do a wc every few days until they get established.

 

Most would won’t get you that high... possible something else I should going on as well...

 

Wait for your tank to cycle naturally then add fish. This is actually good, you won't have to add any ammonia to cycle the tank!

 

What kind of soil would add that much ammonia?

 

80% water changes

 

I have heard that soil can spike your ammonia at first, so don't worry, I'm sure people with experience with dirted tanks can talk you through this!

 

I used ADA aquatic soil and apparently it’s known for large ammonia spikes..

Should I just let the fliter run then? And for how long?

So I should take out the water, plant it heavily, fill it with water again and let it run? Will this burn the plants because I heard too much ammonia may burn them

The soil I’m using is known for high ammonia spikes, it’s called ADA aquatic soil

Okay, thank you!

How often should I do this and for how long?

 

Continue to test parameters (with filter running) and when you aren't getting ammonia or nitrite anymore, you are cycled.

 

just get about 1 or 2 ppm of ammonia to cycle and try to keep it there....thats all. change 75% of the water to get it to 2ppm. cycles faster

 

I would keep it under 4. Temp of 80-82 will help cycle. Throw a little fish food in and adjust pH up to 7.8. These will all speed the cycle.

 

How do I adjust the pH and won’t adding fish food increase ammonia?

 

She is using ada aquasoil so its lowered the ph and leeching ammonia.

The less water in your tank the easier it os to plant but after you refill it Just try and keep it below 4 and the more plants the better

 

Just a little fish food for some phosphates, but adding ferts will work also. You can use baking soda for cheap easy pH up, or you can use cuttlebone, crushed seashells in the filter, or buy seachem alkalinity buffer.

 

A little vinegar mixed in with water.

 

Vinegar would lower Ph, they need to raise it a little...