Random question on testing ammonia…..

Does it matter what part of the aquarium you collect water from to test parameters? I have never had this issue before but I took water from the top of the tank and it said I had .5ppm ammonia so I tested (several times) again and took from the middle and bottom and it’s saying zero for 3 days in a row now. My friend (in TX I’m in MI) just texted me and mysteriously had .5ppm ammonia and I told her what happened in my tank and she did the same thing and it’s testing 0ppm. So now I’m just kind of scratching my head.

 

Hmm I’ve never had issues with something like this. I take from the top ish and have accurate readings. Maybe you had an error when adding the chemicals to test the water in the tube?

 

I'd be curious to see what happens if you take some from the top and then some from bottom and then mix together and see what if the .5ppm gets diluted to something like .25. I don't see how this is possible unless there is absolutely no circulation in the tank and even if that was true it still sounds really bizarre to me. There's gotta be a chemical explanation for this...I'm just curious what it is. Maybe ammonium is lighter than ammonia lol

 

I tested again today…..just opposite sides of the tank! It’s a 75g, lots of plants, has an fx4 with a spray bar and two XL sponge filters.


I’m just really confused. I’m doing a water change today anyway.

 

Ah, you are planted. Ferts, Soil, Dirt and probably other stuff going on. TAN count might be unequal at certain parts of the tank. How, I am not sure, but I am finding your thread very interesting. Did you add ferts recently?

Anyways, check this out.

 

I added ferts (potassium and flourish excel) Monday I think. Same thing I do in all of my tanks. None of my other tanks are having this happen. It’s very strange to me.

 

This is telling you that your tank has dead spots in the water circulation. Small changes in the output direction of the filter output can make big changes in getting rid of dead spots. The water in an aquarium filter should be circulating the whole tank through the filter like 5-10x per hour. So the water should be well mixed and equal concentrations of everything. But dead spots are possible.

 

This is telling you that your tank has dead spots in the water circulation. Small changes in the output direction of the filter output can make big changes in getting rid of dead spots. The water in an aquarium filter should be circulating the whole tank through the filter like 5-10x per hour. So the water should be well mixed and equal concentrations of everything. But dead spots are possible.

Thanks, I’ll try adjusting my spray bar and maybe get my circulation pump/wave maker thing back out.

 

circulation pump back in…..seems to have cleared up the ammonia in my issue spot. Waiting for my plecos to muster up the courage to come out I think they will like the current I had to direct it at the side of a piece of wood because it was blowing my sand (and cories) all around. It’s rated for a 60g and I have a 75g but it’s strong. I may get one more for the other side of the tank if I can find an even smaller one. Thanks for solving my issue Frank the Fish guy!