Wannabe Guru
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Grand Rapids, MI
Posts: 1,302
.25 ammonia reading in established tank?
I am not one to very diligently test my water, I'll admit. But I've been having plant deficiencies and hair algae so I decided to test it. It's an API Master Test Kit, and the regeants don't expire until 2017... So anyway, I got a .25ppm ammonia reading. I got one on my pond in the spring, but it always has a little ammonia so I didn't think anything of it. Last time I used this test kit on my tank, it had .25ppm but that was following fish stock issues, so I didn't think anything of it. But right now?
This tank has been up for quite a while, and in the 3 years I've lived with my BF it has had fish in it constantly. We had a series of deaths a while ago, but no fish deaths since before Christmas, and although I added 4 zebras, that was over a month ago.
I don't feed heavily, it has a lot of plants, Biowheel 200 and UGV, Eco Complete substrate, 50%+ weekly water changes. I'm totally confused. Is it my test kit doing this?
8 Zebra Danios
3 White Skirts
1 Tiger Barb
2 Neons
Rainbow Shark
CAE
2 nerite snails
A handful of random snails
Now that I typed that out, I do seem to be finding quite a bit of empty snail shells. Is this whats contributing to that ammonia reading? Any reason as to why I would be getting a lot of dead snails? I do have a copper test kit, and have tested my tap water, and it is 0. And I have coral (softies) flourishing in my SW tank, but I notice I have snail issues there too. Is this a calcium issue? Our tap water has a TDS of 180. 0 copper.
Last edited by Little Soprano; 03-25-2015 at 10:03 PM.
Reason: added