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AHHH what the - Water change / Tabs = Ammonia?

756 Views 7 Replies 4 Participants Last post by  PlantedRich, 
dynamixcore
Hello Community,

Last night i did a 50% WC ( no vac ) using R/O water with additives as it was my bi-weekly WC. Today i added root tabs that contained KNO3 because I've been fighting to keep nitrates up enough to feed all the plants when kept them down to 0ppm.

The tabs i used are "Substrate Fertilizer Tabs 15 Root Tabs Micro and Macro Glosso Factory"

http://www.glossofactory.com/products/root

Sometime from last night and now I've gained .50PPM ammonia without explanation.

I dosed Prime immediately. I don't see a rise in nitrite and my PH is about 6.8-7.0

What the heck just happened here? i feel like i just got someone drunk then had them drive me home.

Getting pretty scared because by mating GBR's are in this tank but acting fine for now, Hell even the Oto doesn't seem to be bothered.

HALP!
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lauraleellbp
What test kits are you using?

Some test kits will pick up and read ammonia-containing compounds even when they are in a form that is not toxic to fish. So that's one possibility?
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dynamixcore
Check this out, I broke off 1/4 of the tab into a cup with r/o water. Let it dissolve... And

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dynamixcore
Results of cup.. Never seen the liquid API test go this green.

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dynamixcore
Tank sample

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dynamixcore
Question is.. Will I now always get this result ? If so what test is more accurate?
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W
I was giving myself migraines over ammonia readings. Mine kept hitting 6ppm, yet my fish were happy as can be. <insert confused face> Then my neighbor had the same problem (older lady who hasnt touched a computer in at least a decade) so i ended up doing a bunch of research, and found this test kit

http://www.seachem.com/Products/product_pages/MT_Ammonia.html

The api kit shows ammonia AND ammonium. That test you can test for Just ammonia, or both ammonia and ammonium. I still keep an eye on both, but it doesnt make me want to pull my hair out anymore lol.
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PlantedRich
Once the tank is fully cycled and fully clear of ammonia so that you know the good bacteria are doing their job, stop testing for ammonia. False tests will only drive you to do dangerous things. If fish act weird, then doing some ammonia testing is good but not to worry with tiny amounts. False test results are often reported. Keep in mind that tests are only that, a test, nothing more. You have a test that says there is a problem but fish that say there is not. Go with the fish. Testing should be looked at as an indication, not a solid answer in many cases.
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