# Ammonia



## Brenda (Apr 17, 2011)

I started a small tank with snails and a couple fish that will soon go in a larger tank. I test the water twice a week with strips and change 75% of the water twice a week. I get a consistent reading of 0.5 ppm for Ammonia every time I test the water. I am wondering if 0.5/ppm is a high reading.


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## Rob72 (Apr 2, 2011)

you want a reading of 0 is from what i have been told, i know im new but from what others tell me you want 0


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

If you just started not high. Your tank needs to cycle still and after that has completed, then a .5 might be considered a concern.

If you haven't already, read up on the nitrogen cycle to learn what you tank will be going through so you know what to expect.


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## rtbob (Jul 18, 2010)

Strips have a bad reputation for being inaccurate. Most people who want results they can trust use a liquid test kit. API Freshwater Master Test Kit is one of the most popular. Foster/Smith had it on sale for $16.99 which is a great price.

Besides ammonia it tests nitrite, nitrate, and PH.

Test your tap water also. Many water treatment plants use a combination of chlorine/ammonia to treat the water (chloramine). Your dechloranator should get rid of the chlorine and change the ammonia to non-toxic ammonium. The test kit will still show it as ammonia as it can't tell the difference between the two.

In a fully cycled tank this small amount of ammonia/ammonium is converted very quickly and causes no problems.

Sounds like your tank is not fully cycled. A reading of 0.50 is not lethal but any exposure to ammonia can be detrimental to your fish in the long term.


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## Brenda (Apr 17, 2011)

Thanks. 

I have read up a bit on cycling a tank and have a turtle tank that is almost no maintenance now. But turtles are not effected from water quality the same way fish are. I was just wondering if this would harm neon tetra if it lasted until the tank is cycled. I have no nitrate/nitrite readings yet so don't think the cycling has really begun yet. I could change the water more often.

(also tested my tap water and it has no ammonia)


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

The cycle began the second you put a fish in there. Neons are not good fish to cycle a tank with. Not a very sturdy fish.


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## Brenda (Apr 17, 2011)

So I guess constant water changes are the only thing I can do now.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

.5 may be okay for them, but who knows.


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

If the tetras start looking ragged, have red inflamed gills, flash, or start acting oddly, you'll want to worry about them and possibly quarantine. Otherwise, I would look into a bottle of Tetra brand SafeStart tank starter. It contains bacteria colonies in suspension and might help reduce your ammonia and turn it into nitrite, then to nitrate. Some on here have mixed thoughts about Tetra SafeStart but I've used it before and noticed a difference. That's just my thoughts though.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

lol, do Neons know how to act any other way than odd?


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

My black stripes are kinda boring - they just float there and hide whenever I want to look at them.

My bloodfins, on the other hand, are very neurotic and feisty.


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