Ammonia levels in fish tank?

Question

I was on vacation for a week and i came back and decided to use an ammonia test strip on my tank. The results were that the ammonia levels were in the 0.5-1.0 range, and although i have been doing weekly water changes his ammonia levels seem to always fluctuate between 0-1.0 ammonia in the tank. Why is this? And what else can i do to make these levels stay at 0?( the tank is a 2.5 gallon, i use spring water not tap water, with a filter and heater. The fish in the tank is one male betta fish) thanks

Answer 1

Problem is your tank is so small. Parameters are hard to keep stable in small tanks.

Test strips are also terribly inaccurate.

Do not change any filter media etc, once you have grown enough good bacteria they should keep your tank more stable.



If you are seeing ammonia, you need to be doing at least 50 % water change every day until it reads 0

Answer 2

Is your tank large ample? 5+ gallons is minimal for one betta. Normal water changes and good filtration are the important thing. There is ammonia absorbing filter media too. There is a product known as prime that helps ruin down ammonia, nitrate and nitrite so that it may be filtered out better. Also don't feed too much food. I feed my betta each different day. They are not looking for anymore than that. Including some crops will help clear out ammonia too.

Answer 3

Kudos for testing your water. You are ahead of an awful lot of aquarists!



One of the ways to eliminate fish waste chemicals is to increase the size & frequency of partial water changes. Keep a couple of those spring water gallon jugs. Do you know what the mineral level or TDS (total dissolved solids) is? In the increasingly competitive water bottling world, I've noticed that the amount of minerals put in water has dramatically decreased with several brands in the Chicago area. That saves a little money for the bottler, but may leave the water at too low a level for our fish. Also nothing that would buffer the pH is put into most drinking waters.



Just out of curiosity a sample of the "spring water" sold by Illinois' Jewel Foods just tested 97 PPM (parts per million) or probably in the neighborhood of 5 degrees hardness with a little bit of buffer. That is a little light on mineral unless one is a militant water changer. Jewel's "drinking water" measured 23 PPM TDS. The drinking water, according to a local water bottler is water stripped of almost all material in it using a reverse osmosis unit (and burning organics off using an ozone treatment). Then a very modest amount of the life-giving compounds of calcium, magnesium & potassium is added. In that water that is a little over 1 degree of hardness. If a fish is introduced to that water from water with a lot more mineral, gills can hemorrhage. Fish can shock & die. (See the source on acclimating new fish.)



Fill 2 of those bottles with your tap water and treat them. Leave them open at least over night to expel noxious gases & absorb a little bit of free oxygen. Since changing water should be at least the temperature of the tank, could you leave 1 or both bottles on top of the 2.5? The small submersible heater in there would also warm the jugs on that glass top. Then at changing time you could remove them, take a small gravel vacuum & siphon out a section of the gravel, removing a probably amazing amount of dirt & fecal material. Seldom do we (& I do mean we) realize how much ammonia rich material can gather in the gravel.



If one 40-50% partial water change per week doesn't drop ammonia, nitrite & nitrate reading enough, try two partial water changes a week. You probably watch how much you feed at any time, but for someone looking on, the Betta should clean up all flakes or crisps in 2-3 minutes so there is no rotting, oxygen sucking, ammonia releasing food in there.



If your municipal water is drawn from a river, lake or reservoir one must treat for chloramines. But the mineral level is probably fine to great for most aquarium fishes. For example water from the American Great Lakes is about 160 TDS hardness (9+ degrees hardness) and around 200 PPM TDS. Aquarists with that water do wonderful things with an amazing selection of fishes. If you have well water, that may have a lot more mineral & we should be careful to not let our tanks evaporate a lot.



Your municipal water provider is required to submit water test results annually to the EPA. Usually those are sent out to homeowners & tossed out with the junk mail. Ask your water people politely for a copy and see what the TDS of your tap water is. :)



At any rate you probably need just prepare a little more water for changes, save money on not buying bottled water & gravel vacuum your tank a little more. Your Betta will look even better and behavior will be even more vibrant!



Good luck & all the best!

Answer 4

My mom had to do that for our fish tank and it was a pain.

My mom treats water before she puts it into the fish tank.

I suggest going too your local pet store or a Pet'smart nearby and ask them.

There are also things you can buy too put in water too treat it before you put it in the fish tank.

Answer 5

Get some Seachem Prime