You could run a Phosban direct off of your tap, but I'm not sure if the zeolite would remove ammonia complexed as chloramine. A two stage system going through carbon which will remove chloramine and then zeolite to remove any free ammonia would do the trick.
sorry I missed your issue on your tap. could having it sit out a few days allow ammonia to dissipate like chlorine (but not chloramine I heard doesn't dissipate)?
that's what i figured. i tried not to make the original post too long and in doing so i guess i didn't make that clear. i would definitely need water movement and decent oxygen to get the ammonia down that way. that's what i think i'm gonna do for now but i'll have to cycle a "tank" (tote) first.
You could run a Phosban direct off of your tap, but I'm not sure if the zeolite would remove ammonia complexed as chloramine. A two stage system going through carbon which will remove chloramine and then zeolite to remove any free ammonia would do the trick.
thanks subrosa... that would mean filtering it in a bucket any way. if i'm doing that i'm quite content with filling it and coming back next week to get it.
i already have an extra power head with venturi and some filter pads. i think i'm just gonna get a tote and use that. i'll seed it and cycle it like a fish tank that way the ammo becomes nitrates i can feed my plants with.
i would use a tank but i'm not buying one right now. the tote will free up 2 10s i have for whatever instead of me buying another filter to run.
thanks a lot guys. knowing my options are what i thought they were really helps make this less of a week long search and find brainstorming mission.
it is great to have a community like this where we can come together whenever necessary.
i would think there would be an adjusting period where the bacteria would have to catch up. not only that but my tanks are pretty stocked imo.
add those 2 factors to the fact that it caused a problem when the readings were half that and i would have to disagree. my bout with columnaris was what tipped me off to the high ammo in the first place.
i don't know if it is something that's in the water but things don't seem to level out too fast when i use my tap water here either. never have.
now this summer using rain water i added fish here and there to my tanks and within a couple days, maybe 3 things were back in order. that's a first for my tanks.
You could try mixing tap/store bought water for a lower ammonia level and adding stability..
That will lower the levels and stability will introduce nitrifying bacteria to the ammonia party. This will produce nitrite however but until your tap is leveling off with the ammonia spikes you will face an uphill battle..
thank you tigger. you've got a good point there with the supplemental water. what i think i'm gonna do is treat it with prime raise the kh a tad with baking soda and let it cycle for a week before w/c's. basically i'll be doing a w/c and then refilling the w/c tote and letting it do it's thing till the next w/c time.
if that doesn't pan out too well i'll supplement with bottled spring water.
I agree with jm1212, Prime should convert the ammonia to ammonium. Your nitrifying bacteria can still use it but your fish will be ok. I didn't understand the "only for a few days" part, is your pH much over 7.0?
Watch the pH & hardness with spring water, no telling what it may be...
I agree with jm1212, Prime should convert the ammonia to ammonium. Your nitrifying bacteria can still use it but your fish will be ok. I didn't understand the "only for a few days" part, is your pH much over 7.0?
Watch the pH & hardness with spring water, no telling what it may be...
the bond created between prime and ammo to make ammonium only lasts 24-36 hours. that's all i can think you might be asking about. if i am wrong please post a link that better explains it.
ph doesn't go to high for me.
the spring water i've been using measures at 13 dgh and 0-2 dkh. it's not too bad and seems consistent. i've only been using it to supplement what i can collect when necessary.
i do know my nitrifying bacteria can use ammonium. i'm pretty sure my plants can use it too. i also know i had to treat 2 fish for columnaris when my tap contained half the amount it does now of ammo. i now actually have a higher bioload than i did then. so twice the ammo and a higher bio-load to me means without a doubt that's just not gonna work out unless my water supply changes.
in the winter the atmosphere cannot hold as much precip so we get less. it just so happens to get frozen into fluffy little flakes. this makes 1" of water about 11" of snow if i remember correct. it would prove quite difficult to collect 40 gallons of water every week in a couple coolers under those conditions. plus then i'd have to melt it. that means filling up a 40 gallon tub with snow 11 times and waiting it out... or however that'd work out.
if you go with the tote idea i'd get a stock tank instead. same idea but made to hold water. i had a tote crack on me a year ago after it was filled with water for a couple weeks. that was a 30g mess i would have liked to avoid
