Good response.star_rider said:
All test kits that use Nessler or salicylate methods will give you an ammonia reading for ammonium. Just remember that ammonium is harmless to your fish.
Roan
Air Gulping? - Please Help
- Thread starter shibumi2k
- Start date
All test kits that use Nessler or salicylate methods will give you an ammonia reading for ammonium. Just remember that ammonium is harmless to your fish.
Roan
I'm not sure what Prime does to ammonia, but Amquel doesn't turn it into ammonium, it turns it into something else. Not sure how that tests out.
Test kits react to total ammonia/ammonium.
Sodium thiosulfate dechlorinators (most (all?) of them) will also react with chlorides in the test kit and produce a positive for ammonia, even if there isn't any ammonia (a false positive).
Test kits react to total ammonia/ammonium.
Sodium thiosulfate dechlorinators (most (all?) of them) will also react with chlorides in the test kit and produce a positive for ammonia, even if there isn't any ammonia (a false positive).
Amquel: http://www.novalek.com/kpd51.htmcarpguy said:
"AmQuel is compatible to use with all water quality test kits except for the ammonia test kit that uses Nessler reagents that read in shades of amber or yellow, and the oxygen kit that uses Winkler reagents. Residual AmQuel and its reaction products are incompatible with the Nessler and Winkler-type test reagents, resulting in false, high ammonia and low oxygen concentration readings. All other types of test kits produce accurate test results, such as ammonia test kits using salicylate-type reagents."
Amquel+: http://www.novalek.com/kpd79.htmAmQuel+ is compatible to use with all water quality test kits except for the ammonia test kit that uses Nessler reagents that read in shades of amber or yellow, and the oxygen test kit that uses Winkler reagents. Residual AmQuel+ and its reaction products are incompatible with the Nessler-and Winkler type reagents, resulting in false, high ammonia and low oxygen concentration readings. Ammonia test kits using salicylate-type reagents are appropriate for accurate test results.
Would you cite your source for this, please? This is something that I've certainly not heard of and I've done a fair amount of research on this. Thanks!
Roan
Two ways I use, there may be better ways, but this is what I do:shibumi2k said:
Know what the ammonia of your tap is at all times. After a water change on a cycled tank, if the ammonia reading does not disppear in a couple of hours, you have a problem.
Buy a test kit like SeaChem Total/Free Ammonia. It tests for both Free Ammonia (NH3, not good) and Ionized Ammonia (NH4+, harmless).
I usually test my water an hour or two after a change and if I suspect anything, I test with the SeaChem kit to make sure. IMO the SeaChem kit is a pain to use all the time. Expensive, too, so I just use it to verify that a problem isn't there.
ROan
I was on my way out the door earlier, so I didn't search everything out on that last post. Apologies for any confusion.Roan Art said:
For the bit about Amquel not converting ammonia to ammonium, also at Novalek's site:
…The active ingredient in AmQuel is known chemically as sodium hydroxymethanesulfonate, HOCH2SO3Na.…
The hydroxymethane- end of the molecule reacts with ammonia to form a non-toxic, stable water-soluble substance which is acted upon by the bacteria in biological filtration.
…
…
The -sulfonate end of the AmQuel molecule reacts with both free-available chlorine, known properly as hypochlorites (OCl-) and combined-available chlorine (chloramines). In the first instance nothing more than harmless chloride ions (Cl- ) are produced, and in the latter instance chloride ions are formed and the freed ammonia instantly reacts with the hydroxy-methane end of the molecule.
The hydroxymethane- end of the molecule reacts with ammonia to form a non-toxic, stable water-soluble substance which is acted upon by the bacteria in biological filtration.
…
…
The -sulfonate end of the AmQuel molecule reacts with both free-available chlorine, known properly as hypochlorites (OCl-) and combined-available chlorine (chloramines). In the first instance nothing more than harmless chloride ions (Cl- ) are produced, and in the latter instance chloride ions are formed and the freed ammonia instantly reacts with the hydroxy-methane end of the molecule.
It turns ammonia into aminomethanesulfonate, doesn't use sodium thiosulfate.
The bit about sodium thiosulfate and false positives was cited above (in the quote) as being from the SkepticalAquarist. (Scroll down to "Ammonia Tests"; third paragraph).
He cites Seachem's website as his source, but if whatever he read is still up at Seachem, I can't find it.
The SkepticalAquarist used to post here as WetmanNY, although I haven't seen him posting anywhere for some time. I'd put him roughly on par with RTR and consider his info reliable and well-researched.
EDIT: :OT: I searched around a bit for the Wetfeller and found this old thread which may be of interest to anyone in a fishless cycle frame of mind.
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We're even. Kids were driving me nuts and I couldn't even thinkcarpguy said:
Interesting stuff. I'll have to read it in depth later today. Man I love that Novalek site.
How old is the stuff on that site, though? I used to do a lot of reading at his site, but some of the information seems to be outdated (eg: the SeaChem's website source reference) and many of the links et al do not work.
That's the only reason I don't cite from him at all. I have to doubt if it's current information or not. Maybe he isn't in the hobby anymore or doesn't have time for web stuff?
Roan
Did a few searches and can find nothing from WetmanNY after 2004, then I found this:
http://tropicalresources.net/phpBB2/trusted_friends.php
Interesting. Wonder what the background is?
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