ammonia and root tabs

[plah831]

roots tabs raise toxic ammonia (NH3)?

I received 4 free root tabs when I ordered some plants. I put them in my gravel and have noticed that the ammonia levels in my tank have increased. I have a Seachem Ammonia Alert, that reads toxic ammonia (NH3) and it is giving me a reading of about 0.1 mg/L. This is matched (after conversion by the multiplier from the table) by a liquid ammonia test that I performed.

Now, I know the ammonia is to help feed the plants, but I'm concerned about my fish. It is a densely planted 10 gal with 2 dwarf puffers.

Like I said, I have gravel (not special plant substrate) and my plants are Hygrophila corymbosa, Ludwigia repens, red long leaf Rotala, Cabomba, some Anachris, various Anubias, water sprite, and Amazon sword. Most of these plants do well without the need for root fertilization, but I am having problems with plants coming out and floating around because they have not formed roots even after 3 weeks.

Should I do a water change and remove the ammonia for the benefit of my fish? Won't this just sabotage the point of the root tabs in the first place?

 

[plah831]

well, i did about a 50% water change. that alleviated the ammonia. i did notice, however, that my 2 ghost shrimp in that tank were "missing". i found one hiding, and another dead (also hidden). guess this is the last time i use root tabs with shrimp.

 

[webcricket]

Do your ammonia tests differentiate between ammonia (NO3) and ammonium (NO4+)? A one part test (one dropper bottle) will show up positive with ammonium present (harmless to fish, good for plants and nitrifying bacteria) which is what the root tabs should be releasing if they are made for aquarium use. You'll need a two part drop test to determine if it was ammonia or ammonium causing the problem. I'm not familiar with the Seachem test you mentioned - don't know if it would give a false positive.

Are these the root tabs that came from the ebay seller with your plants? I got some from that same guy. I do use a two part ammonia test in my aquariums and I'm negative for ammonia even with 3 tabs in a 10 gallon. No way to know if they are the same tabs though!

Edited: Maybe one of your puffers got to the shrimp? My friend had puffers, otos and amano shrimp together for a couple of months and suddenly one of the puffers took to murdering shrimp and when the shrimp were gone the otos. I've read about other folks having similar experiences with them. :huh:

 

[plah831]

yep, they were from mikeswetpets. the Seachem Ammonia Alert is a stick-on thing that indicates only toxic ammonia (from what I can gather from the instructions). I have no idea how it does that. However, after performing a liquid test (Wardley, with THREE different kinds of drops), it came up with the same reading (after doing the conversion from the table). The conversion factor is based on the proportion of harmful ammonia present at various pH and temp's.

i'm pretty sure it's the ammonia that's affecting the shrimps. my dp's are very picky and will only eat live blackworms. also, the shrimp was totally intact, just pink like it had been cooked. when other people's dp's eat shrimp, they say they can see the jagged shape of the shell in their belly. mine were all flat-bellied and starving.

it's weird that your tabs aren't registering ammonia. maybe Mike switched root tab brands. Should I just continue doing water changes to get rid of "plant food"?

 

[Goatman]

With inert gravel I found root spikes to be more of a nuisance than a benefit. After switching to a clay/sand substrate the spikes hold much firmer in the substrate *** opposed to floating through the gaps in the gravel, making for a much better slow-release. Just a thought though, I may very well be way off base.

 

[plah831]

ahhh, that makes sense. i don't think the root tabs were designed for gravel. that was a good insight, Goatman, thanks!

hmm, maybe i should add some plant substrate in the bottom of that tank. dangit, i just changed that gravel (for a more natural look) a week ago! my poor puffers.

 

[Goatman]

I just changed over from inert gravel to "black beauty" sandblasting grit over "Special Kitty" cat litter. It looks fantatic, holds the plants well, and seems to disseminate nutrients very well. One word of caution though, if you don't have a DE (Vortex) filter, then avoid litter like the plague. From what I understand though, laterite and flourite are both quite messy as well, so whatever way you go I'd suggest picking up a DE filter. They DO make your tank REALLY pretty too.