cycling question

[OrionGirl]

Anything decaying will produce ammonia. If there's a dead leaf, or something in the gravel, etc, it will produce ammonia.

the other possibility--how high does the ammonia test read? If it's maxed at 4, that means you could have ammonia of 8 ppm, and the test kit still will just read 4.

 

[mishi8]

Further to OG's suggestion, I have found that the ammonia levels can be hard to read accurately (at the higher levels) with the AP liquid test kits. It's possible that you may have started with higher than 4ppm, or have dosed a little bit too much...and as those nitrites are now showing, you're getting a more definite 4ppm reading.

 

[RockabillyChick]

the test goes to 8ppm, and i have it at 4. the color matches the 4ppm block PERFECTLY.

i think i may have had it a little higher than 4ppm when i started. i remember it being just a LITTLE darker than 4ppm, maybe 4.5 or 5. lastnight the test matched the 4ppm color block on the card just perfectly though.

 

[snailbuddy]

ammonia

You wouldn't by chance be using bottled water from the store?

I ask because I did and it killed my fish. Just on a wild hunch I tested a bottle I had not yet opened of what was suppose to be RO filtered water I got from Walmart and it contained enough ammonia to kill my poor goldfish.

 

[RockabillyChick]

i'm using tap water. i tested the tap before i added it to the tank. i believe the ammonia was 0, the nitrites were 0, and the nitrates were about 7

 

[mishi8]

You wouldn't by chance be using bottled water from the store?

I ask because I did and it killed my fish. Just on a wild hunch I tested a bottle I had not yet opened of what was suppose to be RO filtered water I got from Walmart and it contained enough ammonia to kill my poor goldfish.

Then you should be going back to Walmart for a full refund and a replacement fish.

 

[RockabillyChick]

i just tested again:

ammonia: 4.0
NitrItes: 5.0+ (the test only goes to 5.0)
NitrAtes: 20+ (after 20 i cant tell the colors appart)

there was a plant with a rotting leaf on it, so i removed it. i'll see if the ammonia starts going down now.