Tap water tested high for ammonia

[sushiray]

I checked with my local municipal water dept & they use the same water/reservoirs as NYC! so ours is pretty good. they use chlorine, no chloramines in the foreseable future. they do use sodium hydroxide for buffer to keep pH between 8.4-9.2, federally mandated for all municipal water suppliers.

I tested my tap last week cuz my pH zoomed from 6.6 to 7.6, cuz they had use extra buffers in the system tap pH was 8.8!

but I still wonder why my pH stayed at 6.6 all summer if tap is hi pH?

but last point to address OP comment - we have no trace of ammonia, dept told me it should be zero for us.

 

[TechAquaria]

... but I still wonder why my pH stayed at 6.6 all summer if tap is hi pH? ...

The only reason I can think of, if you are dumping water with PH > 8.8 yet ending up with a 6.6 PH in the tanks, and you ARE doing regular water changes, would be that you have something in your tank(s) which is/are able to buffer the PH towards acid. Perhaps peat/wood/vegetable matter which is decomposing and releasing organic acids?

Other than that, it would have to be in some additive you are adding to your tanks--perhaps an acid nutrient or micronutrient(s?)

You could test the PH of everything you add to the tank(s) in an attempt to find it ...

My two cents ...

Regards,
TA

 

[TechAquaria]

Well, I can think of one other thing, the plants could be stripping the alkaline buffering agents (calcium, sodium hydroxide, etc.) from the water. My tanks have a tendency to do this, but over a greater length of time with infrequent water changes ... this is really observable during periods of greatly accelerated plant growth ...

Regards,
TA

 

[Beardog]

chloramine is a mixture of chlorine and ammonia. when you break that bond you end up with straight ammonia. many city water suppliers are switching over. i suspect this will be more common in the future unless the regulations change. i could be absolutely wrong. does your tap smell like a lot of chlorine?

at any rate i would get another tank and throw a filter in it for holding water. once the tank is cycled it should eat that ammonia up in a day or 2. that should make your water safer for your tanks once the ammo is converted all the way to nitrates.

make sure to treat it for chloramine when or before you put it in your holding tank.

I like this idea, maybe a large plastic garbage can set up in the garage or something similar. Thanks for the replies everyone.

 

[dundadundun]

I like this idea, maybe a large plastic garbage can set up in the garage or something similar. Thanks for the replies everyone.

a new... never used one should work just fine.

 

[Canuck]

.

 

[sushiray]

The only reason I can think of, if you are dumping water with PH > 8.8 yet ending up with a 6.6 PH in the tanks, and you ARE doing regular water changes, would be that you have something in your tank(s) which is/are able to buffer the PH towards acid. Perhaps peat/wood/vegetable matter which is decomposing and releasing organic acids?

Other than that, it would have to be in some additive you are adding to your tanks--perhaps an acid nutrient or micronutrient(s?)

You could test the PH of everything you add to the tank(s) in an attempt to find it ...

My two cents ...

Regards,
TA

I have I think a very mature ironwood pc, no plants, barebottom.

& since last week's last med dose, my tank s.b. cleared of any meds.

so now something is keeping my pH higher than what I had all summer.

but I won't mess with the pH, will let it be.