4ppm Ammonia from tap

[danger_chicken]

I recently came into a bunch of pothos. I decided to test my water for the first time in a year to gauge the effectiveness of the pothos. I noticed every tank had .25 ammonia. My kit was 3 years old so I went out and got a new one. Same results .25 on every tank; so, I tested the tap water - 4ppm! I can't beleive my filter managed to deal with most of it. I turned the drip back 75% on each tank and I'll test again in a couple of days.

With the exception of one tank all of the fish look ok. My 180 community ca/sa tank 80% of the fish looked stressed for the last 2-3 weeks. I was thinking it was do to increased breeding and have been working that angle to reduce the stress but it hasn't help. In the last week I lost a small sajica and hrp for no apartent reason. I'm hoping the ammonia levels is the reason the fish have looked like this and the cause of the 2 that died.

Will whole house filter remove Ammonia? The ammonia colors are skewed in the pic, tank water on the left is dead on .25, tap water on right is a close match to 4ppm, maybe higher. Nitrates are 5ppm, Nitrites are 0. I was dripping 1/2g hr in a 180.

 

[Spine]

Did you check the expiration date on the new test kit.I always look for the expiration date before I buy a kit in a pet store,you would be surprised at how many out of dates you find. With most stores testing their customers water for free, test kits don't move like they use to.

 

[danger_chicken]

yes I did, all made with in the last 3 months. I called the city and they told me to call a plumber.

 

[Jumbie]

I am not sure but I don't think the whole house filter will take care of the ammonia. Mike did they tell you what exactly the plumber would do?

 

[chris_todd]

Huh. I've lost two fish in the last week and a half for no apparent reason. Both apparently healthy, and not yet fully grown adults, so it can't be old age. Guess I better check my tanks and tap, too.

Yet another example of how the water municipalities can change the way they treat water from time to time; apparently Baltimore City has started adding chloramines recently.

 

[danger_chicken]

I am not sure but I don't think the whole house filter will take care of the ammonia. Mike did they tell you what exactly the plumber would do?

no, she was just tring to get me off the phone. When I argued with her she said I could talk to the supervisor but then came back with the number to the independent lab they use. That lady was a ***** and her *****iness increased as we talked. She kept telling me to call the city and file a compliant. I DID, THEY GAVE ME YOUR NUMBER! I'm getting samples from my neighbors.

Yet another example of how the water municipalities can change the way they treat water from time to time; apparently Baltimore City has started adding chloramines recently.

Will chloramines show on a test kit as ammonia? I thought they would have to be broken down first.

 

[emartin]

Chloramines CAN show as ammonia in some test kits.

You need a conditioner like ChlorAmX. It will remove chloramines, chlorine, and ammonia.

The best part about ChlorAmX is it has a chart on the back telling you how much to dose for how much mg/L (ppm) ammonia, chlorine, and chloramines you have in your water. If you have trouble figuring it out you can email the inventor of it (be prepared to provide your test results for how much chlorine, chloramine/ammonia, etc is in your tap water) and he'll help you figure out how much you have to dose. He usually responds (in the few times I've emailed him) within a week.

What I would do is find out if your water supply company uses Chloramines in the water. If so that is your problem most likely.

AS far as ChlorAmX goes, Kensfish.com and Jehmco.com sell it. It's a very good water conditioner and remains active in the water until it all gets used up by free ammonia, chlorine and chloramine.

 

[danger_chicken]

came home to find my nanoluteus dead. The other fish look better and the ammonia reading in the tank is between .25 and 0 now.

 

[Spine]

Sorry to hear about that. I just got some nanoluteus I'll hook you up as soon as they start spawning.

 

[msjinkzd]

do youhave a prime injector or anything on your setup to treat the water? Li had made a pretty awesome one for his auto setup, I know his thread with lots of pics is over on MFK int he article section

 

[danger_chicken]

No I didn't have chloramines so I didn't need it. I've got the drip shut off now. I don't even have any prime in the house.

 

[Andrewtfw]

Mike, man this is not good news at all. Good luck in getting to the root of the problem. Let us know how the neighbor's water checks out.

 

[danger_chicken]

Sorry to hear about that. I just got some nanoluteus I'll hook you up as soon as they start spawning.

Thanks, I really loved that fish

man if it's chloramines this is going to suck. I didn't want to do a system like Li's, but now I may not have a choice.

 

[Reel Addiction]

Sorry to hear the news Mike. I know you'll get it figured out.

 

[emartin]

You should really check to see if your water supply company added chloramines at all. They do that sometimes without telling people.

It can't hurt to ask...

 

[danger_chicken]

call a plumber is all they will say. I had some people at work bring me some water samples. They're county people that get their water from the city too. I'll catch some neighbors over the weekend. I'll try again next week. It's probably chloramines. I didn't realize ammonia tests would pick that up.

 

[dogofwar]

came home to find my nanoluteus dead. The other fish look better and the ammonia reading in the tank is between .25 and 0 now.

I've got a replacement if you'd like

matt

 

[Spine]

What about a chloramine filter. This the one that I saw in that link you posted about auto watering systems.$62.00 for the dual cartridge, That's probable cheaper than buying prime.
http://www.thefilterguys.biz/chloramine_filters.htm

 

[longstocking]

Isn't baltimore redoing all their water systems? From my understanding the last couple years they have been putting new water lines in therfor your water perameters are going to be all over the place. Including chemicals they add to really flush the system out....

I could be very wrong but I think I remember Paul and Marge up in catonsville having issues with major fluctuations. Heck discus hans even has issues with balitmore water.

 

[danger_chicken]

I've got a replacement if you'd like

matt

Thanks, I'll try to catch up with you at the end of summer if you still have them

What about a chloramine filter. This the one that I saw in that link you posted about auto watering systems.$62.00 for the dual cartridge, That's probable cheaper than buying prime.
http://www.thefilterguys.biz/chloramine_filters.htm

I just order a similar system. I got it at http://www.aquaticeco.com since I needed some other things they had and I wanted to combine shipping.

I never did find anything out, so I'm just going to put a filter on and not worry about it.