Amonia in tap water?!

[Atena]

I finally found an ammonia test kit for my water, when I set up the new tank I tested the water and found it had ammonia in it. So I tested the tap water and it shows levels of .25 to .5

Is it my test or is there ammonia in the water?

My water conditioner seems to have no effect on it.

I also found the PH to be high, but I can adjust down to 7.2 with a dose of PH Down.

How do I get it down to 0?

Am I overreacting?

Guppy has been living in this water all his life, so I am not sure it is a real problem but I am concerned.

I would prefer not to have to buy water as I am not even sure what kind of water I would get as many bottled waters are still just filtered tap water.

Any advice would help.


P.S. I is a small 2.5 gallon tank, no filter, I have read that establishing a cycle would be nearly impossible with such a small tank, it is better to just do water changes twice a week.

[Micho]

Ammonia found in tap water is not an uncommon thing, if you have a good water conditioner like Prime, it'll detoxify the ammonia in your tap water when you add it in. Also best not to mess with your pH unless your pH is dangerously high, like higher than 8, I see no reason to mess with it.

You won't need to buy water, if Guppy has been fine all this time, there's no issues. I suggest you just pick up Prime and use it as your water conditioner.

[Atena]

Thanks, I will try that. i use a conditioner called Betta bowl, but I guess it's not enough.

My test kit only goes up to 7.6ph, but the test tube turns a color blu darker than anything on the chart. I don't actually know how high it is since it is off the chart.

[Hallyx]

Do you have the API liquid test kit? If so, you'll find both a high-range and a low-range Ph test. Using them both is interesting and educational. Use the one that reads in your range.

As Micho says, don't mess with your Ph.

[Atena]

i have not found the high range one yet, but if i should not change it then why bother testing?

I don't meant that to sound rude I am just confused and frustrated.

Today is Guppy's one month anniversary and I haven't even figured out how to keep his water safe for him and ones again he is getting inactive and I am afraid it is something I am doing.

The water in his tank gets cloudy throughout the day then clears up more overnight. I am thinking it might have something to do with the lights in the tank.

maybe my tank is trying to cycle itself, could it do that even without a filter?

[Bombalurina]

If it is super high (over 8.5) then it is a good idea to bring it down, so it is important to know. However, you can use natural methods, such as peat moss or drfitwood, to lower is slowly and keep it consistent, which chemicals such as pH down won't do.

Without a filter, it isn't trying to cycle. What colour is the cloudiness? White? Green? Try leaving the lights off for a day. I'd also suggest leaving a bucket of water out over a few days to see what happens to it outside of the fish tank.

What dechlorinator do you use, and what temperature is the water?

[Basement Bettas]

So I tested the tap water and it shows levels of .25 to .5
Is it my test or is there ammonia in the water? My water conditioner seems to have no effect on it not unusual. use a conditioner like Prime.. will convert to a nontoxic version. It will still register on the tests.. but it will not be as harmful.

I also found the PH to be high, but I can adjust down to 7.2 with a dose of PH Down. ** do not get into chasing pH.. especially with something like pH down. You will make your water too unstable and that is worse than a high pH. My bettas are kept 7-7.2 as i need this pH to keep my nitrifying bacteria happy. low pH will cause them to die off.

How do I get it down to 0? ** use Prime or Reverse Osmosis. BUT.. if you do RO you must remineralize to a pH of 7 or so.

Am I overreacting? ** a little. But you are getting to know your water. If you want to naturally lower your pH run your tap water thru peat. it will knock you gH ad kH down too and give you some tannins in the water. Again.. if you have a cycled tank and good boilogical filtration do not go below a pH of 7.

Guppy has been living in this water all his life, so I am not sure it is a real problem but I am concerned.

I would prefer not to have to buy water as I am not even sure what kind of water I would get as many bottled waters are still just filtered tap water.

Any advice would help.


P.S. I is a small 2.5 gallon tank, no filter, I have read that establishing a cycle would be nearly impossible with such a small tank, it is better to just do water changes twice a week.[/quote]

[Basement Bettas]

I don't meant that to sound rude I am just confused and frustrated.

** It comes with the teritory. I've been breeding betttas seriously for over 3 years and I JUST finally understand my water and the nitrogen cycle. Still a little fuzzy on the gH and kH stuff.. lol. You tank will need to go thru a cycle.. and with a filter. The cloudy stuff is probably bacterial bloom. That comes too with a new tank. Do some searches to get a better understanding. As you work your tank thru the cycle you will get a better understanding of it all..

http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/bi...rogencycle.htm

http://www.bioconlabs.com/nitribactfacts.html

[Atena]

Thank you Bombalurina and Basement Betta. You guys are helping me stay calm.

So I finally got the kit and it has the high test in it. My tapwater tests at 8.8... So i got it down to 7.6 using the chemical, but I would rather do the natural method. None of my garden stores carry peat moss that has no fertelizer so I am looking online.

Is this what I need?: http://www.amazon.com/RZilla-11822-S...8160708&sr=1-3

Then ones I get it, how do I treat the water?

Can I just put a bunch of it in a mesh bag and keep it in the tank?

Alternatively, will a small piece of driftwood do, and if so, can i get a larger piece and hack it to smaller bits to fit my tank?

Which method do you recommend more?

My amonia still test at 0.5 but I will trust that the prime takes care of it, I just can't tell with the test.

I put the filter in the tank, i had to baffle it quite a bit as Guppy is a vailtail and he can't seem to handle the smallest current. Yesterday he had a hard time swimming up to the surface to breath.

He is a little better today which Ia m glad for but still has problems. I think that does not have much to do with the water, there might be something else at play there. I posted those in the emergency section, maybe if I handle one issue at a time it won't be so overwhelming.

Thanks you so much for your help, i really appreciate it. I hope one day to gain enough experience and know how to be able to help other new Betta parents like you guys are helping me. :)

[Hallyx]

I'm not sure that's what you need, Atena. That one says it has "fir" in it. Fir trees are evergreens with tar-like pitch which contain turpentine-like substance. I hope someone here can make a better suggestion. I think you should be looking for "peat" moss, not sphagnum moss

You can put it in a mesh bag and use it as a filter baffle. Two-birds with one stone.

I think your pH is so high because of the limestone your water source comes from in southern FL. But there's no excuse for providing commercial tapwater with 0.5ppm ammonia. Your municipal water company ought to be sued.