Saw this product called Ammo-Chips at my LFS today that claims to "remove ammonia from water"... anyone know what it is and how it works?

Its zeolite, it binds with the ammonia and draws it out of the water. Dont use it, it can starve your bio-bugs and kill your cycle

i recommend you don't get it.

its really only a TEMPORARY solution.
hospital tank, moving house ... etc...

i recommend you get some Prime (seachem) water conditioner - you will have NO problems with your water.

Would these make a good *substitute* to a biological cycle? I mean, if I'm willing to pocket a box of Ammo-Chips a month, will I be able to have a healthy tank without ever establishing a cycle? (not that i'm going to do it)

NO !!!
it won't work.

what will happen is that the ammonia will keep building up and accumulate.
you can keep adding more ammo-chips....BUT this is a losing battle!!

what will happen is the ammonia will keep rising and rising, and eventually, the ammo-chips won't be able to support all the ammonia.
It will reach a point (regardless of the amount of ammo-chips), the ammonia will win..

you will get a reading on your test kit BEYOND the maximum -
instantly your fish will be exposed to a level of ammonia beyond imaginable = Death !!

I recently thought it would be a good idea to buy this stuff called AmmoCarb - its mostly carbon but has some of these zeolite chips to take out ammonia. Then about 2 weeks later I started having this horrendous problem with nitrIte (readings of 2.0 sometimes 5.0). After posting in the water chemistry section, DataGuru told me to remove the ammocarb at once and replace with just plain carbon. She said the ammocarb was storing the ammonia and slowly releasing nitrIte into the water as the ammonia degraded.

So, based on that, I suggest staying away from the ammo chips.

Now I'm thinking, what if they had a Nitrite-Chip...
Thanks for the tip everyone! I won't touch that Ammo-Chip stuff.
On second note, I just got my first Whisper filter... anyone know how to grow bacteria in these things? I don't see a bio-wheel, but they have these bio-bag as filters... the thing is you throw them away... does that mean I throw out my bacteria colony every time I do a filter change?

MY FILERS ARE THE SAME WAY, U THROW AWAY THE FILTERS LIKE ONCE A WEKK OR HOWEVER OFTEN U NEED TO CHANGE THEM, NEWHO WHAT U NEED TO DO IS ADD A BIO SPOUNGE U CAN BUY THEM AT ANY PET STORE PUT IT IN FRONT OF YOUR FILTER AND THE GOOD BACTERIA WILL GROW ON IT AND THE FILTER WILL TRAP THE BAD STUFF. U NEVER EVER TAKE THE SPONGE OUT AND IT WILL KEEP THAT GOOD STUFF IN!!! EVERY SENCE i DID THAT MY TANKS ARE PERFECT!!!

NO! Don't throw the bags away unless they are falling apart - your tank will never cycle that way. Just rinse the filter bag in some old tank water when you do your water changes to get all the muck off it. Then slide it back in. The only thing you will have to replace is the carbon (if you decide to use it).

If you ever have to throw the bag away, try to keep a portion of it in the filter next to your new bag so the biobugs can transfer over to it.

BuriedAlive - please don't type in all caps. Its like shouting. And its very hard to read.

Oh wow- I had a pouch of something like that in my tank while I was trying to cycle it the first time. It was running for over a month and I never got past the ammonia stage. I could never figure that out! Is that why?? Because of that stupid ammonia block stuff??

DING DING DING !!! WE HAVE A WINNER !!!


ammo-lock products (from my experience) prevent a tank from cycling.

That was my experience too...as soon as I stopped using all the stuff to "help" the cycle--ammo chips and everything...my cycle kicked in nicely. Unfortunately I was a noob and listened to the guy at my lfs and bought ammo chips et al.

I'm not even using carbon anymore...water params are great.

-A

Actually guys, it is absolutely possible to keep a goldfish alive, happy and healthy in a cycle-less environment utilizing ammo-chips and/or Prime or Amquel plus or ammo-lock. I have done this for a few months straight before. BUT, as stated above, its only a temporary situation. You dont want to have to recharge your ammo-chips or replace them ALL the time. Nor do you want to perform all those waterchanges.

But, if your ever in a tough pinch, Ammo-chips are a great alternative.

All in all, ammo-chips should not be used in a cycled tank. If they are, as with some brands of filter cartridges, its no big deal but it shouldnt be bought and added as it will be for naught.

Now that explains it. I put some ammo chips in my goldie tank and did not know why it was going through a mini cycle. Now I know why. Now I have a good filter, a biowheel which is great. I was baffled wondering why I was having higher levels of everthything in my tank. Thank you for helping me figure out what happened. I will have to take them out of one of the tanks I have, I can't remember which one. I will go look and take them out right away.

That's good to know toothless. It's good to have options in emergency situations--having to keep a tank running that hasn't been cycled. Well, I guess I'll hang on to all those anti-ammonia agents I have just in case!

I understand that Amquel+ and Ammo-Lock are products that bond to the NH3 ammonia molecules and force them into NH4+ mode, which is harmless for fish. But the thing is, the ammonia is still there (although in a non-toxic form), and is detectable with some of the ammonia test kits.
I am wondering:
1. Can the good bacteria consume the non-toxic form of ammonia? Or do they only consume NH3?
2. Is Ammo-Chip just like these products? Or does Ammo-Chips actually absorb ammonia. By this I mean, say I leave some Ammo-Chips in my filter for a couple days, and then I take them out and throw them away, will I register a lower ammonia rating on all test kits? Am I throwing even the non-toxic form of ammonia away?

I can't believe that stupid little pouch I got at Walmart for $2 had everything to do with the death of my sweet little Hoover!!! I just feel sick. This hobby is too hard!!

Yea, there is a lot to know to keep things happy.

Yes, the biofilter bacteria can eat ammonia that's detoxed by water conditioners.

No, they can't eat ammonia that's sucked up by zeolite.