Full Version: Horrible Tap Water
Tested my local tap water for ammonia for the first time today (dunno why I never did this, guess I always assumed it would be 0), and found out that it's actually 2ppm! This is ridiculous... so all this time I've been changing water, I've actually been INCREASING the ammonia concentration in the tank (It's <2ppm). I guess I'm better off not changing the water...
It's probably the chloramine. 
I have the same trouble. Seachem's Prime will break the chloramine bond and handle .6ppm ammonia per dose and Marineland's Bio-Safe says it will handle 1.0ppm ammonia per dose. Prime tells you how to dose per gallon, while the Bio-Safe only gives directions for dosing every 10 gallons. So far I've only used Prime, but there are other similar products that people really seem to like.
Because my ammonia test uses a nessler reagent and can't distinguish between ammonia and ammonium (which is what the conditioners change the ammonia into), I bought a Seachem ammonia alert patch for my tank. Others have said it doesn't work for them, but mine seems to. Last month my water company apparently upped their chloramine use and as soon as I did a water change, the patch turned blue - I needed to add more Prime.
I have the same trouble. Seachem's Prime will break the chloramine bond and handle .6ppm ammonia per dose and Marineland's Bio-Safe says it will handle 1.0ppm ammonia per dose. Prime tells you how to dose per gallon, while the Bio-Safe only gives directions for dosing every 10 gallons. So far I've only used Prime, but there are other similar products that people really seem to like.Because my ammonia test uses a nessler reagent and can't distinguish between ammonia and ammonium (which is what the conditioners change the ammonia into), I bought a Seachem ammonia alert patch for my tank. Others have said it doesn't work for them, but mine seems to. Last month my water company apparently upped their chloramine use and as soon as I did a water change, the patch turned blue - I needed to add more Prime.
Amquel+ works well also.
QUOTE(Marisa @ Sep 29 2005, 08:57 AM)
It's probably the chloramine. I have the same trouble. Seachem's Prime will break the chloramine bond and handle .6ppm ammonia per dose and Marineland's Bio-Safe says it will handle 1.0ppm ammonia per dose. Prime tells you how to dose per gallon, while the Bio-Safe only gives directions for dosing every 10 gallons. So far I've only used Prime, but there are other similar products that people really seem to like.
Because my ammonia test uses a nessler reagent and can't distinguish between ammonia and ammonium (which is what the conditioners change the ammonia into), I bought a Seachem ammonia alert patch for my tank. Others have said it doesn't work for them, but mine seems to. Last month my water company apparently upped their chloramine use and as soon as I did a water change, the patch turned blue - I needed to add more Prime.
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I have the same trouble. Seachem's Prime will break the chloramine bond and handle .6ppm ammonia per dose and Marineland's Bio-Safe says it will handle 1.0ppm ammonia per dose. Prime tells you how to dose per gallon, while the Bio-Safe only gives directions for dosing every 10 gallons. So far I've only used Prime, but there are other similar products that people really seem to like.Because my ammonia test uses a nessler reagent and can't distinguish between ammonia and ammonium (which is what the conditioners change the ammonia into), I bought a Seachem ammonia alert patch for my tank. Others have said it doesn't work for them, but mine seems to. Last month my water company apparently upped their chloramine use and as soon as I did a water change, the patch turned blue - I needed to add more Prime.
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Marisa, I don't know about you but my Seachem ammonia alert patch also reports ammonia+ammonium. You will need a salicylate agent to measure only NH4+.
My patch turns blue, and doesn't matter how much Amquel+ I dump in there, it will remain blue...
Yikes!! Good thing you tested. Your fishies will be happy you tested too!! 
My tap water also reads 2.0 ppm and causes a spike to show up in the tank after a water change. But the cycling bacteria take care of it fairly quickly.
I try to avoid huge water changes. I also double dose with prime.
I try to avoid huge water changes. I also double dose with prime.
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