0 Ammonia from combo dechlorinators?

[JRM592]

I accidentally used Seachem Prime and then Used ClorAm-X afterwards (i forgot I had used Prime already), and it seemed to remove all the ammonia in my aquarium. I used a salicylate-based test kit. The problem is I now ran out of Prime to keep experimenting with this and to show pictures. Can anyone replicate this? I didn't overdose on both, though. Just dosed the accordingly from each for the entire volume of my aquarium. Note don't replicate this in your actual Aquarium, as these may deplete oxygen a lot. I don't want to be the cause for experimental fsh death.

Edit: by "0" ammonia (from the title) I mean no ammonia registers on my test kit, and it stayed that way for a day or so.

 

[Joshuakahan]

Pretty sure it was the prime that got your ammonia to zero

 

[JRM592]

I've been using Prime for ages, my API salicylate test kit always shows ammonia present because it tests for total ammonia. Same results with using ClorAm-X alone. But, at the point of using my last bit of Prime, followed by a dose of ClorAm-X, my ammonia registered to zero or an amber yellow. Had an amber yellow reading for two days, and then it showed ~0.5 ppm thereafter. Prime doesn't make ammonia disappear outright on salicylate-based test kits. I don't like repeating myself, so please read carefully before posting. Thanks.

 

[Joshuakahan]

I've been using Prime for ages, my API salicylate test kit always shows ammonia present because it tests for total ammonia. Same results with using ClorAm-X alone. But, at the point of using my last bit of Prime, followed by a dose of ClorAm-X, my ammonia registered to zero or an amber yellow. Had an amber yellow reading for two days, and then it showed ~0.5 ppm thereafter. Prime doesn't make ammonia disappear outright on salicylate-based test kits. I don't like repeating myself, so please read carefully before posting. Thanks.

Lol , you need to relax a little

 

[tlindsey]

I accidentally used Seachem Prime and then Used ClorAm-X afterwards (i forgot I had used Prime already), and it seemed to remove all the ammonia in my aquarium. I used a salicylate-based test kit. The problem is I now ran out of Prime to keep experimenting with this and to show pictures. Can anyone replicate this? I didn't overdose on both, though. Just dosed the accordingly from each for the entire volume of my aquarium. Note don't replicate this in your actual Aquarium, as these may deplete oxygen a lot. I don't want to be the cause for experimental fsh death.

Edit: by "0" ammonia (from the title) I mean no ammonia registers on my test kit, and it stayed that way for a day or so.

duanes

 

[Ruturaj]

Products like prime bind to ammonia for sometime, doesn't remove them and can still show up in test. May be old test kit or low chloramine caused this. Can you give more context? Did you see any ammonia before water change?

 

[JRM592]

If anyone isn't going to test this, then why argue against me? Stop asking questions and just test this out. Bought some more Prime and Hikari Ultimate (based on ClorAm-X). These are pretty cheap on Amazon and MarineDepot.

Aquarium Specs:
100 gallons Freshwater
7.2 pH
5 dGh
3 dKh
~ 1.00 ppm Ammonia on Avg (not fully cycled yet)
0 Nitrite
~ 20 ppm of Nitrate on Avg

I use Hikari Ultimate (based on ClorAm-X) or Prime to Detoxify the ammonia and do weekly 30% water changes. No fish deaths, yet. Been going for about a month already. I get accurate total ammonia test results if I use these two dechlorinators individually and 24-48 hours apart. If I combine them, by using Prime first and Ultimate after, my test results will show 0 ammonia. This goes on for a day or two. I use a newly bought API total ammonia test (salicylate-based).

Feel free to experiment as well. I would prefer a chemists' opinion though, of why 0 ammonia might be showing for such a mixture of these two dechlorinators.

 

[Ruturaj]

If anyone isn't going to test this, then why argue against me? Stop asking questions and just test this out. Bought some more Prime and Hikari Ultimate (based on ClorAm-X). These are pretty cheap on Amazon and MarineDepot.

Aquarium Specs:
100 gallons Freshwater
7.2 pH
5 dGh
3 dKh
~ 1.00 ppm Ammonia on Avg (not fully cycled yet)
0 Nitrite
~ 20 ppm of Nitrate on Avg

I use Hikari Ultimate (based on ClorAm-X) or Prime to Detoxify the ammonia and do weekly 30% water changes. No fish deaths, yet. Been going for about a month already. I get accurate total ammonia test results if I use these two dechlorinators individually and 24-48 hours apart. If I combine them, by using Prime first and Ultimate after, my test results will show 0 ammonia. This goes on for a day or two. I use a newly bought API total ammonia test (salicylate-based).

Feel free to experiment as well. I would prefer a chemists' opinion though, of why 0 ammonia might be showing for such a mixture of these two dechlorinators.

Not arguing with you. If something doesn't make sense then we have to look at all possible reasons. Reading and having 0 ammonia are two different things. Sorry that I missed your second post before commenting last time but take it easy bro. I don't think I will be experimenting, there is no point.

Following is mostly copy paste

All dechlorinators operate through a chemical process known as reduction. In this process, toxic dissolved chlorine gas (Cl2) is converted into non-toxic chloride ions (Cl-). The reduction process also breaks the bonds between chlorine and nitrogen atoms in the chloramine molecule (NH2Cl), freeing the chlorine atoms and replacing them with hydrogen (H) to create ammonia (NH3).

Both things you are using would work in a same way. The detoxification of ammonia means converting it to ammonium (NH4) for sometime.

I believe you when you say you read 0 ammonia. What I don't believe is that the reading is right.

 

[Hendre]

To be completely honest I'm not sure if anyone here knows the exact mechanism whereby prime binds or removes ammonia. I have a suspicion that it's through certain sulphur complexes but I'm not 100% sure. It's also possible that you had a reduces level of chloramines at this time.

Through some reading, the Chloram-X molecule is stable below pH 9 and keeps the ammonia molecules bound until , and salicylate test kits use sodium hydroxide to pull the pH up so all ammonium is ammonia, and the chlor molecule releases ammonia in return for OH-. Therefore if there was much ammonia you would have seen it, or perhaps the interaction of the dechlorinators reacted weirdly.

TLDR: either dechlor individually should show ammonia. Perhaps the combination affected the chemistry or something else is at play