I test my water regularly for PH, GH, KH, NO2 & NO3. I seldomly test for Ammonia outside of the cycling phase of a tank.
Good Lord, I think I have gotten my very first stroke of good luck in my new found love of Tropical Fish keeping. WHEWHOO!!
Petsmart had a sale on High fin Plecos for $1 a couple of weeks ago, I got a half dozen and added one to some of my "meat eater" fish tanks. I do not know what possessed me to test for Ammonia today, but I did on all 17 of my tanks. Sixteen of the seventeen was as I expected. A waste of 8 drops of regent bottle #1 and #2 (0 reading). One of my 55G tanks however did not test at zero. It blew my mind that the reading was darker green then 1 but lighter green then 2. This reading is LETHAL! I tested the tank a second time just to make sure that a fish did not just take a squirt as I was collecting the water sample. Same result.
I have been cycling a 135G for three species of Tilapia for the last month, and completed two cycles of adding Ace hardware ammonia -> 5.0 PPM back down to zero. This tank was slated for the Pollini, Butterkofi & Nile Tilapia, but they will now have to wait.
I was able to save/ rescue every juvinile fish from the spiked 55 tank.
\I adore the extremely beaten up Jaguar Cichlid, Cuban Cichlid, Red Oscar, two baby Ornate Bichirs, and my Sexy Pike cichlid in that tank. They all seem to love their new home and are both active and eating already!
I guess subconciously I was a little concerned at some of the discussion I have heard hear on MFK about the bioload of a Pleco. that triggered my motivation to test for ammonia. Could that sucker have caused the spike?
Good Lord, I think I have gotten my very first stroke of good luck in my new found love of Tropical Fish keeping. WHEWHOO!!
Petsmart had a sale on High fin Plecos for $1 a couple of weeks ago, I got a half dozen and added one to some of my "meat eater" fish tanks. I do not know what possessed me to test for Ammonia today, but I did on all 17 of my tanks. Sixteen of the seventeen was as I expected. A waste of 8 drops of regent bottle #1 and #2 (0 reading). One of my 55G tanks however did not test at zero. It blew my mind that the reading was darker green then 1 but lighter green then 2. This reading is LETHAL! I tested the tank a second time just to make sure that a fish did not just take a squirt as I was collecting the water sample. Same result.
I have been cycling a 135G for three species of Tilapia for the last month, and completed two cycles of adding Ace hardware ammonia -> 5.0 PPM back down to zero. This tank was slated for the Pollini, Butterkofi & Nile Tilapia, but they will now have to wait.
I was able to save/ rescue every juvinile fish from the spiked 55 tank.
\I adore the extremely beaten up Jaguar Cichlid, Cuban Cichlid, Red Oscar, two baby Ornate Bichirs, and my Sexy Pike cichlid in that tank. They all seem to love their new home and are both active and eating already!
I guess subconciously I was a little concerned at some of the discussion I have heard hear on MFK about the bioload of a Pleco. that triggered my motivation to test for ammonia. Could that sucker have caused the spike?
