amquel + and test kits

[crager44]

Hello,
In the process of getting my new 240 up and running. has been about a month. I seeded it with filter media from an established tank. After about 2 weeks I noticed a slight ammonia spike, So I added amquel + . Ammonia has been reading 2 (green) with an AP test kit. Not a nessler type kit. The nitrite came up and went down and I am begining to see slight amounts of nitrate but the ammonia stays at 2 even after a 50% water change. Is this test kit incompatable with amquel? Manual says it is a salicylate tpe of kit? Any one have experience with it? Thanks.

 

[crager44]

Nothing?

 

[Aeroxide]

Nessler kits detect only free ammonia. Salicylate method kits detect both free and bound ammonia. Amquel works by binding with the ammonia in a way that supposedly makes it non toxic to the fish.

So using a salicylate kit as opposed to a nessler kit may give a higher reading.

I'm not sure if the nitrosomonas bacteria (the ones that convert ammonia to nitrite) can use the bound ammonia or not. So using amquel might starve them and harm the biological filter, but again i'm not sure, this is just speculation.

To keep ammonia down until the bacteria catch up, I'd recommend frequent water changes with dechlorinated tap water using a dechlorinator that does not remove ammonia.

 

[crager44]

Thanks,
Did a little research. Looks like the API saylicte kit I have is incompatible with amquel (For reasons unknown to them). Ordering the Kordon kit today. Fish are active and show no signs of stress. Hope This works.

 

[Scatocephalus]

Adding some live bacteria cultures would help. Filter material or gravel from a healthy, well established tank is a good option.

Most of the commercial bacteria cultures are crap but I've found that Tetra's Safestart (used to be Marineland Bio-Spira) is excellent and truely works. The "inventor" of the Bio-Spira bacteria product, Dr. Tim Hovanec, has started his own company called Dr. Tim's Aquatics. He now sells "One and Only, Live Nitrifying Bacteria" which is the same thing as the Tetra/Marineland product so I suspect it works equally as well even if it has the dorkiest name for a product ever. Adding some of this to your tanks will eliminate the ammonia problem almost instantly.

Regarding bound up ammonia via products like AmQuel. It is my understanding that even though chemically chnaged, the ammonia is still available to the bacteria as a food source.

 

[krichardson]

Most of the commercial bacteria cultures are crap but I've found that Tetra's Safestart (used to be Marineland Bio-Spira) is excellent and truely works.

Has Tetra bought out Marineland?

 

[Scatocephalus]

Has Tetra bought out Marineland?

Marineland bought Tetra. In areas where they had overlapping products that competed with each other and a market not large enough for additional brand names, they opted to go with the Tetra name.

For example, both Marineland and Tetra made fish food at the time of the acquisition. Since the market was already highly competitive and Tetra was more established as a brand name for food, they discontinued Marineland foods and directed all of their energy back into the Tetra name. Too bad as the Marineland foods were quite superior to anything that Tetra has.

This was also true of water conditioners/additives. Bio-spira was the only "water conditioner" that Marineland sold so when they bought Tetra they re-labeled under the Tetra brand name and incorporated it into Tetra's line up of water conditioners.

Marineland has also bought out Aquarium Systems (Instant Ocean), Perfecto and Jungle. They are all now under the parent company of United Pet Group.