Tap Water Ammonia

[dbaron]

Ive tested aquarium water (.5ppm) dechlorinated tap (.3ppm) and not touched tap (.3ppm) The test used is an API drop test kit. I cant find a expiration date, if there is one.

Im freaking out because I cant get the aquarium test under that .5ppm but I cant believe that tap water would have any detectable ammonia in it. Is it most likely the test kit is bad?

 

[BODYDUB]

Get yourself a liquid test kit and retest..........

 

[dbaron]

Get yourself a liquid test kit and retest..........

It is a liquid test kit, brand new. I wont be able to get another for ~18hours so I dont know if I should continue to do constant water changes or not (4gallon changes every 30 min on a 75g tank)

 

[Zander_The_RBP]

why are you doing such small water changes? 4 gallons ? you should be doing like 40 gallons atleast. 4 gallons (per 30 minutes) isn't going to change water parameters at all unless you do it for a day.


a 5% water change (which is slightly less than what you are doing) is only going to drop the ammonia from 0.5ppm to 0.485 ppm which is nothing. thats not factoring in the fact that your tap water already had 0.3 ppm in it which means no mater what you do it will not go below 0.3 until your tank is cycled.



how long has the tank been running ammonia is a sign the tank is not cycled.