Need help with my ammonia reading

[Lauren B.]

Hey folks,

I've been adding and taking ammonia readings for the last two hours and I'm having problems. I can't get my reading higher than 1.0ppm. I've added a boatload of ammonia (a total of 15 drops divided into 4 readings) and I can't get the level raised. I have the API master kit and the color for 5.0ppm is a darker kelly green. Mine stays a consistent medium lime green, maybe getting a tad darker after this last reading, but definitely not higher than 1.5ppm. I've been waiting the appropriate amount of time between additions and readings.

What am I doing wrong?

[cocoa_pleco]

i'd guess nothing. Readings can only go up to a certain level. For instance, if dark green is the highest reading possible, 5ppm will read the same as 100000 ppm since the readings cant go any darker.

[Lauren B.]

i'd guess nothing. Readings can only go up to a certain level. For instance, if dark green is the highest reading possible, 5ppm will read the same as 100000 ppm since the readings cant go any darker.

It's not getting anywhere near the highest reading. The highest reading (according to the color chart) is 8.0ppm. I'm nowhere near that at 1.0ppm. I seriously doubt it's taking 15 drops of ammonia in a 6-gallon tank to reach 5.0ppm, so something has got to be wrong.

[cocoa_pleco]

That is fishy(bad pun)

Is it pure ammonia? or cat urine

[Lauren B.]

That is fishy(bad pun)
Is it pure ammonia? or cat urine

It is pure ammonia, and it was a funny pun.

However, I did a little experiment and I may have come up with an answer....

In an effort to see if...what?....maybe the test kit is bad (I just bought the kit brand new today, but I'm reaching for any solution), I added 3/4cc of ammonia directly into the beaker of tank water, then added the test drops. I finally came up with a high reading. The mystery solution....when you folks say "add 2 drops", you are just estimating the size of a drop, right? I was using a certified United States medical syringe that has an actual measurement for a drop. I think the guesstimated drop is a lot more than the precision drop that I was using (kinda like when you ask for driving directions and people say, "it's about a mile down the road" when in actuality it's nowhere near, or way freaking past, one mile). I just dumped in about 4cc's of ammonia, and I'm anticipating my next reading to be a better.

Problem solved.

[sergo]

15 drops is a lot for 6 gal tank. i was doing 11-12 twice a day for my 55 gal.

[Lady Hobbs]

This is odd and I have no answer for this either. When you do the test, are you letting the vial sit for 10 minutes or so? It takes a while for the colors to change. Normally it's about 5 drops per 10 gallon so this is most strange.

Have you added anything else to the water? Some of this stuff you add can also give false readings. Not a lot of stuff, but I've seen some stuff that does.

[cocoa_pleco]

thats the only other thing i can think of. Like Hobbs said, are you letting it sit for 15-20min?

[minabird]

Are you using carbon or zeolite in your filter? The zeolite will neutralize the ammonia. If you are, remove them and then do your fishless cycling.

[Lauren B.]

I did everything exactly as it was outlined. I added ammonia and let it circulate at least 30 mins. I did my test and let it sit for at least 5 mins (that's the time the manual states...even if I let it sit longer, the color never got darker). The only way I was able to get a higher reading was to add a LOT more ammonia. At the end of the day, I added a total of 7ccs of ammonia to get a 5.0ppm reading. That seems like a lot to me, but that's what I had to do.

I added in the appropriate amount of Tetra's AquaSafe when I initially put in the water, and as far as the filter, it's a Marineland Eclipse ready to use filter cartridge. That's all I did. I just took an ammonia reading and it hasn't changed from the 5.0ppm, but it's only been about 10 hours since the last ammonia addition.

[sergo]

the reading won't change a lot until you start building a good supply bacteria. that's when will know that things are working. it sucks wainting and watching but be patient and before you relaize what going on it will be over. the really cool thing is that you'll be able to basicaly put you entire fish load in (as per an experiment one member did) when it's done this way.

don't those ready to use filter contain carbon? i know the initial cartridges that came with my filter did. i cut them open and got that stuff out. in my replacement filters the carbon can be added if needed.

[Lauren B.]

I think Minabird may have hit the nail on the head.

I just dug the filter's packaging out of the garbage (which was gross because I had to wade through last night's discarded salad) and found that one of the Eclipse filter cartridge's features is that it contains "Black Diamond Premium Activated Carbon". Is this the carbon that Minabird was talking about?...could the carbon be sucking up all the ammonia? It's too late to do anything now I suppose, since I've now got a good 5.0ppm reading. Hey, at least we all now know the filter's a really good one! :41:

This carbon issue might be a good thing to mention in future posts on fishless cycling. I read several posts and instructions about cycling on this website, and I don't recall the carbon issue being a caveat. Experienced aquarists might know this, but beginners like me who've never had a tank before wouldn't know the relationship of carbon and ammonia from a hole in the wall.

Thanks for all your advice and for everyone who responded to assist me! :1luvu:

[Sasquatch]

7cc is an awful lot for such a small aquarium. Are you sure it's pure ammonia?

As for the carbon, it won't do any harm in your aquarium. Activated carbon shouldn't remove the ammonia. If you aren't planning on adding any plants, you can leave it in there. If you do want live plants, the carbon will strip essential elements from the water that you plants need, so you should remove it.