water changes

[cosmiccow]

I noticed something yesterday after I performed my weekly water change. I tested for ammonia after the water change (50%) and it showed a small amount of ammonia. I changed the water in all four of my tanks and they all showed ammonia. By this morning the tanks measure zero ammonia.
Is this a natural occurance? Everything is healthy and looking great. No stress to the fish either. I wonder if it is a false reading?
Any thoughts?

[chr15_8]

have you tested your tap water yet?

might have some ammonia in it? if so keep the water changes down to about 25% unless its heavy stocked or a planted tank using high dosings of ferts

chris

[atlantis_child]

Turned to Nitrate? I was testing water at work, and a few had no ammonia, but terrible amounts of nitrate and nitrite.

A bunch of the ones in the store were randomly like that, and one lady whose water she’d brought in was like that too. She’d added two fish on monday, and wanted another. Very little ammonia, but the nitrate and nitrite were off the charts. Surpised the fish were still alive. Recomended a half tank water change. It was that bad…

– Atlantis

[L777]

Even established tanks can show ammonia if there is a relatively sudden spike in production (several new fish or pile of uneaten food or dead fish), while the bacteria colony grows to accommodate the load, but I’d agree with looking to the tap water first. Depending on the type of water conditioner you use, you may be generating ammonia if your tap has chloramines, and if your conditioner only breaks apart the chlorine from the ammonia, rather than sequestering them. Also not as uncommon as we’d like for tap water to have trace amounts of ammonia in it.

edit: btw, my city tap water comes out at somewhere between 0 and 0.25ppm ammonia (I suspect chloramines).

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