Is ammonia a concern in a new tank?

[onyxlady]

I'm curious about something and I hope I'm not missing something obvious. I set up my new tank on Saturday, no fish in it yet, and I've been doing daily 50% water changes. I'm using Easy Green for the epiphyte plants and Aquarium Co-op root tabs for the stem plants. Today I decided to test my water parameters out of curiosity. Not surprisingly, I've got some nitrates from the fertilizer, about 5 ppm. Nitrite is 0, which is good. But what's got me puzzled is that I've got detectable ammonia, about 0.25 ppm, maybe a bit higher. Since there are no fish in the tank, I'm wondering where the ammonia is coming from. When I do the water changes, I'm careful to siphon up any debris or leaves from the bottom of the tank so it won't decay. Is this a normal thing to see? What could be the source of the ammonia?

[sSjey]

There are a couple of possibilities for the ammonia source in your tank.

First, consider your substrate - is it a plant-specific substrate or just regular sand/gravel? Some plant substrates are known to leach ammonia, which could be contributing to the readings you're seeing.

Another potential culprit is your tap water. Does your water provider use chlorine or chloramine? Chloramine is essentially an ammonia and chlorine molecule combined, and while dechlorinators can remove the chlorine, they often leave the ammonia behind. Many water conditioners can detoxify this ammonia for a short period, typically around 24 hours, but it's still possible for it to show up in an ammonia test.

Try testing some tap water for ammonia, or mix a bit of tap water with a water conditioner and see if that yields an ammonia reading. If you suspect your plant substrate might be the source, you could remove a small sample and soak it in a separate container with fresh water for a couple of days, then test the water for ammonia. For comparison, set up another container with just water and see how the results differ.

[onyxlady]

There are a couple of possibilities for the ammonia source in your tank.

First, consider your substrate - is it a plant-specific substrate or just regular sand/gravel? Some plant substrates are known to leach ammonia, which could be contributing to the readings you're seeing.

Another potential culprit is your tap water. Does your water provider use chlorine or chloramine? Chloramine is essentially an ammonia and chlorine molecule combined, and while dechlorinators can remove the chlorine, they often leave the ammonia behind. Many water conditioners can detoxify this ammonia for a short period, typically around 24 hours, but it's still possible for it to show up in an ammonia test.

Try testing some tap water for ammonia, or mix a bit of tap water with a water conditioner and see if that yields an ammonia reading. If you suspect your plant substrate might be the source, you could remove a small sample and soak it in a separate container with fresh water for a couple of days, then test the water for ammonia. For comparison, set up another container with just water and see how the results differ.

I'm using CaribSea sand, the freshwater kind, not the marine type. It's supposed to be inert, so I wouldn't think it's the source of the ammonia.

You asked about my water provider - I'm not entirely sure if they use chlorine or chloramine. However, I do have a filter on my tap that's supposed to remove chlorine, lead, and other impurities. I just double-checked with a test strip, and as expected, there's no chlorine showing up.

[florape]

same issue here. I just wrote a long post in my 20gal journal about weird parameter stuff, and the ammonia thing stumped me too. I think I figured out what happened in my case: chloramine in the water, and rotting stuff in the filter and plant debris. The API test kit might not measure the ammonia from tap water treated with Prime, so that's tricky. I've had mixed results with that.

I also had rotting plant parts, which I think is a big contributor. My plants got too cold during shipping, and it didn't take much for them to start rotting in the uncycled tank. I still have dead leaves stuck to the original plants, and they're hard to get rid of. I'm sure they're producing ammonia, but it's a pain to remove them without dislodging the plants.

On the bright side, I guess this is an automatic cycle doing its thing. My ammonia went away around week 3, and now I'm dealing with nitrite. I was trying to do a planted cycle, but I probably messed it up. At least I have some good material for the planted cycle article I'm working on. Nice to know I'm not the only one with this issue.

[onyxlady]

I'm not too worried about the ammonia, I'm sure it'll sort itself out in time. I've still got a month or so before I can get fish, and I've got established filter media to help when I'm ready. So, all good. It's just a fun learning experience for me. I'm just not seeing a lot of rotting plant matter in the tank that would cause ammonia levels of .25 - .5. I tested my filtered tap water and it's showing 0 ammonia, so it's definitely something happening in the tank.

This is my first planted tank, so I'm just keeping a good journal and enjoying the process. I'm sure there'll be plenty more things I won't quite figure out, but that's all part of it.

[sSjey]

I just recalled another potential explanation. What type of test kit are you using for ammonia, and what kind of lighting do you have when reading the results? I've heard that the API ammonia test can sometimes appear greener than it actually is, especially under fluorescent lighting. This includes compact fluorescent bulbs, by the way.

It's also worth noting that some people have reported never seeing the zero color on their API test, even in well-established, trouble-free tanks. It's almost as if different people perceive colors slightly differently, which can be a bit confusing.

[onyxlady]

There are a couple of possibilities for the ammonia source in your tank.

First, consider your substrate - is it a plant-specific substrate or just regular sand/gravel? Some plant substrates are known to leach ammonia, which could be contributing to the readings you're seeing.

Another potential culprit is your tap water. Does your water provider use chlorine or chloramine? Chloramine is essentially an ammonia and chlorine molecule combined, and while dechlorinators can remove the chlorine, they often leave the ammonia behind. Many water conditioners can detoxify this ammonia for a short period, typically around 24 hours, but it's still possible for it to show up in an ammonia test.

Try testing some tap water for ammonia, or mix a bit of tap water with a water conditioner and see if that yields an ammonia reading. If you suspect your plant substrate might be the source, you could remove a small sample and soak it in a separate container with fresh water for a couple of days, then test the water for ammonia. For comparison, set up another container with just water and see how the results differ.

I'm using the API kit, and to double-check, I also used some strips. Both are showing a green tint, indicating ammonia in the tank. I tested the filtered tap water as a control, and that one shows up yellow, which is 0 ammonia. The color variation is clear, so I'm confident that the ammonia is coming from the tank, not the water source. I'll keep monitoring it and see what happens next. Thanks for all the ideas and suggestions - really appreciate it!

[onyxlady]

I'm still trying to figure out the source of the ammonia, and I just thought of something else. I've got that white biofilm slimy stuff growing on my driftwood - you know, the normal stuff that shows up when you first put it in the tank. It's probably going to go away on its own in a couple of weeks, so I haven't been messing with it. But I'm wondering, could that possibly be contributing to the ammonia levels in the tank?

[florape]

I recall @Wells or @willie32 having issues with driftwood and ammonia - I'm pretty sure it was one of them, anyway.