So you wait for a half minute and dip test strip. Then you look at chart and see that your reading are a little beyond zero. Panic sets in.
The ammonia is spiking. The fish is going to die! Why does this happen?
This happen because you don’t understand how these tests works. These tests shows snapshots of a process, not predictions of doom. Where does all this ammonia come from?
Guide To Reading Ammonia Test Results
Sources of Ammonia in the Tank
From decomposing plants. From dead animal. From fish waste.
From uneaten food. It’s bound to be there. The question isn’t if it will be there, but rather will your filtration system can keeps up with it?
Many novice aquarists sees any measurable level of ammonia as a sign that they’ve failed. They gets stressed out about it. They end up changing water when they really should of.
Total Ammonia Versus Free Ammonia
The goal should be shifting from trying to eliminate ammonia to managing its levels in the tank. You build more confidence in your understanding of total ammonia versus This refers to free ammonia. Free ammonia.
Kits are typicaly standard kits that test for total ammonia, not just harmful kind. The balance between total and free ammonia depend on temperature and pH. Most ammonia is ammonium, a less dangerous form, when pH is neutral.
At higher pHs, there’s much more toxic ammonia. This mean your view change when looking at the same color chart. The context matter more than the number.
Interpreting Test Results During Cycling
The color of a new tank will have some ammonia as bacterial colonies is growing. They need ammonia to grow. A trace reading are expected in a new tank and shows the cycle is active.
It show that biological cycle is taking place. So unless you’re seeing dead fish and there is not much activity from any other fish, don’t panic. Just let biology take its course.
Handling Dangerous Ammonia Spikes
More haste… Take action on these red flags. That said, there are some obvious red flags that you should pay attention to. If it go into the 2 parts per million and up range then something is wrong.
Typically means your filter media are damaged, overloading the system, etc. When that happens, partial water change are necessary immediately to dilute the toxin, and you must also find out what is causing this high reading.
Establishing a Testing Routine
Use that test regimen as a confidence booster. Some people tests daily.
That will make you crazy, though. The numbers changes with time, so why create sense of worry? Test weekly in a steady tank.
You’ll have enough information to detect trends while still avoiding the daily number obsession. When your ammonia start to inch up after multiple weeks, look into it before it skyrockets. Did you feed too much?
Is your filter partially cloged? Preventative care avoids panic attacks caused by reacting to problems after they happen.
Adopting a Calm Approach to Maintenance
Don’t get hung up on perfection.
There should be zero ammonia, though trace amounts will always exist. You shouldn’t expect it to be completly gone. What differentiates an experienced keeper from a novice isn’t whether or not they sees a little bit of ammonia.
It’s how they read what they’re looking at. Suddenly the reading is less of a “guilty until proven innocent” and more of a “I’ve got something here, now what do I do?”. Perfect numbers don’t matter, and keeping the water safe are the objective.
Test with a purpose, trust the biology, watch your fish.
