Ammonia In Tap Water

[xolotl]

Tom,

I have 2ppm of ammonia in my tap water. Am I right in thinking that, after conditioning the water, I'm dosing my tanks every week with a large amount of NH4? In my high light tanks I flat out can't get rid of the algae--hair, and to a lesser extent, bba. I dose according to your EI and use pressurized CO2, steady at 30ppm. My tanks are heavily planted and the plants, almost all of them fast growing stems, grow well, fast with lots of pearling, but the algae keeps pace. When I did weekly water changes on a low light tank I had the same problem. Stopped doing water changes except for every few months and the algae died back and disappeared.

I've been seriously thinking of getting an rodi unit, but I don't want to waste my money on one if it isn't necessary. So I guess my question is, would that much ammonia in my tap fuel algae growth? This in particular, from your EI article, is what bothers me, "Ammonium at low levels have been the primary causative agent for algae blooms. This is why a planted tank using CO2 with moderate to high lighting cannot have enough nitrogen supplied by adding progressively more and more fish to the tank without getting algae blooms. It does not take much ammonium to cause the bloom. If you add NO3 from KNO3 you will not get any algae bloom, if you add even 1/20th of the ammonium you will get a very intense algae bloom."

Thanks.

 

[Tom Barr]

Re: Ammonia In Tap Water

Are you drinking waste water effulent from a treatment plant?
I doubt you tap water has this level.
Even waste water in many regions are not allowed to dump that into the environment.

Tap water has virtually no NH4 ever.
Call them up and ask, then see about that test kit you have.
Also, Chloraimes might be influencing things.

Still, it seem way way out there.
Double check before doing anything.

The water change etc idea vs none, have other mechanisms occuring.
It does not mean the tap is bad.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[xolotl]

Re: Ammonia In Tap Water

It isn't waste water, but it's Louisiana water, so choose your poison. The water goes from tolerable to wondering whether a rat got into your plumbing and died.

I realize the ammonia reading is caused by chloramine, and should have been clearer in my other post. The water quality report doesn't say how much chloramine there is, but the head of the water department told me 3ppm. When I asked him if there was any free ammonia in the water, he hesitated a long time and said, "Possibly, possibly." He wouldn't elaborate on that.

If I'm understanding correctly, once the chloramine bond is broken by a water conditioner, I'd have not quite 1.5ppm of ammonia, and possibly a little more from the free ammonia that may possibly be in my water. And then it's converted into ammonium or whatever it is exactly that Prime creates.

It takes nearly 48 hours after doing a water change, using Prime, before I get a 0 on an ammonia test. Is that normal? I guess I'm just extremely confused. If adding ammonium in detectable amounts to a tank is bad, isn't that what I'm doing when I change the water?

I appreciate your help.

 

[Tom Barr]

Re: Ammonia In Tap Water

It isn't waste water, but it's Louisiana water, so choose your poison. The water goes from tolerable to wondering whether a rat got into your plumbing and died.

I realize the ammonia reading is caused by chloramine, and should have been clearer in my other post. The water quality report doesn't say how much chloramine there is, but the head of the water department told me 3ppm. When I asked him if there was any free ammonia in the water, he hesitated a long time and said, "Possibly, possibly." He wouldn't elaborate on that.

If I'm understanding correctly, once the chloramine bond is broken by a water conditioner, I'd have not quite 1.5ppm of ammonia, and possibly a little more from the free ammonia that may possibly be in my water. And then it's converted into ammonium or whatever it is exactly that Prime creates.

It takes nearly 48 hours after doing a water change, using Prime, before I get a 0 on an ammonia test. Is that normal? I guess I'm just extremely confused. If adding ammonium in detectable amounts to a tank is bad, isn't that what I'm doing when I change the water?

I appreciate your help.

Before we get into the chemistry and many of these unknows, let's see, what is the problem you are having specifically?

I can side step much drugery through a simple process using bioindicators, the rest of you call them algae.

Folks wonder how I figure out things fast with very little to go on.........
That's the issue typically, poor plant growth and/or algae, so that's the focus.

If that does not work, we will go to stage 2.

Regards,
Tom Barr