Ammonia can be produced from fish feces. It can also be created by rotting excess food and other organic matter, such as dead leaves from aquatic plants.
Ammonia can negatively affect or even kill your fish. As an aquarist, you must minimize ammonia to protect your aquatic inhabitants.
One of the simplest and most effective ways is to use ammonia remover. But how long does it take for ammonia remover to work? Let’s read to get the answer.
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How Long Does It Take for an Ammonia Remover to Work?
Most ammonia removers immediately will remove toxic ammonia from an aquarium, a common side effect of uneaten food and fish droppings.
The formation and accumulation of ammonia are inevitable in aquariums. But to an extent, it can be problematic for your aquatic inhabitants.
Suppose you have to live in a house with your waste. It is stressful, disgusting, and causes some health problems. The same may go for your fish. If the ammonia in the water is left unchecked, it could cause ammonia poisoning and stress.
How To Use Ammonia Remover?
As their name suggests, ammonia removers will remove ammonia from your aquarium. So they are beneficial for your fish as long as you take them in the proper dosage.
Before adding nitrifying bacteria to a newly set-up tank, many aquarists add an ammonia remover to their tap water to remove all ammonia, chlorine, and chloramines that may be present. Although it is a good practice, it can result in problems when overdosing on the product.
Overdosing ammonia remover may inhibit the nitrifying bacteria from growing and becoming established in a new tank. So adding too much ammonia remover to your aquarium will do more harm than good and delay the establishment of the bio-filter.
The greatest way to use an ammonia remover is to obey the dosing directions. Always avoid just pouring “some” into your tank since it can lead to overdosing.
Use your chosen product when you set up your tank for the first time. If you detect an increasing amount of ammonia in your tank water, we recommend changing the partial water instead of pouring more and more ammonia removing product into the water.
In addition, if you do not intend to add living nitrifying bacteria to your tank when starting, it will be bad to add the bacteria when there is already a high level of ammonia in the water.
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How Do Ammonia Removing Products Inhibit the Nitrifying Bacteria?
There are two main reasons for this, and both can apply to your tank.
Firstly, many ammonia removers are acids. Repeatedly adding them to your tank water will drop the pH. That means NH4+ (the ammonia is in the ionized form) – the form the nitrifying bacteria can’t use.
Hence, the amount of ammonia converted to nitrite would be reduced per day than if the pH level were higher.
Some products contain a chemical that can inhibit the bacteria when the chemical is in a higher concentration, which happens when overdosing product.
So if your new aquarium has cycling problems, consider how much removing product has been used. Maybe you are overdosing, and you need to cut back.
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FAQs
Why Does Ammonia Build Up in My Tank?
Ammonia buildup in aquariums is quite common. It occurs in new aquariums that are cycling but have no biological filter established yet. It should be of concern in your new aquarium for at least the first six to eight weeks.
Ammonia buildup is common in aquariums that are too small and overcrowded. Any tank you use to house your fish has an ammonia buildup if it’s not filtered.
Ammonia can also build up when using medications since many medications severely stress or even kill your biological filter.
What Can I Use To Minimize ammonia Without Using an Ammonia Remover?
Instead of using a chemical to reduce the ammonia, you can cycle your tank so that it can process the ammonia through biological filtration.
The problem that causes the high ammonia level in your tank (overfeeding, overpopulation, poor filtration, poor filter maintenance, or insufficient water changes) will be addressed.
That way, the ammonia will no longer be a problem.
How to Determine the Level of Ammonia in My Tank?
Testing for the ammonia level is a breeze! You will know exactly how much ammonia is in your tank with strips or a testing kit.
Using A Test Kit.
- Step 1: Get a proper ammonia testing kit from an aquarium or pet store. The most common and popular testing kit is the API ammonia kit, which is accurate and easy to use.
- Step 2: Fill the test tube with your tank water to the fill line.
- Step 3: Squeeze eight drops of testing solution #1 into the tube.
- Step 4: Squeeze eight drops of testing solution #2 into the tube.
- Step 5: Shake the tube for roughly five seconds.
- Step 6: Let the solution sit till the color develops.
- Step 7: Compare the watercolor to the chart in the testing kit.
- Step 8: Clean your aquarium if your kit detects any ammonia.
- Step 9: Clean the test tube thoroughly before storing it.
Use Test Strips
- Step 1: Buy ammonia test strips from an aquarium or pet store.
- Step 2: Swish a test strip around your tank water for about ten seconds.
- Step 3: Compare the test strip color to the color chart.
- Step 4: Clean the aquarium if you detect any ammonia.
When Should I Test the Level of Ammonia in My Tank?
- Test on a regular weekly schedule.
- Check ammonia levels whenever you introduce new fish to your aquarium.
- Measure the water quality if the fish seem unwell or sluggish.
How Do I Remove Ammonia From Water Naturally?
The best way to remove ammonia naturally is to remove all the tank water and replace it with a new one. Remember to pay attention to the water source.
Wrapping It Up
Ammonia remover helps remove and minimize ammonia in aquariums. They usually work immediately, meaning you don’t have to wait too long to see results.
But just relying on these products to control ammonia rather than water changes or using a live nitrifying bacteria mix is a mistake. Moreover, always follow the dosing directions to avoid overdose.
