Help please, ammonia 8ppm!

[Ray G]

So the new test kit shows 4ppm?? That is high. Amazed no sign of distress from the fish.

 

[Katemort]

I know! Tried with a friends kit, just the same, a different brand has arrived today so will test in a bit (working today)

 

[Ray G]

THis is a real puzzle! The fish behaving well is the mystery. It sort of implies everything is ok. How often do you feed them and do you feed them much?

 

[Katemort]

Thanks for response. Not fed them since nov dec. Planning to start wheatgerm feed initially when they seem to want it. Thanks!

 

[WaterGardener]

The Ammo Lock converts the toxic ammonia to a non toxic form of ammonia. So the same amount of ammonia is still there, but in a form that won't harm the fish.

The test measures all ammonia in the water sample, toxic and non toxic, so the test results remain the same. It doesn't differentiate what type of ammonia is there, only that there is or isn't any.

As long as the Ammo Lock is dosed every 48 hours, the fish should be fine. After that 2 day period all the bound ammonia will be released back into the system as toxic ammonia. So it's crucial to keep up with dosing until the system can catch up and process that ammonia.

 

[Mayank]

I know! Tried with a friends kit, just the same, a different brand has arrived today so will test in a bit (working today)

Hi any chance you can take a couple of pics and post?

 

[Katemort]

The Ammo Lock converts the toxic ammonia to a non toxic form of ammonia. So the same amount of ammonia is still there, but in a form that won't harm the fish.

The test measures all ammonia in the water sample, toxic and non toxic, so the test results remain the same. It doesn't differentiate what type of ammonia is there, only that there is or isn't any.

As long as the Ammo Lock is dosed every 48 hours, the fish should be fine. After that 2 day period all the bound ammonia will be released back into the system as toxic ammonia. So it's crucial to keep up with dosing until the system can catch up and process that ammonia.

Thank you, that's my plan! Wish the system was catching up faster but hoping I can limit damage till extra pump installed. Fish looking good!

 

[Katemort]

Hi all, just for an update, I'm still struggling. High ammonia still 5ppm yesterday and that was after a 30 percent water change. I am getting the same on 3 different test kits and following instructions to the letter. I have added a second pump which on its own will filter double the pond volume per hour, there is plenty of oxygenating plants. The only bright side is fish are coping, normal respiration rate, no signs of distress, no signs of burns or damage. I am completely flummoxed, any further thoughts?

 

[WaterGardener]

Have you tested your tap water?

What is your pH and KH?

If your pH is acidic it will inhibit the growth of beneficial bacteria for the nitrogen cycle.

If those test come out well, it's pretty clear that you need more filtration, and a lot more of it than you currently have. I would have thought that the original filtration would be enough, rated at 3000l. That isn't adding up for me. There has to be something else going on here.

Is there another filter with the additional pump?

I'm assuming you are continuing to use the ammo-lock regularly to protect the fish, right?

For some reason, you aren't getting enough beneficial bacteria in your system to cover the ammonia being produced. It seems that something is preventing that bacteria from growing.

Are you adding anything other than the ammo-lock to the water, or is there a way something else could be getting into the pond, like run off from the ground or something sprayed around it? Is anyone else in the household feeding the fish when you aren't looking?

 

[Rashad]

Hi, just went through this thread and I'm sorry, it must be so frustrating! I wanted to ask about the size of the pond. In one place you say it's only 153 gallons but you also say it's 3.5 feet deep at the deepest part? Surely it must be bigger than 153 gallons since a pond that's just 4 feet long by 2 feet wide and 3.5 feet deep would be over 400 gallons.

 

[Mmathis]

Does the water you are adding contain chloramines? Many US cities now use that in treating water. I don’t know about the UK, but If yours does, you are adding back ammonia when you do a water change. Just out of curiosity, run a test on your source water, as it comes from the tap. If it’s high, then you need to add a product to neutralize that ammonia before you add it in with the fish. My city does use chloramines. I didn’t have a clue, but was continuing to have ammonia spikes in my quarantine stock tank and couldn’t figure out why.

 

[Katemort]

Thanks all.
Retested today. I live in Bristol so hard water area.
Tap water: ph 7 NH3 0.1 NO2 0, NO3 0, KH 7 GH 18.
Pond water: Ph 7, Nh3 4, NO2 2, NO3 40, KH 6, GH 21.
I have a bag of nitrazorb in there. I have also added stress coat and stress zyme. 30 per cent water change yesterday with fresh start added. Lots of plants.
It's hard to calculate water volume as has shelves, but have redone it several times as 660l. I have 2 pond pumps with filters, both rinsed gently with tap water yesterday. One was added about a month ago due to this problem, each one in theory more than able to handle size of pond, I know it's overstocked with 4 6inch fish. Bottom not too sludgy.
To add to this: when I was doing maintenance yesterday one of the fountain tubes snapped. I've managed to bodge it with a spare and it's rippling the surface of the water, not splashing. The other pump has an extension tube but it's underwater. So I'm more worried now about aeration.
I'm also sure it's not being polluted other than a few falling leaves as the way it's built the sleepers are covered with liner and that's quite bulky so channels it away from the pond, plus the untreated cedar framing it slopes away from the water too.
I can't do pic from my phone.

Any advice really appreciated.

 

[WaterGardener]

Does your tap water have chlorine in it? If it does, rinsing your filters in tap water will kill your beneficial bacteria. It's generally advised to rinse filters in a bucket of pond water instead.

 

[Katemort]

Edit from me: they started having a small amount of wheatgerm in May. They showed interest in fish food Wednesday but not since so have scooped it out and not fed today. Pumps run 24/7 and I did not feed after November. Am having to use ammo lock every 2 days to prevent them dying but can't understand why it isn't being dealt with by the system as this is a longstanding issue.
Think I will try and build a bog garden, probably out of a long narrow (due to available space) ceramic planter though it won't add much to the volume. Thanks

 

[Katemort]

Does your tap water have chlorine in it? If it does, rinsing your filters in tap water will kill your beneficial bacteria. It's generally advised to rinse filters in a bucket of pond water instead.

No, only rinse in pond water and always use fresh start when adding tap water