Ammonia Analysis & Reporting in Water

You should test ammonia once a week in aquariums.

Too much ammonia in your aquarium or pond causes poor water quality, resulting in problems with plants and illness in fish. Since ammonia is odorless and colorless, it is difficult to gauge its levels in an ecosystem without a testing kit. Unfortunately, many aquarists don’t realize their ammonia is too high until a fish suddenly becomes ill or dies. Avoid this problem by regularly testing ammonia.

Testing Ammonia

Ammonia test kits are inexpensive (less than $10) and invaluable to life in water. Ammonia is measured in ppm (parts per million), and on most test kits, even a minuscule detection of ammonia signifies a severe problem. According to the University of Florida, you should test ammonia in a pond every 10 to 14 days, and test it once a week in aquariums. Additionally, un-ionized ammonia is significantly more toxic than its ionized counterpart. In order to know your levels of un-ionized ammonia (or UIA), purchase a thermometer and pH test kit. If the pH and temperature of your tank is high, there will be more UIA present, so these are important factors to consider when measuring ammonia.

Causes of High Levels

Animal life is the primary producer of ammonia. While fish waste and excess pet food will spike ammonia levels, even a fish that has been fasting for a week will still emit some ammonia through its gills. Before troubleshooting ammonia, first analyze the size of your tank in relation to the number of fish you keep; if you have more than 1 inch of fish per aquarium gallon, you will need to upgrade your tank or reduce the number of fish in order to keep ammonia at a consistently low level.

Reducing Ammonia Naturally

The most immediate and natural solution to reducing ammonia through animal waste is to fast your fish; unlike other animals, fish benefit from a week or so of fasting. Additionally, changing 50 percent of the water will keep toxicity down.

Reducing Ammonia Chemically

Chemical ammonia reduction is similar to using a dam to block water. While these products will suspend the toxicity of ammonia in a dire situation, they do not fix the problem. Use chemicals as a way to buy time while working out natural solutions to your ammonia problem, such as reducing the crowdedness of your tank or doing a water change.

Suggestions

To maintain a balanced nitrogen cycle within your ecosystem, consider the following options:

Use a biofilter. Biofilters serve as a home to the important bacteria that keep the nitrogen cycle in action.

Add live plants, which help absorb nitrate, the byproduct of ammonia. Nitrate, like ammonia, can be dangerous in high levels.

Oxygen significantly helps the overall health of your fish. To increase the amount of oxygen in your water, use an aquarium that is wider than it is tall, or install an aerator (bubble maker).

References

• University of Missouri: Nitrogen Cycle
• University of Florida: Ammonia in Aquatic Systems
• VIMS: Estuarine Aquarium Keeping
• Duke University: Aquarium FAQ