Salifert Test – Ammonia

Description

Salifert Test – Ammonia (NH3 + NH4) is for testing the ammonia level of saltwater aquarium water.

This Salifert Profi Test kit will measure between 0 – 2 ppm of ammonia.

Ammonia is a product of fish waste. Aquarium bacteria gets to work and changes ammonia to nitrite. Then nitrite to nitrate. Nitrates are best kept under control by performing regular partial water changes.

What should my Salifert test ammonia level be?

In most aquariums we aim for ammonia to be as low as possible.

Try to keep your ammonia level at 0ppm in a marine aquarium.

If you are seeing ammonia levels in your water, there may be a problem with the filtration or the filter bacteria.

In new aquariums it is common to see ammonia levels whilst the filter bacteria mature. It is best to run an aquarium for a few weeks before adding your first fish. Make sure you test for pH, KH, calcium, magnesium, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and salinity before adding any fish to a new aquarium.

When you have livestock, it is a good idea to test and record your findings once a week. You can’t always see if there’s a problem with a fish tank until it’s too late. Testing will help you to take the best care of your aquatic animals.

How can I control ammonia in a fish tank?

First of all check your filtration. Aquarium filters should run for 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Have you recently had any power cuts that could account for some bacterial loss in your filters?

When cleaning filters, be careful not to clean them too much. Use ceramic media or live rock to allow places for beneficial bacteria to grow. Only ever rinse your biological filtration media in old fish tank water. Tap water contains chlorine and so can kill off some ‘friendly’ bacteria.

Are your filters running properly? If it’s been a while since your filter was cleaned, the flow may have slowed down. It’s a good idea to clean most filters at least once a month. It does depend on the filter though. Some, like the Oase BioMaster series, have pre filters. Meaning that you can leave the main filtration unit alone for much longer. Some internal filters will need cleaning every week. This might mean that they are a little too small for the amount of fish waste in your aquarium.

If you are running a sump set up check that your main pump and sump system is working properly.

Live rock or man-made bacteria seeded rock will also help to control harmful waste if there is good water flow around it.

If the filtration is not the problem, it could be a bit of overfeeding.

Top Tip:

It is important not to overfeed your tank as this can lead to higher waste levels. Feed as much as your fish can eat fairy quickly. In normal circumstances, frozen or dry foods should all be eaten within 30 – 60 seconds. Live foods aren’t so much of a problem because they can live in the tank for a while. This means it is fine to feed a bit more.

Lastly, small regular water changes and bacterial supplements can help as well.

There are other ways to tackle ammonia problems, but the above is a great starting point. If you need further help, one of our aquarists can book in with you for an aquarium health check.

The Salifert Ammonia Profi Test contains enough reagent to test 50 times.