Why test for Ammonia?

As mentioned in our blog post on What is the Nitrogen Cycle? ammonia is a toxic waste that is excreted by fish or caused by decomposing plant matter and uneaten fish food.  At low levels, ammonia is stressful for most fish and other inhabitants -- at higher levels, it is deadly. Fortunately, naturally occurring bacteria are present in most established systems that converts this ammonia to nitrite and in turn, to the less toxic nitrate.

Why is it important to know your ammonia level?
This beneficial bacterium is present in established aquarium and pond filters but it takes time for it to reach sufficient levels to handle the wastes that are produced. Cleaning or replacing your filter cartridges and other filter material, or using some medications, can disrupt this biological process. Adding additional fish and excessive feeding can also overwhelm our filters and result in higher Ammonia levels too. Testing for ammonia will tell you if your system is able to handle the biological load or if your fish are at risk. Testing your water is fairly simple and there are a number of inexpensive test kits and monitoring devices available for that purpose. Ideally your ammonia level should be ZERO.

What do I do if my Ammonia level is to high?
The first thing you'll want to do is to reduce the level of toxic Ammonia and you can do so in a number of ways...

1. By performing water changes -- the solution to pollution is dilution.
2. By using Ammonia removing resins like Ammo-Chips or by using Filter Pads like HBH's Ammonia Remover Filter Pads. Some filter manufacturers also offer filter cartridges containing resins for removing ammonia. Rena's FilStar Zeolite Ammonia Remover and Imagine's AquaClear Ammonia Remover Inserts are good examples of these.
3. By using a liquid Ammonia remover to convert the Ammonia to something less toxic. These liquids don't actually remove the Ammonia but they do lock it up and make your water non-toxic and safe for fish. Products like Ammo-Lock, AmQuel and Seachem's very popular Prime product all work this way.

The other thing you will want to do is to determine why you have Ammonia in the first place. You want to solve the problem and not just continue to treat the symptoms. It might be that your aquarium or pond hasn't had time to establish a good biological filter or you may have disrupted the biological process by using medications or by replacing your filters or cleaning them in water containing chlorine to chloramines. Chlorine and Chloramines will kill the beneficial bacteria we are trying to encourage.

It is also possible that your filter is too small for the current fish load or perhaps it just needs to be cleaned. Something is interfering with the "Nitrogen cycle" and you'll want to take steps to correct the problem and improve your biological filtration. Products like BioZyme, Stability and Stress Zyme can be used to add beneficial bacteria to our systems to get things back on track.

Do yourself and your fish a favor and keep an eye on your ammonia levels. Ammonia Test Kits are inexpensive and easy to use. Seachem even has an Ammonia Alert that you can add to your aquarium to continuously monitor ammonia.