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Ammonia is found in almost all new aquarium set-ups. The presence of ammonia in aquarium water results from decomposing food, fish wastes and undiscovered, decaying dead fish. Ammonia poisoning is deadly to all aquarium fish, fresh or salt water.
Ammonia poisoning affects the ability of the fish's blood to carry oxygen throughout its body. As a result, the fish is stressed and its resistance to bacterial infections, fin and tail rot, cloudy eye, fungus and slime coat problems is impaired. Tell-tale signs of ammonia poisoning are bright red gills or red streaks. Unless the ammonia is removed, the fish will die.
Until the tank is fully cycled and the biological filter is established, avoid adding more than a few fish to the tank. Too many fish in a new aquarium will cause an overload of ammonia. Many times new aquarium owners complain that they can't keep fish alive for more than a few days. This is because they add too many fish at once. The buildup of fish wastes and uneaten food causes toxic ammonia levels. Frequent water changes will help remove ammonia from the water.
Testing for ammonia should be done regularly to assure that levels in the tank are low and eventually non-existent. A new tank should be tested every other day. After a few weeks, when the tank has cycled, testing can be done once a week.
If ammonia levels begin to rise, the fish will appear stressed. They may exhibit clamped fins or rapid gill pumping. The aquarium owner should vacuum the gravel and remove any dead fish and uneaten food, as well as performing at least a 25% water change to reduce ammonia levels. If the fish begin display symptoms of bacterial infections or start to die, more water changes will be necessary, as well as treatment for the bacterial infections.
There are many simple ammonia testing kits available at local pet stores and they are easy to use. The kits includes a glass test tube and plastic cap, test drops and a color coded instruction sheet. The Aquarium Pharmaceuticals kit instructs users to fill the clean test tube (with water from the aquarium to be tested) to the line on the tube. Next, eight drops of the test solution are added to the test tube. The test tube is capped and gently shaken several times. The test is then read by comparing the color of the solution in the test tube to the test color chart. The entire test takes about a minute to a minute and a half to perform.
Ammonia test kits are inexpensive and can be found at any pet store and in most department stores with pet supply departments. Testing for ammonia is an important step in establishing a healthy aquarium. Don't set up a new aquarium without first having the necessary test kits on hand! Your fish will thank you.
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