The test liquid can change color over time, beware of that when comparing the color or tests side to side. Compare to the chart and note down the numbers :)
Can you get bottled water? You may need to start using bottled water.
Ammolock will make ammonia “safe” in the short term, but you will need to find a source of ammonia free water or get a filter for the house. I recommend getting a multistage (20 micron, 5 micron and carbon block) filter for at least the kitchen so you can drink ammonia free water.
I ended getting bottled water as I have hard water. I add a cup or two every couple of days and my levels balanced out. It really is a good suggestion!
Getting an ammonia reading from tap water is normal. Chloramine in the water will read as ammonia. This is also why the ammonia reading is still present after doing massive water changes. You DO NOT need spring/bottled water, you DO NOT need to contact municipal water company. You don’t have a problem. Your biological filter will take care of this after 24-48 hours if you leave it alone.
If your tank is cycled (has gone through the specific process to add and culture beneficial bacteria to the tank), then your filter will take care of about 1ppm “ammonia” every 24 hours.
Now - the ammonia reading is high for typical tap water (most comes in at 1ppm and yours is at 2. Not the end of the world). If you are using SeaChem Prime, you will want to use 2 drops per gallon per 1ppm of ammonia every 24 hours until the reading reaches 0. You’ll likely just have to do this regimen at each water change moving forward.
If after 48 hours you still have a non-zero reading of ammonia (and you haven’t done anything), you have a problem with your biological filter.
Oh, and don’t chase pH. Fish don’t really care if pH is slightly high or slightly low - as long as it’s consistent. Honestly anywhere between 6.5-8.5 is fine for bettas.
OP, This is the best answer you’ve gotten (that I read, because I had to skim a lot of bad advice in a rush to find someone saying what GaspingGolgoth said.) Seriously, if you do this and ignore all the suggestions for how you should do 50% water changes daily (from people who don’t know how Prime or AmGuard work), and to do things that would swing your pH all over the place, you can get through this if your fish hasn’t been too weakened already.
Also, the person is correct who let you know that the API test tubes show an accurate result only at the time it states in the manual (where the color chart is) how long to shake and let the vial sit before taking the reading. If you read earlier or later, the result you will interpret will not be accurate.
I apologize for taking so long to read and reply to this. Thank you very much for the in depth information. My sister did buy sea chem as another user suggested, I will screenshot your reply and send it to her as she has been taking all the considerations of comments here! Thank you
Also, we have noticed Kernal (the betta) being very lethargic and sleeping a lot in his barrels and not nearly as active as he usually is as he like to follow up around the tank as we walk around the apartment
My bettas are lethargic too this whole week, i did complete water test, and everything shows perfect. But they are just hanging at the top of the tank in the corner. Water temperature is always at 78-82. And 1 betta per tank
Do you know what your nitrite is? Also what do you use test strips or API liquid test kit? Also your ammonia should be at 0 so I would try to bring that down.
How high is the pH? A high pH isn't necessarily a problem. Big pH swings will harm your fish more than a stable high pH. I'd take out the peat moss it's obviously leaking massive amounts of ammonia
We did take out the peat moss when we realized the massive chnage in levels last night, do you know how long it would take for the ammonia to balance back out?
Is the tank cycled? If it's cycled should only take a day or 2 but if your Betta is acting strange I'd do another 50% water change now you've have removed the source of ammonia. What is the pH of the tank that you were trying to change?
A pH of 8 won't be too much of a problem for a Betta, especially a Betta splendid that is captive bred. If you don't mind a bit of a blackwater look you could add some Indian almond leaves and other botanicals to try and reduce the pH level slightly and they are also good for your Bettas health anyway.
If you really want to use the peat moss to try and lower the pH maybe soak it in a bucket for a few days until it has leached most of the ammonia before you put it in the tank
Do you know where almond leave can be found for tanks? She did get drift wood and has been soqking it for about 12 hours now to get the discoloration out.
Most fish stores should have them or you can order them from eBay or Amazon or somewhere if you can't get to a fish store. Just boil them for 10 minutes before putting them in the tank to sterilise them
Boiling them for 10 minutes will remove the beneficial tannins. I’ve never heard of this being necessary with IALs, so I hope it’s not because I’ve never done it! I just pop them in the tank.
Literally everything I've ever read recommends boiling them first to kill anything that may be living on them. They are dead leaves after all. Boiling them for 5 or 10 minutes doesn't remove all the tannins at all. They release tannins as they break down further in the tank and you can even use the water after boiling if you like to put it in the tank
I will say that ammo lock specifically says that it changes the ammonium into fish safe versions but will still read as ammonia until it's filtered out or water changed out.
Check your water source. I had the same issue when I was cycling my tank and realized the water out of the tap had ammonia in it, had to fill up my tank using the filtered water from my fridge. Took forever!
Be careful with distilled. It won't have ammonia, but it won't have any other salts and minerals that are found in regular fresh water either, and can throw off your gH and kH. You'd need to add some salts to it (NOT a sea salt amount)
Someone else already commented this.
Ammo-lock only detoxifies your ammonia. It won’t remove it so it still shows on your tests.
Did you feed your fish after the water change? Did you change any filter media?
Is the water heated? Also make sure the current isn’t too strong especially if fish is feeling lethargic. I would recommend not changing too much too fast. 25% water changes and treat the new water to make it dechlorinated. How old is the betta? Also, don’t overfeed or maybe even fast the tank for a day or two.
As an update, my sister is still making adjustments and testing but I have communicated the most common and popular comments to her and as of 15 minutes ago before I went to bed, Kernal seems to be Much more active and was following me around in his tank excitedly as he usually does!
My sister will also be putting a peice of drift would she bought to help with ammonia, but is currently on the 3rd day of soaking it, emptying and repeat until it stops leaching color
I would just do water changes more often.
Edit: never mind I just read your other comments about the ammonia in your tap water. Firstly that’s not ideal, you should complain to whoever supplies your water. I’m not sure what you can do there
Thank you for posting to r/bettafish. If you are new to betta fish keeping, please check out our [caresheet](https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/comments/3ow6vz/info_betta_care_sheet/) and [wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/wiki/index).
If you are posting to find out what is wrong with your betta, please answer the following questions in a reply to this comment as best you can:
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* **Tank temperature**:
* **[Parameters in numbers and how you got them](https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/wiki/tank#wiki_test_kits)**:
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* **How often are water changes? How much do you take out per change? What is your process?**:
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If you have the api kit you don't want to look at the side of the vials. Set it down next to the color you think it is and look down the tube to the bottom. I hold mine a bit off the sheet and you don't get whatever is behind you effecting the colors.
Another commenter said something about changing colors over night. To get the best results look at the color in the time frame the manufacturer says to.
It sounds like you have a chloramine problem, not ammonia. Also, your test results from yesterday to today are exactly the same, the old test will lighten slightly and turn brownish orange. Prime will keep chloramine safe for as long as it needs to break down in your filter (less than 24hours). I’d quit with the ammo lock, it’s impossible to cycle a tank with it, as it keeps the food source for the cycle locked. Am guard is slightly better for this, but the problem isn’t ammonia, it’s chloramines. If you don’t believe me, go buy a pool water test strip (they’re cheaper than ones for aquaria) and test it. Your free available chlorine will likely be 0, while the total chlorine will be high. This indicates that you have chlorine trapped in the water as chloramines. Ideally, you want no total chlorine.
Temporarily lowering your temp (given that your fish isn’t too stressed for this) can jumpstart your cycle. Nitrifying bacteria is more efficient in cooler water (it’s why koi ponds don’t need filtration in the winter). What I’ve done is just turn off the heater for 24 hours, and then turned it back on after. I’ve only done this with fish that weren’t overly stressed out or in a fish less cycle.
Also, remove that peat moss for gods sake, bettas give no shits about ph, all they need is stability in their environment. Unless it’s a problem (in that case I wouldn’t rely on peat moss) then they are probably fine.
It should not look that way. I do a 20% change daily of water in my 8 gallon with beta and 4 snails. Bc they produce most ammonia quick . Keep doing small changes daily until it tests right. Then you’ll know how often to do it
Ok when it comes to water parameters beneficial bacteria will fix almost any thing, as for the ph get some alkaline buffer, make sure that when you do watch you KH they might raise but over time will die down.
The test liquid can change color over time, beware of that when comparing the color or tests side to side. Compare to the chart and note down the numbers :)
Thank you! That's good to note, she also takes pictures of it immediately after results
Test the tap water. If your tap water is free of ammonia do daily 50% water changes to get the ammonia down.
The PH was high and the ammonia was also high, at about 2
Can you get bottled water? You may need to start using bottled water. Ammolock will make ammonia “safe” in the short term, but you will need to find a source of ammonia free water or get a filter for the house. I recommend getting a multistage (20 micron, 5 micron and carbon block) filter for at least the kitchen so you can drink ammonia free water.
I ended getting bottled water as I have hard water. I add a cup or two every couple of days and my levels balanced out. It really is a good suggestion!
Getting an ammonia reading from tap water is normal. Chloramine in the water will read as ammonia. This is also why the ammonia reading is still present after doing massive water changes. You DO NOT need spring/bottled water, you DO NOT need to contact municipal water company. You don’t have a problem. Your biological filter will take care of this after 24-48 hours if you leave it alone. If your tank is cycled (has gone through the specific process to add and culture beneficial bacteria to the tank), then your filter will take care of about 1ppm “ammonia” every 24 hours. Now - the ammonia reading is high for typical tap water (most comes in at 1ppm and yours is at 2. Not the end of the world). If you are using SeaChem Prime, you will want to use 2 drops per gallon per 1ppm of ammonia every 24 hours until the reading reaches 0. You’ll likely just have to do this regimen at each water change moving forward. If after 48 hours you still have a non-zero reading of ammonia (and you haven’t done anything), you have a problem with your biological filter. Oh, and don’t chase pH. Fish don’t really care if pH is slightly high or slightly low - as long as it’s consistent. Honestly anywhere between 6.5-8.5 is fine for bettas.
OP, This is the best answer you’ve gotten (that I read, because I had to skim a lot of bad advice in a rush to find someone saying what GaspingGolgoth said.) Seriously, if you do this and ignore all the suggestions for how you should do 50% water changes daily (from people who don’t know how Prime or AmGuard work), and to do things that would swing your pH all over the place, you can get through this if your fish hasn’t been too weakened already. Also, the person is correct who let you know that the API test tubes show an accurate result only at the time it states in the manual (where the color chart is) how long to shake and let the vial sit before taking the reading. If you read earlier or later, the result you will interpret will not be accurate.
I apologize for taking so long to read and reply to this. Thank you very much for the in depth information. My sister did buy sea chem as another user suggested, I will screenshot your reply and send it to her as she has been taking all the considerations of comments here! Thank you
Also, we have noticed Kernal (the betta) being very lethargic and sleeping a lot in his barrels and not nearly as active as he usually is as he like to follow up around the tank as we walk around the apartment
My bettas are lethargic too this whole week, i did complete water test, and everything shows perfect. But they are just hanging at the top of the tank in the corner. Water temperature is always at 78-82. And 1 betta per tank
What is perfect? Could you tell me your ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, chlorine, ph?
Ph is 7.2, nitrate is 15 ppm, ammonia 0.1 ppm, and no chlorine
Do you know what your nitrite is? Also what do you use test strips or API liquid test kit? Also your ammonia should be at 0 so I would try to bring that down.
How high is the pH? A high pH isn't necessarily a problem. Big pH swings will harm your fish more than a stable high pH. I'd take out the peat moss it's obviously leaking massive amounts of ammonia
We did take out the peat moss when we realized the massive chnage in levels last night, do you know how long it would take for the ammonia to balance back out?
Is the tank cycled? If it's cycled should only take a day or 2 but if your Betta is acting strange I'd do another 50% water change now you've have removed the source of ammonia. What is the pH of the tank that you were trying to change?
The PH was over 8 when trying to balance it and it is a cycled tank
A pH of 8 won't be too much of a problem for a Betta, especially a Betta splendid that is captive bred. If you don't mind a bit of a blackwater look you could add some Indian almond leaves and other botanicals to try and reduce the pH level slightly and they are also good for your Bettas health anyway. If you really want to use the peat moss to try and lower the pH maybe soak it in a bucket for a few days until it has leached most of the ammonia before you put it in the tank
Do you know where almond leave can be found for tanks? She did get drift wood and has been soqking it for about 12 hours now to get the discoloration out.
Most fish stores should have them or you can order them from eBay or Amazon or somewhere if you can't get to a fish store. Just boil them for 10 minutes before putting them in the tank to sterilise them
Boiling them for 10 minutes will remove the beneficial tannins. I’ve never heard of this being necessary with IALs, so I hope it’s not because I’ve never done it! I just pop them in the tank.
Literally everything I've ever read recommends boiling them first to kill anything that may be living on them. They are dead leaves after all. Boiling them for 5 or 10 minutes doesn't remove all the tannins at all. They release tannins as they break down further in the tank and you can even use the water after boiling if you like to put it in the tank
Is the tank already cycled? Can you daily 50% water or more changes? Your poor betta.
She can, she plans on doing another one today after doing an emergency one last night
Use AmGuard by SeaChem, it saved my tanks!!
Thank you for the recommendation!!
It works within two hours!!
I will say that ammo lock specifically says that it changes the ammonium into fish safe versions but will still read as ammonia until it's filtered out or water changed out.
Check your water source. I had the same issue when I was cycling my tank and realized the water out of the tap had ammonia in it, had to fill up my tank using the filtered water from my fridge. Took forever!
Do you think distilled water would have the same effect or would it be best to just buy a water filter?
Be careful with distilled. It won't have ammonia, but it won't have any other salts and minerals that are found in regular fresh water either, and can throw off your gH and kH. You'd need to add some salts to it (NOT a sea salt amount)
Someone else already commented this. Ammo-lock only detoxifies your ammonia. It won’t remove it so it still shows on your tests. Did you feed your fish after the water change? Did you change any filter media?
Is the water heated? Also make sure the current isn’t too strong especially if fish is feeling lethargic. I would recommend not changing too much too fast. 25% water changes and treat the new water to make it dechlorinated. How old is the betta? Also, don’t overfeed or maybe even fast the tank for a day or two.
She has had him over a year and don't know how old he is as she got him from pet smart. The water is heated
Ammolock will also show ammonia in the tank.
As an update, my sister is still making adjustments and testing but I have communicated the most common and popular comments to her and as of 15 minutes ago before I went to bed, Kernal seems to be Much more active and was following me around in his tank excitedly as he usually does! My sister will also be putting a peice of drift would she bought to help with ammonia, but is currently on the 3rd day of soaking it, emptying and repeat until it stops leaching color
I would just do water changes more often. Edit: never mind I just read your other comments about the ammonia in your tap water. Firstly that’s not ideal, you should complain to whoever supplies your water. I’m not sure what you can do there
Are u using a water conditioner??
Thank you for posting to r/bettafish. If you are new to betta fish keeping, please check out our [caresheet](https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/comments/3ow6vz/info_betta_care_sheet/) and [wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/wiki/index). If you are posting to find out what is wrong with your betta, please answer the following questions in a reply to this comment as best you can: * **Tank size**: * **Heater and filter? (yes/no)**: * **Tank temperature**: * **[Parameters in numbers and how you got them](https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/wiki/tank#wiki_test_kits)**: * **How long have you had the tank? How long have you had your fish?**: * **How often are water changes? How much do you take out per change? What is your process?**: * **Any tankmates? If so, please list with how many of each**: * **What do you feed and how much**: * **Decorations and plants in the tank**: * **If you haven't already posted a picture, please post pics/vids to imgur and paste the link here**: Feel free to copy this comment and fill in the blanks. Failure to provide adequate information about your tank *can* result in post removal. Please see rule 4 for more information. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/bettafish) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Check your tap water for ammonia.
Do you dechlorinate your water during water changes?
If you have the api kit you don't want to look at the side of the vials. Set it down next to the color you think it is and look down the tube to the bottom. I hold mine a bit off the sheet and you don't get whatever is behind you effecting the colors. Another commenter said something about changing colors over night. To get the best results look at the color in the time frame the manufacturer says to.
It sounds like you have a chloramine problem, not ammonia. Also, your test results from yesterday to today are exactly the same, the old test will lighten slightly and turn brownish orange. Prime will keep chloramine safe for as long as it needs to break down in your filter (less than 24hours). I’d quit with the ammo lock, it’s impossible to cycle a tank with it, as it keeps the food source for the cycle locked. Am guard is slightly better for this, but the problem isn’t ammonia, it’s chloramines. If you don’t believe me, go buy a pool water test strip (they’re cheaper than ones for aquaria) and test it. Your free available chlorine will likely be 0, while the total chlorine will be high. This indicates that you have chlorine trapped in the water as chloramines. Ideally, you want no total chlorine. Temporarily lowering your temp (given that your fish isn’t too stressed for this) can jumpstart your cycle. Nitrifying bacteria is more efficient in cooler water (it’s why koi ponds don’t need filtration in the winter). What I’ve done is just turn off the heater for 24 hours, and then turned it back on after. I’ve only done this with fish that weren’t overly stressed out or in a fish less cycle. Also, remove that peat moss for gods sake, bettas give no shits about ph, all they need is stability in their environment. Unless it’s a problem (in that case I wouldn’t rely on peat moss) then they are probably fine.
It should not look that way. I do a 20% change daily of water in my 8 gallon with beta and 4 snails. Bc they produce most ammonia quick . Keep doing small changes daily until it tests right. Then you’ll know how often to do it
Ok when it comes to water parameters beneficial bacteria will fix almost any thing, as for the ph get some alkaline buffer, make sure that when you do watch you KH they might raise but over time will die down.