Ammonia from storage container?

[dlegare]

I have a very interesting problem. Ammonia is showing up in off the scale amounts in unused saltwater from a brute 35g.

The only strange thing I've noticed is a brownish precipitate on the bottom, sides, and any ledges within the container, more seems to accumulate on the bottom and ledges than sides.

I use red-sea coral pro salt.

The RO/DI water straight out of the system reads 0 TDS and 0 Ammonia.
A 5gallon Lowes bucket of RO/DI water has a measurable ammonia level but it is low.
The Brute 35g is off the scale using the Red Sea test kit.

I honestly found this by accident using the unused saltwater as a zero-point.

Is ammonia leaching out of the plastics or is something in the environment causing an elevation.

The container reading 0 is a 5gallon water bottle with air tight cap.

I'm thinking this is leaching out of the plastic.

Could something in the environment cause this?

The containers are all in my home.

 

[Diesel]

Consider mixing your salt in order to test in a other 5 gallon bucket.
If ammonia is in the high level it will be your salt.
It might is possible that you have a bad batch of salt.
Mean while clean your container with bleach and rinse just to let it dry in the sun.

 

[Larry L]

Do you use an ammonia binding product like Seachem Prime in your storage container? Some ammonia test kits (I don't know if Red Sea is one of them or not ) will get a false high readings when products like that are used, because the reagents raise the pH of the test sample very high, and it breaks down the bound ammonia and measures it along with the free ammonia.

 

[dlegare]

Do you use an ammonia binding product like Seachem Prime in your storage container? Some ammonia test kits (I don't know if Red Sea is one of them or not ) will get a false high readings when products like that are used, because the reagents raise the pH of the test sample very high, and it breaks down the bound ammonia and measures it along with the free ammonia.

No I don’t use any additives besides salt mix (Red Sea coral Pro)

The strange thing is the brute container has water that’s about 5 days old. The ro/di water is the same age.
Both show ammonia but the brute is literally off the scale.

The only container that is showing 0 ammonia is the ro/di that is in an air tight 5 gallon water dispenser bottle.

I was considering leaching from plastic bucket (Lowe’s 5gal) and Rubbermaid Brute.

Nothing I’m aware of would make the ammonia so high without some major dead organisms (in case of brute container).

I have never seen an ammonia level so high before.

The salt can’t be the culprit unless there is something in it braking down over time to yield the ammonia. Even if that is the case why would unsalted ro water also show traces of ammonia?

I have also confirmed our municipality does not use chloramine for water treatment.

This is very perplexing.

The more I think about it the more annoyed I get.

I have one more small pail of Red Sea salt. I’ll mix up a tiny batch and see if it tests + for ammonia.

For what it’s worth, my tap water is testing 0 ammonia and trace phosphate but RO/DI product water is testing 0 for both.

 

[dlegare]

No I don’t use any additives besides salt mix (Red Sea coral Pro)

The strange thing is the brute container has water that’s about 5 days old. The ro/di water is the same age.
Both show ammonia but the brute is literally off the scale.

The only container that is showing 0 ammonia is the ro/di that is in an air tight 5 gallon water dispenser bottle.

I was considering leaching from plastic bucket (Lowe’s 5gal) and Rubbermaid Brute.

Nothing I’m aware of would make the ammonia so high without some major dead organisms (in case of brute container).

I have never seen an ammonia level so high before.

The salt can’t be the culprit unless there is something in it braking down over time to yield the ammonia. Even if that is the case why would unsalted ro water also show traces of ammonia?

I have also confirmed our municipality does not use chloramine for water treatment.

This is very perplexing.

The more I think about it the more annoyed I get.

I have one more small pail of Red Sea salt. I’ll mix up a tiny batch and see if it tests + for ammonia.

For what it’s worth, my tap water is testing 0 ammonia and trace phosphate but RO/DI product water is testing 0 for both.

Now here’s an interesting situation...

I was filling my RO storage container and wanted to see if I had any ammonia contamination. I used a simple freshwater dip test and the ammonia was zero. About a minute later I noticed the edges of the test square turning green. A few minutes later the strip was at max for ammonia.

So I took another strip dipped in the RO water and then went outside. After 10 minutes no ammonia reading. So for giggles I took the strip inside. Within 20 minutes max ammonia reading again.

I’m no longer ammused by this. Where can ammonia be generated in my house?

Nothing smells. I even had a neighbor come over just in case I’m nose blind.

Atmospheric ammonia in high enough concentrations to show on a test strip and also absorb into water must be wreaking havoc on my body!

Any ideas?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Now here’s an interesting situation...

I was filling my RO storage container and wanted to see if I had any ammonia contamination. I used a simple freshwater dip test and the ammonia was zero. About a minute later I noticed the edges of the test square turning green. A few minutes later the strip was at max for ammonia.

So I took another strip dipped in the RO water and then went outside. After 10 minutes no ammonia reading. So for giggles I took the strip inside. Within 20 minutes max ammonia reading again.

I’m no longer ammused by this. Where can ammonia be generated in my house?

Nothing smells. I even had a neighbor come over just in case I’m nose blind.

Atmospheric ammonia in high enough concentrations to show on a test strip and also absorb into water must be wreaking havoc on my body!

Any ideas?

I do not know if the result is real or an artifact of waiting longer than you are intended to.

 

[Sierra_Bravo]

Here's a link to a forum thread in which the OP was having a similar issue. There is no conclusion, unfortunately, but they discuss quite a few scenarios on what could cause airborne ammonia:

https://www.nano-reef.com/forums/to...d-to-air-in-my-house-accumulates-ammonia-why/

 

[dlegare]

I do not know if the result is real or an artifact of waiting longer than you are intended to.

I would be willing to consider error due to excessive time however that does not explain why test strips outside don't change color until brought back inside, nor why any water left open to air has an ammonia level that slowly accumulates over time.

I have done some reading and it is possible that a cat litter box could cause gaseous ammonia that in theory could show up in sources of water open to air. I don't have a cat, and neither does my attached neighbor (duplex). I have also read that agricultural contamination is possible but there are no farms in my area. And that would not, at least I hope, contribute to the levels I see in water that has been left out for more than 48 hours.

It is all very strange.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Ammonia in the air at low levels is not a concern. I'm not certain how ammonia in air translates to ammonia on that strip, but foods and all sorts of things have ammonia in them and are not an issue.

"OSHA has set an 8-hour exposure limit of 25 ppm and a short-term (15-minute) exposure limit of 35 ppm for ammonia in the workplace. NIOSH recommends that the level in workroom air be limited to 50 ppm for 5 minutes of exposure."

 

[Gapletona]

I was having the same issue with a Rubbermaid slim Jim that I was using as part of an auto change setup. I bleached the containers and let them dry in the sun. Haven’t had a problem in those containers again but still can’t get my tank below .5 even after multiple water changes, including removing everything, filtering all of the substrate and doing a 50% water change. It doesn’t seem to be effecting my tank inhabitants, just annoying.

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

I was having the same issue with a Rubbermaid slim Jim that I was using as part of an auto change setup. I bleached the containers and let them dry in the sun. Haven’t had a problem in those containers again but still can’t get my tank below .5 even after multiple water changes, including removing everything, filtering all of the substrate and doing a 50% water change. It doesn’t seem to be effecting my tank inhabitants, just annoying.

Hi @Gapletona and welcome to R2R it's hard to say where your ammonia is coming from, but it's definitely problematic. Try creating a new thread describing your problem in our Reef Aquarium Discussion forum, or our New to Saltwater and Reef Aquarium forum. This will give your problem the visibility it needs

Also, feel free to stop by the Meet and Greet forum to introduce yourself and your tank!

 

[Dr. Reef Verified Sponsor]

chloramine passing through rodi unit?