Should I test for ammonia after bioload increase?

[TWYOUNG]

Todays total ammonia up slightly to 0.12 at pH 8.0. Only difference being test done midday after feeds begun instead of early AM as usual. Also 3" and plump Flame Hawk added 24 hours earlier. Not sure if either of these changes are significant.

 

[brandon429]

I like that minor feeding changes the readings a little. Seneye does the same / seems to reflect well on accuracy

 

[gbroadbridge]

Would it be helpful to test for ammonia in my tank after adding fish to ensure I'm not stressing my bio-filter by adding too much at once? If so, how long after the addition would a potential spike occur?

I have never tested for ammonia or nitrite.

Tanks cycle without watching them, and bio load increases within reason normally make no difference.

 

[brandon429]

GB

agreed
there’s a new a massive resurgence in the hobby of folks who do not agree


there are 5 really good ‘my cycle has broken on month 3/5/9’ threads and the entire collection of posts are hints to the OP their cycle is indeed broken. This thread here is only a snippet of hope for cycle trust, the others are slowly destroying the updates to cycle procedure that streamlines everybody we’ve made over the years.


in this thread the minor variances of ammonia and the fact it’s not zero we celebrate, track it out, take no action just interesting digital measure.


in the other five threads, because ammonia isn’t bone zero, total panic has ensued for a combined twenty pages and fish disease from skipping ALL preps isn’t a factor, it can’t be, the cycle is broken. They are panic buying multiple bottles of bac, losing sleep, posting that they’re going to take down their tank. All due to the differences between old and new cycling science.

the net effect of all stalled cycle posts is nobody discussing fish disease as a causative in the loss. there's an entire forum dedicated to study of disease incidence, and not one forum on any board in history for discussing stalled cycles. the hobby always drifts towards that which has no data for the explanation of fish loss in stalled cycle posts.

 

[TWYOUNG]

Haven't addressed this issue in quite some time but wanted to update on Hanna ammonia. I was testing very infrequently but when testing recently I was getting errors and discovered Hanna had to reformulate their reagents. Previously there were two liquids and a powder, now two powders and one liquid. They provided me with the new reagents and my test today read 0.0 ammonia. Not sure if that's an indication of a more mature tank or that prior tests results are unreliable. Certainly I have a more significant bioload than earlier so I have no idea.

 

[Salty_Northerner]

Haven't addressed this issue in quite some time but wanted to update on Hanna ammonia. I was testing very infrequently but when testing recently I was getting errors and discovered Hanna had to reformulate their reagents. Previously there were two liquids and a powder, now two powders and one liquid. They provided me with the new reagents and my test today read 0.0 ammonia. Not sure if that's an indication of a more mature tank or that prior tests results are unreliable. Certainly I have a more significant bioload than earlier so I have no idea.

I'm kinda in the same boat, set up a larger system and transferred all my animals to the new tank and ammonia is now my concern. My ammonia test kit isn't even showing me a color anywhere close to what the card shows. I ordered the RS ammonia test kit and waiting to receive it from BRS. I don't know if the fritz zyme 9 is interfering with the test kit or what but if been taking precautions for the meantime incase there is ammonia creap going on.

Better safe then sorry!