Help Asap!!!!

[Beverly]

Originally Posted by pre-2k

going to my LFS today but this has NEVER happen b4 ???????? with tap water

If you've been using tapwater all this time, you have been adding about 1 ppm ammonia/ammonium in your new salt water. In the spring, with all kinds of extra stuff in the river's water, ammonia levels probably rise above 1 ppm when they increase the chloramine levels. Your lfs may not know this, but I hope they do.

BTW, what test kit are you using? Are you using a dechlorinator along with your salt in the tapwater?

I did a quick test of unsalted tapwater using an Aquarium Pharmaceutical ammonia test kit:

Tapwater without Prime - 1 ppm ammonia

Tapwater Treated with Prime - 0 pmm ammonia

The fact is that ammonia is present in Edmonton's tapwater. After treatment with a dechlorinator, Edmonton's tapwater will have the same amount of ammonium as there was of ammonia before using a dechlorinator.