Ammonia question

[Jagger]

I hope you all don't mind me linking to Koivet here but I think the last post from Roddy Conrad may help Erns a bit.

Have a read of Roddy's post Erns and see if that helps you come to terms with this reading.The fact that you can't find a local pond with zero ammonia may mean something.

An ammonia thread.

Hope that helps,and hope I'm in the clear for cross posting.

[jnorth]

Quote: Originally Posted by Jagger Hope that helps,and hope I'm in the clear for cross posting.

It's all good.

[Jeff Speck]

Also consider the location within the pond that you are doing the test. Right out of the waterfall you might get zero. Before the intake or in a "dead spot" where there may be inadequate flow, you may see a build-up of ambient ammonia.

[Erns]

Does anybody on this forum know who Spike Cover is and how I can get in contact with him?

[Eugeneg]

So I'm a bit confused. I've got no health problems (so far) and i've had excellent growth this season but according to the commercial test there is no ammonia and according to a digital test, there is plenty? How do I make sense out of this?
What do the tests show on the water you are putting in the pond ?
Regards
Eugene

[Erns]

I tested the tap water and with both testing methods I got 0.00ppm ammonia.

I've now learned that my meter uses a Nessler method and that is extremely sensitive. THe commercial test show a TAN ammonia reading of less than 0.1ppm. According to what I've read up only 2% of that within my temp range and ph is the dangerous NH3. So it's safe to say my ammonia is below 0.0025ppm. Therefore the fish is doing well. My digital meter measures nitrite at around 0.01ppm. It seems to be less sensitve with NO2 and NO3. So I am now conviced my water is pretty good for my koi.

[KoiCop]

Jagger . . .

Excellent cross-post with good advice from Dr. Roddy.

Erns . . .

I'm going to say it one last time: Any piece of high tech equipment, from ponding to space exploration, can be out of adjustment. I don't care how expensive it was or how good of a product it is. Stuff happens.

There's a reason your meter doesn't agree with all the other test results on all the other ponds you've mentioned -- and the simplest explanation, one which would explain everything you've discussed, is that your whoopdedoo meter's bubble ain't level.

So if you haven't calibrated your expensive piece of equipment against samples of known concentrations (or zero concentrations) then maybe -- just maybe -- it's wrong.

So check it out. End.

[Erns]

This is where the problem comes in....we bought two of these meters (you always get a better price when you buy two!) And we both get the same kind of readings on ammonia. My conclusion at this stage is that the meter uses the Nessler method and it's sensitive to other pollutants. The manual lists, acetone, alcohols, aldehydes, glycine, hardness above 1g/L, iron, organic chloramines, sulfide, various aliphatic and aromatic amines as possible interferences. So my guess is some where along the line our water is treated and something stayes around and causes a positive reading for ammonia.

[Erns]

After getting some info from the UK where these meters seems to be used by all the serious keepers I've finally got mine to work. I had to get rid of the dropper outlet on the bottles and use two 1ml syringes. seems 0. 2ml is more accurate than 5 drops...and whola! TAN is measured, accurately and digitally at 0.05ppm....at 16:00 in the afternood after 4 feedings! At a PH of 7.4 and temp of 16 degrees my 'dangerous' level of ammonia present is thus 0.05/100*.59= 0.0002ppm. Something I live with and I'm sure my koi are happy about!!

THere is alos a review on the original article that confused me in the latest (March/April) Koi USA on page 20....some good reading if you also own the orginal article.....

[KoiCop]

Erns . . .

Glad to see you've established why your meter was churning out silly stuff -- and have solved the problem.