aquaknight
Active Member
I did find this online, and Amquel website backs it up, that if your dKH is low, Amquel can cause the pH to drop. As well as finding multiple statements that Amquel will affect the ammonia test. If you're using a basic drop ammonia test, it's going to be inaccurate with Amquel. You need a two-part, ie the test Don Trinko mentioned.
Using Amquel is a good solution, but if you go that route, consider two things:
Amquel will lead most ammonia tests to yield inaccurate results. Most common ammonia tests use the Nessler method; these tests have a single set of chemicals or reagents. Using these tests with Amquel will lead to incorrect results. You will need a salicylate based ammonia test; these tests have two sets of reagents that you use to test for ammonia.
Also, if your water is low in carbonate hardness (often called KH), Amquel can cause your pH to drop precipitously. Don't be too concerned about this; most newbies don't have KH test kits, although your LFS can measure it for you. If water has low KH (below 3 degrees or 100ppm), it has limited ability to resist acids that can cause pH to drop. In water with low KH, Amquel can cause pH to drop very low, which can lead to a number of other problems.
For these reasons, I recommend using Amquel as a very short-term solution for high ammonia. Water changes are much safer (and cheaper!) way to control ammonia levels.
Using Amquel is a good solution, but if you go that route, consider two things:
Amquel will lead most ammonia tests to yield inaccurate results. Most common ammonia tests use the Nessler method; these tests have a single set of chemicals or reagents. Using these tests with Amquel will lead to incorrect results. You will need a salicylate based ammonia test; these tests have two sets of reagents that you use to test for ammonia.
Also, if your water is low in carbonate hardness (often called KH), Amquel can cause your pH to drop precipitously. Don't be too concerned about this; most newbies don't have KH test kits, although your LFS can measure it for you. If water has low KH (below 3 degrees or 100ppm), it has limited ability to resist acids that can cause pH to drop. In water with low KH, Amquel can cause pH to drop very low, which can lead to a number of other problems.
For these reasons, I recommend using Amquel as a very short-term solution for high ammonia. Water changes are much safer (and cheaper!) way to control ammonia levels.
