water changes

[meisacao]

Can someone please help me!! I'm getting ready to do a water change. I have mixed, in a 5 gallon bucket, r/o water with the salt. I am aerating it and heating it. I tested it and the amonia is .50. That is the only thing wrong with it, the amonia is too high, everything else is testing normal. I put a buffer in to lower the amonia and it's still not going down. I realize i'm suppose to wait 24 hours before using the water i've mixed, and i am waiting. I'm just worried that tomorrow it won't go down and if not what do i do? :help:

 

[jerthunter]

That seems extremely odd to me, there shouldn't be any ammonia in that water... It could be that your test is contaminated or just bad, or that the bucket you you used had been stuff in it already, maybe it was used with cleaning solutions before..
As far as what you can do to treat the water, you can add various ammonia removal products which it sounds like you already have used, however depending on your test kit it may still show up as being there because the ammonia is still there, just in a nontoxic form.... Of course it seems like the biggest problem is finding where the ammonia in your new water came from...

 

[hot883]

If the bucket is new (which it should be used only for sw) then it's a faulty testing. Not a uncommon thing with some brands of tests.

 

[meisacao]

The bucket is new, just bought today. The test kit i am using is Saltwater Master Liquid Test Kit made by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Is this a bad kit?
Thanks for all your help! You guys are always very helpful when i have questions. :joy: