Using prime/ ammo lock?

[Ab129]

I am using these products only in my 10 gal QT which has 2 fish in it, a small Valentini Puffer and a fairy wrasse. I do 33% water changes every other day.
Just checked ammonia and it's high, 2.0 ppm.
Am I correct in assuming that despite the reading these products should minimize any negative impact on the fish or do I need to do a big water change and soon!

 

[ROB2005]

How long have you had that qt tank set up?

 

[Ab129]

11 days

 

[Jason9488]

Sounds like it has not cycled yet

 

[Ab129]

It is not my objective to cycle the tank

 

[ROB2005]

What is your intention then? Correct me if I'm wrong but I think you know that any amount of ammonia is toxic or in the least stressful to fish, even if you are qt'ing.

 

[Ab129]

Prime and ammo lock claim to somehow bind to the ammonia and detoxify it.
What I want to know is if it is normal for the ammonia levels to test high while using these products i.e. do they lower the toxicity but not the test results.
I just want to get these fish through QT till Friday night and then they're going into my DT.

 

[Ab129]

Just got my answer from the product website.
They claim the ammonia is present, hence the test result, but that it is in a safe form.

 

[krs1102]

Just got my answer from the product website.
They claim the ammonia is present, hence the test result, but that it is in a safe form.

I was told to use an ammonia badge for the tank and that it detects would detect if any of the "dangerous" ammonia was still present after prime. A test like API though doesn't discriminate between the safe and the unsafe form.

HTH.

 

[Ab129]

I bought an ammonia badge and unintentionally peeled off a piece of it that wasn't supposed to come off, which rendered it useless.
It was like $9 and looked like a cheap POS so I didn't buy another one.
I wonder how it can distinguish?

 

[krs1102]

It's been a while since I looked it up, but I want to say that the badge measures "Free ammonia" which is the toxic stuff (NH3) and the test kits measure "total ammonia" which is NH3 and NH4+

The main point is that the prime alters the bad ammonia into something not bad, but then you really can't use regular test kits anymore. The badges are the only way to go (or at least that was my take home point that I remembered after reading up on it).

 

[Rover88]

Ammo Lock and Prime bind it up to not hurt the fish. It is still there, but 'safe', as you have stated.

Just make SURE you are not using medications like Cupramine with prime or ammo-lock. The process by which those work strips something from the cupramine that turns it into the version of copper that is very bad for your fish. Its a QT tank so I'm not sure if you medicate, but its something to keep in mind!

Alternatively, just do more/bigger water changes. I don't really treat for ammonia in my QT, I have one of those seachem badges on the side but I also do regular 50% water changes. (Tankwater straight in whenever I do a water change on tank).