General Care Discussion :: Ammonia removers???

[Tattoo]

I was looking at petsmart.com and noticed they have ammonia removers or ammonia Clear. Is this safe or ok to use in my turtles water?

[SpotsMama]

I don't know, but if your bio filter's working you really don't need it. Are you getting bad results when you test your water for ammonia?

[Tattoo]

not really, I have had the tank for about 21/2 weeks and only had to do a 75% water change once and that was sunday night . I checked the ammonia levels yesterday and it is getting close to changing it again.

[SpotsMama]

What kind of filter do you have? You know with a new tank and filter, you have to go through a cycle where the ammonia and nitrites first build up, then this fuels the bio filter, and pretty soon the bio filter will neutralize all the ammonia and nitrites. But this initial process can take a couple of weeks. If you remove the ammonia with a chemical, then the bio filter will never really get started.

[Tattoo]

so just do a partial water change once a week?

[SpotsMama]

Is your turtle in the tank right now? What kind of filter do you have and how large is the tank? Is it clouding up - water turning white?

[Tattoo]

40 gallon tank, not sure of brand of filter it came with tank set up. No I have not had any problem with cloudy water. My water stays very clear and is not slime to the touch. Yes turtle has been in new tank for about 2 weeks now.

[SpotsMama]

That's a pretty good sized tank but I'm guessing the filter isn't real strong. I'm also guessing it's just a mechanical filter and doesn't have bio media in it - is that correct? Does it use carbon?

Try partial water changes once a week with full water change monthly and see how it goes. Test for ammonia and nitrites frequently and if the numbers start going up then you'll have to do water changes more often.

[Tattoo]

The filter has great suction and it had something to do with bio because it has a cartritge that the instuction called a bio something..lol i can't remember but the instuction said never to throw away or rinse.

[SpotsMama]

Ok - that's very good. If the filter's working like it should then the bio filter part of it should keep the ammonia neutralized. Then, you'll only need to do partial water changes every week or so and bigger water changes monthly to remove the nitrate so it doesn't build up. Just keep an eye on the test results for awhile to make sure everything is working like it should.

[Tattoo]

Thanks for the help!

[pitbulljc]

test kits after time go bad also, and will give in an inaccurate reading.Found this out with my saltwater test kit