Effects of Ammonia on the Reef Aquarium

Ammonia is a nitrogen-based compound that can be found in the water of reef aquariums. If the ammonia levels are high enough, it can kill your fish. Aquariums must be tested for ammonia on a regular basis.

  1. Death Cycle

    • Once source for ammonia in a reef aquarium is a decomposing body. If a fish or other creature in the aquarium dies, its body will produce ammonia as it decomposes. This will cause the the fish to begin to die off. As they die, their decomposing bodies will create more ammonia, which will add to the problem and cause more fish to die. This can quickly turn into a bad cycle which can result in the death of every fish or other creature in the tank.

    Other Ammonia Sources

    • Waste from fish is the main source of ammonia in an aquarium. The more fish there are in the tank, the more an owner needs to worry about the ammonia levels.

    Regulating Ammonia

    • Fortunately, ammonia is routinely regulated by bacteria that live in the aquarium. The bacteria convert the ammonia into nitrite and other bacteria then convert the nitrite into nitrate, which is not harmful to the fish. The bacteria will not be present in a new aquarium, so it is a good idea to add rocks, sand and water from an established aquarium that already contains the bacteria. If this isn't possible, there are commercial products that claim to contain live cultures that can be added to new aquariums.

    Testing For Ammonia

    • There are several different types of test kits available that require you to dip a test strip into water. The strip is coated with a substance that will react with ammonia, if there is any. The substance will change colors to indicate how much ammonia is in the water. According to Reefkeeping online magazine, you should treat the water for high ammonia levels if tests indicate ammonia presence of 0.1 part per million or more.

    Treating For Ammonia

    • The easiest way to reduce ammonia levels is to replace a portion of the salt water with clean salt water. If you replace half the water, you would expect to see the ammonia levels drop by half.

      Another way to treat for high ammonia is to put a chemical compound in the water that will bind with the ammonia, reducing the levels. These can be bought at a fish supply store.

    Temperature and pH

    • The temperature and pH levels of the water influence how ammonia affects the fish. In general, the lower the temperature and pH levels, the less impact the ammonia will have.