FishProfiles.com Message Forums

Somehow something got into my water mixing container and stuck to my powerhead. Floating plants from the nearby tank maybe. It started to break down and created high ammonia and nitrites in my new saltwater which nearly crashed my tank before I realized why I couldn't get the nitrates down. I completely took the powerhead apart and scrubbed it as much as I could. As soon as I ran it again I got an ammonia reading 2 days later. So I took it apart and scrubbed it yet again down to every last part. I ran it with freshwater for awhile and got 2ppm ammonia so again I took it apart and scrubbed it and I just can't find anything else. Thinking maybe my container was the problem I filled it and mixed up saltwater with my powerhead. The next day I moved the powerhead and 2 gallons of water to a bucket. A week later the water in the container still reads the ~1ppm it had when I moved the powerhead out. The bucket is off the charts. The ammonia has gone beyond the dark green of my test kit into a dark blue color so it's at least 10ppm. What could give that kind of ammonia reading? I can't find anything in the powerhead and aside from taking the motor apart which is waterproofed anyway I've scrubbed it completely. Anyway to clean the powerhead or do I have to trash it and get a new one?

Did you check your source water?

If your source water is fine, mix a small batch of SW in something other than your mixing container without your powerhead, use an airstone or something. Then check that.

If that's fine, use the powerhead in there. If that's fine, then it's got to be your mixing container leeching ammonia for some reason.

I can't imagine your powerhead giving off ammonia like that. especially if you scrubbed it out. just check each item individually. Could be the source water, the salt, the powerhead, or the mix container.

---

Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

I checked source water. The ammonia hasn't gone up in the mixing container since removing the powerhead but it has no circulation or heat. Would that make a difference? I've never tested how to make ammonia appear as fast as possible but I would think leaving it for a week even without heat or circulation would be enough of a test for the container.

Just because the ammonia hasn't gone up in the mixing container, doesn't mean that isn't the source of the problem, it might have just reached saturation. I'd clean out your mixing container with a 10:1 water bleach solution, then give it a go with really hot water. Then mix a fresh batch, making sure to add some dechlor if there might be any chlorine left over. Use something other than the powerhead to agitate the water, like an air pump. If this is ammonia free after a few days, then I'd just get a new powerhead.

---

Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients