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Hi

Has anyone had any experience with this product and can attest to its effectiveness? Does it really remove ammonia to the extent that my fish will be safe until I replace the chips, which according to the manufacturer is in about 1 month?

Thanks!


*Mitch*

They might well work, but why on earth use them? It would be a cyclic dependancy on a product that would cost you much more in the long run than a simple internal filter with a sponge insert, that could easily be squeezed out monthly and re-used, thus incurring no further expense. You know a filter will always perform, whereas you cannot know the saturation point or breakdown rate of a batch of ammo chips.

Basically with the existing technology we have, a cycle is an inevitability, so might as well get a tank cycled and keep it that way. Its so much safer than relying on ammonia absorbing chemicals. Most of them are marketing, very inefficient compared to good filtration. They create dependancy, and id rather myself or my fish were not the worms on the end of that particular hook.

Ammonia reductors are best used for short term emergencies, and even then their effectiveness has its limits. Most people find there is no necessity for them and do very well, if not miles better without. They are among the least effective and most expensive ways to protect your fish from ammonia damage, plus the true and often unillustrated difficulties of usage are legion. Better to go with regular filtration and cycle a tank pretty much every time.

Such products are usually a beginners trap.My advice is avoid them.

Thanks for replying. They will be used for an emergency situation that I am facing. I have betta tanks of 4 and 5 gallons that are not cycled. I do weekly 100% water changes on them. I did try the fishless method of cycling but was unsuccessful. I'm in a time crunch now. I'm leaving for a 3 week holiday on Saturday, and I have no one that can perform any water changes. Not the best situation to be in, I know, but I did try no water changes for 2.5 weeks on one tank with minimal ammonia registering and no visible harm to the fish. I was hoping that adding the ammo-chips would give my fish every possible chance of survival. I do have 3 other cycled tanks but the tankmates would not be compatible with any of my bettas. I've no choice but to use the ammo-chips and hope for the best.


*Mitch*

If your little tanks have filters(could still add one) take some media out of your cycled tanks filters, rinse it in tankwater(not chlorinated tap), and use it on the betta tanks. That may even completely cycle them so long as you feed light. If you lack filters you can either pick up some small HOBs designed for 5g tanks or take a couple of the sponge filters that have plastic cases and replace the sponge with the other filter media. Doesn't have to be functional mechanically it just has to have enough oxygen and water going through it to work as a biofilter.

Are the fish being fed for those 3 weeks?

The chips do help, but they also fill up at some point (hard to judge with a single betta, depends on the product) and then you get a bit of an ammonia spike. IF you make it home before the spike, all well and good, if not then you'll be looking at some sad fishies.

Is there someone watching the fish and feeding them? If so, get yourself some old stockings or media bags, and fill them with the chips, and get the person to take the old one out and put the new one in every week. If it dos spike, having a new lot come in should arrest it and ensure a lower spike than if it was left until the end. Hopefully it won't happen at all. I'd actually be surprised if you got a spike while using the chips in a 5 gal with a single fish, however you applied them.

Can you possibly jar them up and take them to a mate's place? someone with a tank or fish experience? maybe stick-on barracks in the other tanks?

If you can, I'd be considering running a small air pump and sponge filter (tap it down or split the flow to cut the airflow right back) as well. If you can stick the sponge in your other tank until you leave, it should give you a bit more stability. Run it with the chips or without, there are pros and cons to both options and since you won't be there it'll be very much a stab in the dark as to which is the safer choice for this interim period.

For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

Hi Guys

I do have someone that will be coming in every day to feed and check up on all my fish however no way will this person be able to do water changes. I'm asking a lot just to have her come in and feed them. My betta tanks have filters and air pumps and I did think of using media from my established tanks to do the cycling but I was told that because my betta tanks do not have heaters in them the bacteria would not survive, eventhough tank temperature is around the 70 degree area. This is the reason why I wasn't able to cycle in the first place. Anyhow, I've added the chips at double the amount required for the size of my tanks and crossing my fingers.


*Mitch*

Bacteria are hardy things, if something can be hardy and delicate all at once. You'd get some die-off, but providing you changed the temperatures slowly then you should be OK. I've done media transfer between cold and tropical and tropical to temperate before and it has worked. It isn't perfect, but is certainly isn't nil benefit Worst case scenario you get a small cycle from the bacteria die-off. Maybe try with a tank when you get back, or if you are worried, get a pack of biospira or nitravec or something and jump start using that.

Best of luck! Let us know how it went when you return

For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

The ammochips will keep ammonia levels at 0 for a little while depending on how much you use and how much ammonia is being produced. They can also be used to cycle a tank. It is not the same as adding chemicals to the water, this is a porous stone called zeolite the occurs naturally (but can be produced commerically as well) that naturally has a negative ionic charge. When ammonia (NH4+) flows past it it attracts to the negative charge of the zeolite and it holds the ammonia captive in it, releasing sodium ions instead. Over time beneficial bacteria will start colonising the zeolite since it actually has great surface area for the bacteria to populate and all that ammonia is being held in it, ready and waiting for bacteria to break it down. By the time the zeolite wears out, there's a good chance that you will already have a healthy colony of bacteria on it that will continue to break down ammonia for you. This, however, will have no effect on nitrites. So what you will see is 0 ammonia, then once the bacteria start colonising the zeolite, you will see a nitrite spike.

If you have zeolite that is exhausted, you can recharge it so to speak by letting it sit overnight in very salty water. Obviously if you use it to cycle, this would be bad because it would probably kill any good bacteria that are on it.

Hi everyone

Well, I'm back from my holidays and happy to report that all my bettas have survived As soon as I arrived on Wednesday I checked on them and they all appeared fine. I immediately did 100% water changes to all tanks and as of today none of my bettas are showing any adverse effects. Looks like the ammo-chips worked!


*Mitch*