[Do You Have A LFS?]

I have two local fish stores, but they are both 30-45 minutes from my house and I find myself going to Petco 5 minutes from my house for some basics at times. For livestock, I will drive to the LFS.

[Tap water has ammonia]

My tap water reads 1 ppm ammonia. I just double the normal dose of Seachem Prime and that seems to stop any problems. The tank water will read the ammonia for about 48 hours and then will read zero ammonia. This does lead to more nitrates, but my nitrates are still around 20 ppm at all times, so it's fine.

[Grumpy Rant + What large fish would you like miniaturized?]

I would love a miniature oscar. Somehow you have also made me want a light up coaster.

[Just wanted to brag]

Nice tanks! I have a similar mix with two 10-gallons, one 20 gallon, and one 40 gallon.

[Why are you in the Aquarium Hobby?]

I've always loved animals in general and had quite a few small fish, mainly guppies, growing up. Then I went to college and became a vet and did not find time for fish. Recently, there have been a lot of personal stresses in my life, plus COVID, and I felt drawn to fish again. They have helped me cope with this year, keeping me busy with research/learning curve (vets don't learn much about fish in school!). I just love to watch them. I love to watch Cory's live streams. It's so relaxing to focus on something "optional" that is also quite fascinating and involves nature and biology. I even love water changes! It is therapeutic for me. I found myself with two extra tanks full of fish when our local community college reached out to me for help - They didn't have the staff on campus to care for their fish tanks due to COVID. I took them home and had fun learning what species I suddenly owned and upgrading their tank sizes.

[1 ppm Ammonia in Tap Water]

I tested both before and after dechlorinating, although I only waited about 5 minutes after using Seachem Prime on the "after" sample. The results were the same. 1 ppm ammonia and 0 nitrates showing up.

[1 ppm Ammonia in Tap Water]

Hi,

I'm pretty new to the hobby and am enjoying this forum! I have the API master test kit and recently noticed a trace ammonia reading in one of my tanks. This was new, so I tested my tap water. The tap water reads 1 ppm ammonia! After 48 hours or so in the fish tank (it is fully cycled), the water will be down to trace to no ammonia. Any chance this 1 ppm reading is an artifact? Should I be concerned? I don't want to stress the fish every time I do a water change, but tap water is sort of my only option for water changes. I know our city water has chlorine and chloramines in it. Any help appreciated.