Ammo Balls

[Aurora]

Hi everyone,

Just wondering what people think of ammo balls. If they are meant to absorb ammonia then why do people need to have filters with biological filteration and then do heaps of water changes to get rid of the nitrate, if you could just put some ammo balls in and let them absorb the ammonia. Then there would be no nitrate build up and no water changes. Would be cheaper too.

Of course the must be something wrong with this otherwise I would imagine everyone would be doing it. Just wondering what it is?

[Merrilyn]

Gee I wish it were that simple. But nothing in life ever is, especially if it has anything to do with discus LOL

I think people use ammo balls as an insurance to minimize the damage in case they get an ammonia spike. I think they need to be replaced every three months too. Doubt they would absorb a huge amount of ammonia over a long period, but more act as a safety net.

[flukes]

The ammo balls dont last for ever, and it does get a bit costly when replacing them all the time. I do sometimes use them when my bacteria is wiped out ro mthe filter..

[Aurora]

I set up a new tank for my discus pair on friday but I couldnt get the canister to work, so on saturday I bought some ammo balls for it and so far they have never looked happier. I am going to buy a new test kit tomorrow and then I will do some tests and see just how good the ammo balls have been at keeping everything cool. I will let you know the results.

[Aurora]

Well I brought the test kit and did the tests yesterday.
pH was fine at 7. Nitrite and nitrate were both at 0ppm as you would expect without the biological filteration. But ammonia was at 1ppm. The ammo balls are meant to do 100L each. I have 2. My tank is about 120L. So I guess this means they dont totally remove it all. I dont know what it would be if they werent in there though.
So it looks like its lots of water changes till I have the canister up to speed.

[Ben]

Dave, i have a couple of ehiem filters up for grabs if you would like them! see my other post. They would suit your tank just fine!

cheers,
Ben

[Aurora]

Thanks Ben, but I already have a canister for it, its just a matter of seeding it, etc.

Thanks anyway :)