# Ammonia Reducing Filter Pad



## giants1249er (Aug 3, 2011)

Has anyone used these before and are they effective in reducing ammonia? If you don't use this, what do you use to decrease ammonia in the tank. Thanks for any advice.


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## BV77 (Jan 22, 2005)

partial water changes


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## blindkiller85 (Jan 8, 2011)

BV77 said:


> partial water changes


This. Proper care versus spending money on useless products unless there's a reason for them. 

Water is still cheaper than the products you can buy to care for your fish.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

I tend to recommend chemical ammonia removers (as opposed to detoxifiers) only in short-term situations. You have a lot of fry in a small tank or you are away from home, etc. Once you start a product like this, your ammonia-eating bacteria can starve and you can have an ammonia surge and "new tank syndrome" when the product is exhausted. Its a valid way to deal, I guess, but the cost adds up and you have to monitor ammonia levels and you still need water changes to take other stuff out and add minerals in. 

The nitrate-removers hold more interest for me, especially the rechargeable ones. But you really need a full complement of test kits and multiple sets of the ion-exchange pillows to use them properly long-term. I've only used them as a temporary stop gap measure in overstocked tanks.

Be very careful with 'nitrogen removers' that are reducing agents. They can take your sludge to nitrate to nitrite to ammonia to nitrogen gas and get rid of it. However, your fish may not survive the process.


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