Who Gives A Fish Forums

Yeah, you're on the right track now. NH3 is indeed the ammonia, and NH4 is ammonium. I personally just use the term ammonia for both, though - from our aquarium perspective, the difference isn't huge. It's basically just an extra hydrogen molecule due to pH.

coltin wrote: ↑Sat Jan 18, 2025 3:38 pm Can we see a pic or vid of your fish, just to get a better idea? Also, what's the history with him and the tank - how long has he been in there and what's the setup like? And what about water quality - have you tested it lately?

So my readings are in - ammonia/ammonium is at 0.05 and nitrite is 0.01. I'm not sure if these are good numbers or not, to be honest.

You're aiming for 0ppm, but 0.0X is super low, so you're good there. Anything at 0.5 or above is a concern, but not catastrophic. If ammonia breaks 1.0, that's when you've got a serious issue on your hands.

I checked JBL's website, and it says their test kit measures ammonia and ammonium combined, which they call total ammonia. The chart on their site shows measurements like less than 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, and so on. If the colour is bright yellow with no hint of green, that's basically zero.

coltin wrote: ↑Sat Jan 18, 2025 3:38 pm Can we see a pic or vid of your fish, just to get a better idea? Also, what's the history with him and the tank - how long has he been in there and what's the setup like? And what about water quality - have you tested it lately?

It's all clear now, thanks heaps @essjay and @coltin. I just checked on my little betta and he's back to his old self, pacing and flaring at his reflection - it's great to see.