Guest Author - Jilly Florio

This product handles a lot of tasks at once, which is nice, but the container leaves a little to be desired. This product is mainly marketed to remove excess ammonia from current fish tanks, however, and there are times this will come in handy.

Ammo Lock 2 works well to eliminate BOTH chlorine and chloramine from tap water - a nice feature if you have chloramines in your municipal supply. The product does not add electrolytes or assist in slime coat production, but it does bind up ammonia to help reduce gill stress.

The product, by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals, is helpful for removing ammonia toxins between water changes. The product information indicates that ammonia is not eliminated so much as converted to a non-toxic form that nitrifying bacteria will still use. Ammonia converts to nitrites and nitrates via the helpful bacteria that feed on those chemicals. I would caution people not to soley rely on this product to keep fish safe from ammonia! You still need to do water changes. It is far more important to maintain a healthy balance of bacteria in your tank, than it is to try to "cheat" the system via ammonia-converting chemicals.

That said, you can certainly use Ammo-Lock to help keep ammonia levels under control between regular water changes, when you need to extend a day or two between water changes, you have accidently overfed your fish, or when new fish are added to the bio-load. For really ammonia-sensitive fish, this product is a must-have for those ammonia-spike emergencies.

Just remember that this product is not a panacea and you still have to watch your cycle levels. :)

The Ammo-Lock bottle itself does not come with any way to measure how much liquid you are using. You can not squeeze out drops or measure out ML, as with some nice, easier bottles on the market. For larger tanks, you might want to eyeball your pouring methods, as many experienced aquarists do. For people just learning about keeping fish healthy, you will need to keep a teaspoon measure handy. One teaspoon treats 10 gallons.

Overall, I would recommend having a bottle of this product on hand for its rather handy, emergency applications, and to use a different water conditioner (one that helps promote slime coat) for regular dechlorinating use.

Here is a link to this product for information from Amazon:



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