I just attempted to test my water for ammonia with a test kit. My water is so green that it already looks like it has ammonia in it before I even add any chemicals. It's going to throw the test off. How do you test greenwater for ammonia? It looks impossible with a standard test kit.
I got a feeling my ammonia is at or near zero already and that I've been getting false ammonia readings before. I might have kept reducing their food till they ate all the algae and then the ammonia tested for zero when it might have been zero all along...
It is possible after the fish ate all the algae they started eating only fish food and required massive amounts. Now that the algae is back they don't eat nearly as much catfood. I also can only see about six inches down. But there is no cloudiness to the water. Only deep green. Almost black! The fish waste has also gone from brown to green again.
My new pool is 1800+ gallons. It's easy to mentally round up to 2000 gallons but I rarely fill it over 1500. I think this has been part of my problem. Going from 4000 gallons to 1500 is taking a little getting used to. My new pool is closer to 1/3 of the old pool. Not 1/2 the size... This will help a lot even though I'm pretty much playing everything by ear instead of measuring. With cats eating my fish food and greenwater affecting my test kits; playing it by ear is becoming my only choice!
