Cycling A Tank With Urine (Yes This Is Serious)

[Alexp08]

Okay. Yes this is seriously a question. I was at my LFS the other day talking to the owner about how I was having trouble finding ammonia without surfactant and he suggested I just pee in my tank. I was a little confused and he is know to be very sarcastic so I wasn't sure if he was being serious so I just laughed it off.

But in thinking about it, it kind of makes sense. I mean there is ammonia in urine, albeit an unmeasureable amount by most people's means but there is. And if you're a healthy person urine for the most part is sterile.

So could this work or was he just being his normal sarcastic self.

Thanks!

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[DWC]

It would work, when you do a fish-in cycle (I know frowned upon) you are using the fishes' urine essentially. But would you want to, aesthetically. And dosing of course would be a wild guess. Also, anything you ate or medication you are on would also be added to the tank. Finally.. Ewwww.

 

[cooledwhip]

I sometimes pee in my current fish tank with the fish in it. It sounds dumb but  it actually makes sense, the extra ammonia just tests the bio filters and media and creates stronger bacteria.

 

[WesleytheBetta]

Hmm gonna keep my eye on this thread

 

[StevenF]

Urine contains Urea  which has the chemical formula of  CO(NH2)2. It i the main source of ammonia from urine When it is oxidized it is converted CO2 and 2 ammonia molecules.  It was first isolated from urine and is now manufactured in bulk for use as fertilizer and a chemical feedstock.  Urea is also used in the Add Blue diesel emission control fluid.  
 
https/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urea
 
Urea converts to ammonia rapidly due to heat or UV light.  Some bacteria feed on it and some plants can apparently use it directly without waiting for it to be converted to ammonia.  So in a fish tank urea should convert to ammonia rapidly.  using raw urine instead may not be a good idea in a fish tank due to high levels of sodium chloride and potassium and hormones and pharmaceutical drugs.  However pure manufactured urea is cheep and pure.
 
I have been experimenting with it. for a few weeks now.  My tank was conically low on nitrogen and as a result I had high phosphate levels.  Adding a potassium nitrate fertilizer did work but after the pants consumed it I was left with potassium rich water that would increase my PH.  Urea doesn't have potassium so I purchased some.  I couldn't find a dose recommendation so I just started small.  I never did detect ammonia.  It probably was there but at a low level I couldn't detect.  No symptoms of ammonia poisoning ever appeared and my PH stayed stable.  It looked good so I decided to stop let the tank reset to its nitrogen efficient state and try a different dose.  My tank has not gone back to the nitrogen deficient state.  Its now conically low on phosphates and possbly potassium.  This means I no longer need to add nitrogen to keep my phosphates under control.
 
I curently have a jar of RO water with a small amount of urea added.  I wanted to see how fast it converts to ammonia at room temperature without UV light.  I also purchased a Hanna instruments Ammonia checker .  Which has a resolution of 0.01ppm and and an accuracy of  +/-0.05ppm of reading.  This is what I have so far:
6/14 add 5 beads to water (it is in the form of small beads not a powder or liquid.I don't have any way to weigh this small amount accurately.  Also I am not sure how muc water is in the jar.  Its probably just under one quart.
6/16  0.06ppm
6/18  0.23ppm
6/20  0.38ppm
6/26  0.63ppm
7/1   0.92ppm
 
So it is generating ammonia although slowly.
 
Since I used pure RO water which doesn't have enough minerals to support bacteria growth. I would expect nitrite and nitrate would not appear.  and in fact I have not detected any nitrate or nitrite.  It is not cycling.   However if you used water fertilized with a good plant fertilizer, like Seachem fluorish it should cycle.   Possibly quite rapidly. If you also add bacteria from an an established tank.  Note there is no ammonia smell from the jar and the water is still clear.
 
 
I purchased it from here: http/www.loudwolf.com/store/  They sell a lot of the commonly used fertilizer ingredients as well as BROMOPHENOL BLUE (a ph sensitive chemical used in CO2 drop checkers) and Ammonia Chloride which can also be used to cycle a tank.  most of what they sell is 99% pure and available in 4oz bottles at reasonable prices.  most other place sell it by the pound which was way more than I needed.
 
the hanna ammonia mter I purchased http/hannainst.com/products/checker-colorimeters/hi700-ammonia-lr.html

 

[Byron]

I sometimes pee in my current fish tank with the fish in it. It sounds dumb but  it actually makes sense, the extra ammonia just tests the bio filters and media and creates stronger bacteria.

 
This is highly unwise.  You are not benefiting anything, bacteria or other, and you are harming fish.  If you think not, I suggest (in seriousness) you begin drinking your own pee, and then tell us how "safe" it is.
 
Fish do not excrete ammonia in urine as someone else stated.  Ammonia is transferred from the fish to the water via the gills in respiration.
 
Every substance added to the water in an aquarium will get inside the fish.  If you want healthy fish, change the tank water every day, or have a flow-through system that means the fish are always in "fresh" water as they are in nature.  Obviously this is beyond most of our capabilities, but the point is that removing substances, not adding them, is better for fish.
 
This is one problem with all plant additives.  We are only beginning to understand the harmful effects all of these have on fish, to some degree.  If the fish come first, this must be kept in mind.
 
Byron.

 

[StevenF]

If you don'twant to use usrin or urea to cycle a tank before adding fish there are other source of ammonia for the task.
 
Ammonium Chloride can be used to cycle a tanks and it is sold  in 2 oz bottles.https/www.amazon.com/DrTims-Aquatics-Ammonium-chloride-bottle/dp/B006MP4QG6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1467525739&sr=8-1&keywords=pure+ammonia
 
For industry ammonia sensors are sometimes needed.  These need to be periodically calibrated with a pure ammonia solution of accurately known strength.  These are often called ammonia standard solutions: http/www.hach.com/nitrogen-ammonia-standard-solution-10-mg-l-as-nh3-n-500-ml/product-details?id=7640208932

 

[NickAu]

 
This is highly unwise. Every substance added to the water in an aquarium will get inside the fish.

Strongly agree, Human urine contains all sorts of nasties that the kidneys basically filter out, 
 

 
About 91-96% of urine consists of water.[3] Urine also contains an assortment of inorganic salts and organic compounds, including proteins, hormones, and a wide range of metabolites, varying by what is introduced into the body.
 
https/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urine

 
I always stand by this comment, " My tank water is so clean I will happily drink it even after its been in the tank a week, If its not fit for me to drink its not fit for my fish to live in it ".
 

 
This is one problem with all plant additives.  We are only beginning to understand the harmful effects all of these have on fish, to some degree.

I strongly agree.
 
My tanks are simple low tech and I do not use any ferts or CO2, All my plants get is fish waste and light, I do not vacuum the substrate or remove the occasional dead leaf from a plant, I even let Indian Almond Leaf rot in the Betta tank's, The only thing I do is change 50% of the water 2X 25% changes and I feed my fish, I have even given up testing tank water, whats the point the ammonia and nitrites are always 0 and the nitrates never over 5. And my plants are thriving, so are the fish. Plus, My plants are there to benefit my fish, If my plants get a bit tatty I prune them, Or I just throw them out and get new ones,