A place 4 my questions & ponderings as I build a 34 Gallons (127L) tank
- Thread starter AilyNC
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Always thought that adding fish food is a messy and inaccurate way to add or to develop ammonia, plus that would run the risk of getting mites or planeria etc.
Hard to add ammonia without actually having a bottle ammonia though......
No thats the ideal fertilizer for going forward, once you've got fish in there. But plants without fish will starve, well, be deficient of nitrogen. So if you can't get your hands on ammonia, you're better off adding food. Its a tricky science, and you'll need to test your water often
Yeh certainly no exact science to it, but if @AilyNC can't get her hands on liquid ammonia, then this seems to be the way forward? Mites and planeria will make a great feast for her new fishy inhabitants
I'm sure her mollies would make short work of any that appeared in the tank. Mollies are great that way!Yeh certainly no exact science to it, but if @AilyNC can't get her hands on liquid ammonia, then this seems to be the way forward? Mites and planeria will make a great feast for her new fishy inhabitants
I've an army of Platies. I had one Molly but she died in the crash of 08 (August)
The plants will likely be here tomorrow so they're going in the tank 
I've SafeStart bacteria to add & if the choice is rotten food & weird creepy crawlies or ammonia then I'll go find some hardware store with household ammonia cleaner. I will get this frackin tank cycled 
I've SafeStart bacteria to add & if the choice is rotten food & weird creepy crawlies or ammonia then I'll go find some hardware store with household ammonia cleaner. I will get this frackin tank cycled
All sounds good in the circumstances 
I think I made a thread years ago that has alternative bottles of ammonia from hardware stores, Think will have a look for it and see if can find a common bottle of ammonia from most hardware stores that will work for cycling.
I think I made a thread years ago that has alternative bottles of ammonia from hardware stores, Think will have a look for it and see if can find a common bottle of ammonia from most hardware stores that will work for cycling.
Found it, a bit dated really since I wrote that thread back in 2013!
And the bottle may have changed in appearances and some hardware stores no longer stock ammonia due to ammonia being used for other nefarious purposes.
But the information is the same though.
Quite a long thread but some good info on it.
The most important point is, if you get a bottle household ammonia for cleaning from a hardware store then the ammonia must be at least 9.5% ammonium hydroxide, meaning there’s nothing else in the bottle apart from ammonia and water basically.
And another tip, if you’re unsure if the household ammonia is safe to use for cycling, give the bottle a good shake, if there’s lots of froth happening and does not dissipate quickly then chances are there are other elements in the bottle that probably means it’s not safe for cycling the tank.
I have successfully cycled two tanks at that time using Homebase Household Ammonia and did not affect any livestocks after stocking the tank after the cycle, that’s including shrimps and snails which is telling me it was good to use.
Failing that, the silent cycle as everyone discussed earlier is a good plan as well.
And the bottle may have changed in appearances and some hardware stores no longer stock ammonia due to ammonia being used for other nefarious purposes.
But the information is the same though.
Quite a long thread but some good info on it.
The most important point is, if you get a bottle household ammonia for cleaning from a hardware store then the ammonia must be at least 9.5% ammonium hydroxide, meaning there’s nothing else in the bottle apart from ammonia and water basically.
And another tip, if you’re unsure if the household ammonia is safe to use for cycling, give the bottle a good shake, if there’s lots of froth happening and does not dissipate quickly then chances are there are other elements in the bottle that probably means it’s not safe for cycling the tank.
I have successfully cycled two tanks at that time using Homebase Household Ammonia and did not affect any livestocks after stocking the tank after the cycle, that’s including shrimps and snails which is telling me it was good to use.
Ammonia And Bacteria Starter Sources
I thought I would start a new thread on where to source ammonia and live bacteria starter for those of you wanting to start a Fishless Cycles. Link for Fishless Cycle - http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/421488-cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first/ Since I am UK based...
www.fishforums.net
Failing that, the silent cycle as everyone discussed earlier is a good plan as well.
Oh there's a Homebase not too far away so I'll check there first. I'm in a rural area so not much options locally other than a petrol station, pub & post officeFound it, a bit dated really since I wrote that thread back in 2013!
And the bottle may have changed in appearances and some hardware stores no longer stock ammonia due to ammonia being used for other nefarious purposes.
But the information is the same though.
Quite a long thread but some good info on it.
The most important point is, if you get a bottle household ammonia for cleaning from a hardware store then the ammonia must be at least 9.5% ammonium hydroxide, meaning there’s nothing else in the bottle apart from ammonia and water basically.
And another tip, if you’re unsure if the household ammonia is safe to use for cycling, give the bottle a good shake, if there’s lots of froth happening and does not dissipate quickly then chances are there are other elements in the bottle that probably means it’s not safe for cycling the tank.
I have successfully cycled two tanks at that time using Homebase Household Ammonia and did not affect any livestocks after stocking the tank after the cycle, that’s including shrimps and snails which is telling me it was good to use.
Ammonia And Bacteria Starter Sources
I thought I would start a new thread on where to source ammonia and live bacteria starter for those of you wanting to start a Fishless Cycles. Link for Fishless Cycle - http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/421488-cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first/ Since I am UK based...www.fishforums.net
Failing that, the silent cycle as everyone discussed earlier is a good plan as well.
I'll read through that thread.Thank you all for being so patient with all my questions. It's much appreciated
Food is fine. The biggest down side is knowing how much to add. So add some and test 12 hours later. If your ammonia is over 4ppm do a water change to get it back down below that. If its not above 1ppm add the same again. Some of your plants are slow starters but once your hygrophila starts exploding you are good to go.
Tested ammonia 12 hours after adding food. Was 3ppm.
Added plants that arrived today - Java Fern, hygrophilia corymbosa, Limnophila sessiliflora and Echinodorus 'Reni'. Oh and a weird floating plant riccia fluitans. I'm just letting my Azalea root float in the tank because it's easiest. Aquarium quartz rocks added & driftwood for the Java Fern to attach to. I didn't rinse the riccia enough and some weird floating jelly is in my tank now
The bonsai & Xmas moss should arrive tomorrow, along with some Cryptocoryne Wendtii.
Once I've the bonsai I'll have a better idea of the lay out. If you read this far - do I need any other plants? I might try get another floating plant. The plants look tiny cause the tank is so much taller than my other tank
Added plants that arrived today - Java Fern, hygrophilia corymbosa, Limnophila sessiliflora and Echinodorus 'Reni'. Oh and a weird floating plant riccia fluitans. I'm just letting my Azalea root float in the tank because it's easiest. Aquarium quartz rocks added & driftwood for the Java Fern to attach to. I didn't rinse the riccia enough and some weird floating jelly is in my tank now
The bonsai & Xmas moss should arrive tomorrow, along with some Cryptocoryne Wendtii.
Once I've the bonsai I'll have a better idea of the lay out. If you read this far - do I need any other plants? I might try get another floating plant. The plants look tiny cause the tank is so much taller than my other tank
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