Am I Adding Ammonia Correctly?!

[Lizi_angelfish]

I used the calculator on the forum to calculate the amount of ammonia it was estimated to give my 60 litre tank 5ppm ammonia. It suggested 3.16ml of ammonia so I added 3 pipettes and a bit and left the tank. This was wednesday but I couldn't check the concentration because my API test kit only arrived by post yesterday and I was slightly overexcited and didn't wait.
Anyway, ammonia yesterday was 0.25ppm so we added some more today and I've just checked to see how the guide amount actually affected the concentration. I left it an hour to circulate in the tank and it is still 0.25ppm?! Nitrite and nitrate are zero, I only checked these because I was so confused. I just added another 4ml and I'm waiting to see the effects of that.
Could the kit be wrong/ ammonia be not strong enough? It's Homebase Value Ammonia (white bottle with white and orange label, doesn't say the concentration but others have suggested it to be 9.5%)

...

Just had a thought, was the calculator a guide using pure ammonia, in which case will I need more of the diluted version I have

Hoping for a quick reply please cos I don't want Fishprotector's kindly donated media to die!! (Thanks again for that )

 

[cambojnr]

I used the calculator on the forum to calculate the amount of ammonia it was estimated to give my 60 litre tank 5ppm ammonia. It suggested 3.16ml of ammonia so I added 3 pipettes and a bit and left the tank. This was wednesday but I couldn't check the concentration because my API test kit only arrived by post yesterday and I was slightly overexcited and didn't wait.
Anyway, ammonia yesterday was 0.25ppm so we added some more today and I've just checked to see how the guide amount actually affected the concentration. I left it an hour to circulate in the tank and it is still 0.25ppm?! Nitrite and nitrate are zero, I only checked these because I was so confused. I just added another 4ml and I'm waiting to see the effects of that.
Could the kit be wrong/ ammonia be not strong enough? It's Homebase Value Ammonia (white bottle with white and orange label, doesn't say the concentration but others have suggested it to be 9.5%)

...

Just had a thought, was the calculator a guide using pure ammonia, in which case will I need more of the diluted version I have

Hoping for a quick reply please cos I don't want Fishprotector's kindly donated media to die!! (Thanks again for that )

add more until you get 4ppm then you know thats how much you need to add.

 

[Yanks15]

There have been others that have used the Home Base brand and have had to add much more that the calculator estimates. An easy way to figure the correct amount is to take a smaller sized container, say 10 litre and add ammonia to get to your target level and then simply multiply for your tank size.


Thanks,
Steve

 

[4seasons]

What is you tank size?
The ammonia I used (10% concentration) took 1 ml per 5 gallons to get 5ppm ammonia. I don't recommend dosing ammonia past 2ppm though until you are seeing 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites in under 24 hours.

 

[Lizi_angelfish]

I've been adding it all afternoon... 30-40 mls has made no difference at all. Half a bottle might do it at this rate!

Its a 60 litre tank.

 

[4seasons]

I've been adding it all afternoon... 30-40 mls has made no difference at all. Half a bottle might do it at this rate!

Its a 60 litre tank.

Sounds like you either have bad ammonia or a bad test kit. Does you ammonia smell like ammonia? DON"T TAKE A DEEP SNORT OF IT, just do you smell the ammonia when you open the bottle.
My bet is you have a bad test kit. What are you checking it with?

 

[Lizi_angelfish]

It must be the ammonia - its an API test kit. I put 250ml of the stuff in and the concentration only creeped up to 0.5ppm. That was overnight so it has been more than 12 hours since I tested it. This morning readings were ammonia 0.50, nitrites 0.25 and nitrates 0. It does smell but only slightly - I was expecting a big whiff!

I can go to the big boots in Manchester today and see if they have an alternative... No way am I going back to get Homesbase watered down crap!

Thanks guys!

Does the little bit of nitrites signal something is starting to go? Not had any nitrites before.

 

[Lizi_angelfish]

Right... There's none in Boots.
My choice is either quickly go back to homebase (or somewhere else that sells it) or can I use fish food as ammonia? I've got limited time because of work until next weekend and I don't want my bacteria to die
This cycling is much more complicated than I anticipated.

 

[chubbs9]

i put in 15ml to get mine to 4-5ppm in a 300 litre tank,i got my ammonia from amazon.

this stuff http/www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003MPLX4W/ref=oh_details_o06_s00_i00

chubbs

 

[cambojnr]

I put 5ml in to get 2ppm in my 60l

 

[gforce17]

I put 5ml in to get 2ppm in my 60l

Sorry replied to wrong post! Best regards.

Right... There's none in Boots.
My choice is either quickly go back to homebase (or somewhere else that sells it) or can I use fish food as ammonia? I've got limited time because of work until next weekend and I don't want my bacteria to die
This cycling is much more complicated than I anticipated.

The stuff Chubbs 9 recommends is THE stuff - blow your head off if you sniff it - by Jeyes. Send for it on Amazon if you can.
Good luck!