Ask Questions About Cycling

[Rusty_Shackleford]

I'm confused. I thought the Micro-Lift achieved the same thing. So I still need to add ammonia? The instructions didn't mention this. Or are you saying the ammonia is just a test to see if it worked? Sorry to sound dense.
Since I don't have any ammonia on hand, could I just add more of the Micro-Lift instead?

Micro-lift is basically a bacterial starter culture. It will introduce beneficial bacteria to your aquarium. That bacteria needs "food" to reproduce and colonize your filter. Ammonia is the food.

 

[Chickadee]

Micro-lift is basically a bacterial starter culture. It will introduce beneficial bacteria to your aquarium. That bacteria needs "food" to reproduce and colonize your filter. Ammonia is the food.

Ahh! I misunderstood then. I thought this product would cycle the tank. I'll have to get some ammonia.

 

[Essjay]

Many of these 'bottled bacteria' products imply that all you need to do is add them, but some do nothing while others don't work instantly. Even those which do work can be damaged if stored incorrectly at any point between the factory and your tank, eg left in a delivery van in sub zero temps or during a heatwave.

As Rusty said, the bacteria need to be fed. Adding a dose of ammonia not only feeds them but any 'uneaten' ammonia and/or nitrite shows whether there are enough bacteria yet. A cycled tank is defined as one which can remove 3 ppm ammonia through to nitrate in 24 hours, with no ammonia or nitrite left in the water. The simplest way to add ammonia is using Dr Tim's Ammonium Chloride - the company was set up by the man who discovered which bacteria species grow in fish tanks.

 

[Chickadee]

OK, I borrowed some ammonia. Under ingredients it says "softened water, ammonia, chelating agent. Contains no phosphorous." Is this the right thing?
I read the article, and it says for 20 gallons I need to add 2.39 ml of ammonia. I converted this as 0.48 teaspoons, so almost a half teaspoon? Does this sound right? (Hopeless American here, was told we'd convert to metric in 1980.)
Just want some reassurances before I do this.

 

[Essjay]

The ammonia should be OK - you haven't mentioned the words detergent or surfactant or perfume, the usual issues.


20 gallons needs 2.39 ml if the concentration of ammonia is 9.5%. Does the bottle list the strength? It's not usually higher than 9.5% but it could be lower. If the bottle doesn't say, I would add a bit under half a teaspoon, allow it to mix in for half an hour then test for ammonia. If it's below 3 ppm, you can add more to get 3 ppm. If you need to do this, make a note of how much it takes in total to get 3 ppm.

 

[Chickadee]

No other detergents or additives are listed on the bottle, and no strength either. I realized that I have a ton of syringes in cc/ml. This will make it much easier. Just added the ammonia and will test soon. Thanks for the guidance!