Coming Back To An Old Love After Many Years

[fourthtimelucky]

Hi again,

I just remembered a useful tip someone else on this forum gave me was to work out how much ammonia you need to add -- add and test in a 5g bucket first rather than your tank, then multiply upwards to work out what the equivalent numbr of drops you need to add is for your tank's volume

e.g. 3 drops of your particular ammonia solution in a 5g bucket brings it up to 5ppm, so you need 9 drops for a 15g tank. As ammonia solution is sold in lots of different strengths there is no 'foolproof' amount to add, and this method saves you adding too much and having to dilute it back down again.

Hope this helps!

 

[bow1]

Great advise fourthtimelucky.

Also there is a ammonia calculator in the Aquarium calculator link at the top of the page.

 

[Merithyn]

Great advise fourthtimelucky.

Also there is a ammonia calculator in the Aquarium calculator link at the top of the page.

A very handy calculator that is, too.

After looking at five stores, I finally found "pure" ammonia and added my first dose this morning. So, the adventure begins!

Also, I was talking to a friend of mine who is a huge fish enthusiast. She said she'd never heard of the ammonia method. Instead, she just throws a shrimp in the tank and let's that cycle through. I'm not sure if she meant a live shrimp or a dead one, but she said she's never lost a fish this way. Anyone have a clue what she's talking about??

Another way is to put some mature media in your filter or tank to jump start the cycle. You can try your lfs for some mature media or gravel. There is also a list of people willing to donate mature media here; <a href="http/www.fishforums.net/content/New-to-t...ia-To-Newbies-/" target="_blank">http/www.fishforums.net/content/New-to-t...ia-To-Newbies-/</a>

If you can't get it from anyone else I know this guy in Chicago who ships mature media. Pm me your address, I'll send you some, I changed out enough floss over the weekend to half fill a 5 gallon bucket, but have plenty more.

Thanks a ton for this. The fish tank at the office has the same type of gravel that I do, so I may just take a handful of that to bring home to jump start the process. It's an established tank that's been there for several years.