Fish Food = Ammonia, But How Much?

[joeskandal]

Hi people.
I have searched high and low, and nobody seems to stock ammonia anymore.
I have tried chemists, hardware shops, and aquatics etc.
Nobody sells it.
Must be a new legislation in the UK.

So, im going to do a fishless cycle using food for ammonia.
Anyone have any idea how much i would need?
Its a 60 litre biorb life aquarium, with ceramic media.
I have also inserted about 2 kilograms of mature media from my old tank in the form of gravel inside a stocking.

Any ideas?

 

[ian]

Boots sell it.

http/www.boots.com/en/Boots-Household-ammonia-500ml_923908/?CAWELAID=334516103&cm_mmc=Shopping%20EnginesGoogle%20Base-Boots%20Household%20ammonia%20%20500ml

 

[waterdrop]

Surely this is not the case. Many UK members mention Boots web site when their local stores don't seem to carry it. Fishfood is such a poor second choice that I would keep up the search. One thing that's important during the search is to still search the mop and broom shelves even if a clerk out front says its not there and vice versa, if you don't see it on the shelves then also ask the clerk or manager. Hardware stores are also sometimes good as well as big box stores.

Fishfood has a considerable delay while you wait for the heterotrophs to break it down into ammonia and then it takes quite a bit to reach the needed tank concentration and its quite hard to have that amount be controlled (which is important as you will encourage the wrong bacterial species if you get up around 8ppm, instead of 4-5ppm.) Since fishfood varies in composition and peoples "pinch" sizes vary, its quite hard to describe an amount. I've never seen any members mention a dry weight for fishless cycling dosing.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[joeskandal]

nightmare.
nowhere sells it, including boots!

 

[waterdrop]

So sorry to hear this. Just the other night I grabbed a half gallon at my grocery store as my current one is getting low and it was that easy.. wish it could be for you! Its time for the great UK members to swing into action! I've seen them miraculously find it before for other newcomers in distess!

~~waterdrop~~

 

[ian]

Boots do sell it, click the link.

 

[joeskandal]

i rang them and spoke to the pharmacist.
it contains preservatives....

I think its not on sale anymore because little #71###ers go around spraying it in peoples faces.....!!
God, i love the world we live in...

 

[danb]

i rang them and spoke to the pharmacist.
it contains preservatives....

I think its not on sale anymore because little #71###ers go around spraying it in peoples faces.....!!
God, i love the world we live in...

Homebase sell it, i bought 2 bottles last week; only need one. Quite happy to send you a bottle if you cant find any. PM me an let me know.

Danny

 

[greengoddess]

Lucky for me that I work in a lab so ammonia is always at hand among other chemicals.

Why not order some from a UK lab supplier?

http/www.fisher.co.uk/
http/www.lpchemicals.com/
http/www.reagent.co.uk/
http/www.prlabs.co.uk/

It will be laboratory grade so it will be exceptionally good quality but it may be more expensive than buying from a high street shop. lpchemicals do a 1 litre bottle of ammonia solution for a fiver. It's perhaps better to give them a call to explain what you want it for.

 

[waterdrop]

Lucky for me that I work in a lab so ammonia is always at hand among other chemicals.

Why not order some from a UK lab supplier?

http/www.fisher.co.uk/
http/www.lpchemicals.com/
http/www.reagent.co.uk/
http/www.prlabs.co.uk/

It will be laboratory grade so it will be exceptionally good quality but it may be more expensive than buying from a high street shop. lpchemicals do a 1 litre bottle of ammonia solution for a fiver. It's perhaps better to give them a call to explain what you want it for.

I've always wondered if there were any roadblocks to this or why people didn't go this route more often. Does it work well??

 

[greengoddess]

I've always wondered if there were any roadblocks to this or why people didn't go this route more often. Does it work well??

I've never had the need to try it because I get everything I need from work. Some of those sites allow you to just sign up and order on-line so I can't see a problem. Probably better to give them a call first though.

 

[joeskandal]

i rang them and spoke to the pharmacist.
it contains preservatives....

I think its not on sale anymore because little #71###ers go around spraying it in peoples faces.....!!
God, i love the world we live in...

Homebase sell it, i bought 2 bottles last week; only need one. Quite happy to send you a bottle if you cant find any. PM me an let me know.

Danny

Just got your message mate, thanks very much for your offer.
I got some though, guess where from???
you got it.... homebase.
i normally begrudge wasthing money in there, way too expensive compared to the likes of b and q etc

 

[waterdrop]

Lucky for me that I work in a lab so ammonia is always at hand among other chemicals.

Why not order some from a UK lab supplier?

http/www.fisher.co.uk/
http/www.lpchemicals.com/
http/www.reagent.co.uk/
http/www.prlabs.co.uk/

It will be laboratory grade so it will be exceptionally good quality but it may be more expensive than buying from a high street shop. lpchemicals do a 1 litre bottle of ammonia solution for a fiver. It's perhaps better to give them a call to explain what you want it for.

I've always wondered if there were any roadblocks to this or why people didn't go this route more often. Does it work well??

To add to my own curiosity (not that the OP needs any of this anymore ) I looked around a little on the scientific lab sites here in the states and to me it did look like it would at least be a challange finding an amount and type of ammonia that was reasonable... all the offerings seemed to be much more highly concentrated (necessitating more handling precautions and greater risk) and in quantities that usually made it quite expensive. I assume that knowing what you were doing or being lucky or more exhaustive in the search could turn up just the right approach to finding it from lab suppliers, but my quite look seemed to indicate it might be hard.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[greengoddess]

To add to my own curiosity (not that the OP needs any of this anymore ) I looked around a little on the scientific lab sites here in the states and to me it did look like it would at least be a challange finding an amount and type of ammonia that was reasonable... all the offerings seemed to be much more highly concentrated (necessitating more handling precautions and greater risk) and in quantities that usually made it quite expensive. I assume that knowing what you were doing or being lucky or more exhaustive in the search could turn up just the right approach to finding it from lab suppliers, but my quite look seemed to indicate it might be hard.

~~waterdrop~~

Yes, the lab chemicals are highly concentrated so in one respect they require more careful handling but on the other hand... they are good value for money because they go so much further. In the States I would doubt it's worth buying from a chem company because you can get hold of ammonia readily in many stores.

It was just a suggestion for members in the UK that are struggling to get hold of any.

If the stuff we use at work is anything to go by then the ammonia supplied by chem companies is very concentrated. If I remove the top of a 1 gallon bottle in the lab outside of the fume extraction cupboard then it stinks the whole lab out in few seconds. It makes it very difficult to breathe and your eyes water like hell.