Fishless Cycle

[marsdenj]

Is there anyway to do a fishless cycle without using pure ammonia?

 

[waterdrop]

Well, the reason we like to use pure household ammonia is for control. It means you know much more accurately how much ammonia you are dosing. Other methods not only do not allow as much control over dose, they also give much less control over time (time at which dosing occurs.) Also, the term "pure ammonia" sometimes imparts incorrect meaning to some people. What we use is a very dilute (most common is 9.5% ammonia dissolved in 90.5% pure water) solution that is frequently sold in the "mop and broom" sections of household or hardware stores and is meant as a "generic" cleaner of less cost than typical floor cleaners.

Are you in Aus./New Zea.? We do sometimes have trouble directing newcomers to sources for this ammonia down there.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[marsdenj]

Well, the reason we like to use pure household ammonia is for control. It means you know much more accurately how much ammonia you are dosing. Other methods not only do not allow as much control over dose, they also give much less control over time (time at which dosing occurs.) Also, the term "pure ammonia" sometimes imparts incorrect meaning to some people. What we use is a very dilute (most common is 9.5% ammonia dissolved in 90.5% pure water) solution that is frequently sold in the "mop and broom" sections of household or hardware stores and is meant as a "generic" cleaner of less cost than typical floor cleaners.

Are you in Aus./New Zea.? We do sometimes have trouble directing newcomers to sources for this ammonia down there.

~~waterdrop~~

No im from the UK, Ill have to have a look for some. Ill try asda or morrisons.

 

[waterdrop]

The easiest place to find it, people say, is Boots or Boots Online. Other places are B&K and Robert Dyas and I believe HomeBase is next most popular after Boots.

You have to search the store even if the clerk says its not there and vice versa, if you can't find it on the shelves you sometimes have to ask the managers. The members here enjoy hearing people's adventures finding it!

I don't mean to put off your question, as there are indeed other things we sometimes turn to for fishless cycling, its just that we get this question a lot and kind of know the best path to initially follow in this regard.

~~waterdrop~~