Fishless Nitrogen Cycle Necessary?

[waterdrop]

Usual technique is to get a graduated little plastic or glass graduated syringe or other little measuring device (or use such device to quantify a spoon or other device that would be used when dosing ammonia. Use the calculator to see what it thinks a 4 or 5ppm dose would be (assume the solution is 9.5% if not stated) AND then use a little -less- at first. Wait maybe 20min,30min for good mixing to occur and test with your liquid ammonia test kit. The most important thing is to feel you are not getting up around the 8ppm concentration as that encourages the wrong bacterial species.

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[waterdrop]

I would give the ammonia the shake test. Pull some out to a small container if your bottle is not clear or you can not see down in it well. When you shake it, it should not foam. It should just form bubbles for 2 or 3 seconds just as if it were water.

In fact, the stuff we want IS mostly water! Its just distilled water with some small percentage of ammonia (NH3, a gas) dissolved in it, typically 9.5% (especially in the UK, where there are rules it should not exceed 10%, but more random in the USA (where we don't worry too much about safety until the oil starts spewing or the mine blows up or whatever.. er.. well, I guess we worry more about it than china?)).. Anyway, yes this is powerful stuff and mother nature is a bit more direct and powerful than we sometimes quite grow up learning, lol. Organic stuff (fish waste, excess fish food, plant debris) all breaks down (with the help of -different- bacteria) into this same powerful NH3 and its one of the major environmental cycles omnipresent all over the earth!

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[mark4785]

I would give the ammonia the shake test. Pull some out to a small container if your bottle is not clear or you can not see down in it well. When you shake it, it should not foam. It should just form bubbles for 2 or 3 seconds just as if it were water.

In fact, the stuff we want IS mostly water! Its just distilled water with some small percentage of ammonia (NH3, a gas) dissolved in it, typically 9.5% (especially in the UK, where there are rules it should not exceed 10%, but more random in the USA (where we don't worry too much about safety until the oil starts spewing or the mine blows up or whatever.. er.. well, I guess we worry more about it than china?)).. Anyway, yes this is powerful stuff and mother nature is a bit more direct and powerful than we sometimes quite grow up learning, lol. Organic stuff (fish waste, excess fish food, plant debris) all breaks down (with the help of -different- bacteria) into this same powerful NH3 and its one of the major environmental cycles omnipresent all over the earth!

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I have shaken the bottle and a few bubbles formed at the surface, no foaming occurred. I think the UK are wise to put a cap on such products really. If I was to do something as little as place it down fast the liquid could leap out and destroy my eyes and face!

I will go about calculating the dosage level for use in the tank once I have some gloves and goggles.

 

[OldMan47]

Chances are very good, in the US or the UK that you are dealing with 9.5% ammonium hydroxide solution. Do not breathe anything that comes from the bottle. That stuff will definitely make a believer of you if you catch some in a breath. I try to uncap the bottle as short a time as possible and never get my face near an open bottle. By working over a bathroom sink, I am also guaranteed not to have any spills that are difficult to clean up. Simply working at arm's length is enough in many cases to avoid excessively inhaling fumes. Washing your hands and tools with fresh water right after dosing is enough to deal with a drop that got onto your finger or anything of that nature.

 

[waterdrop]

I think my Harris-Teeter grocery store ammonia tested out weaker than the 9.5% but it still packed a punch if you got a whiff upon opening. Luckily the bottle had a long enough neck taper and was translucent so I felt ok just tipping it to where my syringe could reach right there near my tanks.

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