How Much Ammonia Is Enough?

[ACQUAUOMO]

Greetings:

I'm new to Aquariums but loathe the term Newbie, we already have far too many Techno-Words now... So I will say I'm a Novice here but no where else. I am cycling my Aquarium a 30 gallon model, and slowly adding aquatic furniture and flora, this process has been ongoing for 4 days now; the cycle clock runs out at the end of the Month. And, then I get to place some little fellers in there to make a home in my home. I like taking my time and doing it by the book or should I say books? Speaking of books... I have read my share of aquarium/fish books over the past 45 days and I see the continuing theme for a new Tank... "add ammonia". I also see conflicting opinions of this practice. Well, I guess adding pure ammonia is ok if your in a hurry, I prefer the aging method in all things, besides, Ammonia is very dangerous stuff... kinda explodes under the correct conditions. That said, can one use other chemicals or compounds to act like the catalyst and begin the ammonia process in a more natural way? I could be barking up the wrong tree but, there are substances around that produce ammonia while decomposing... could any be used safely? Any Recommendations, Advice, Tips or Suggestions will be most appreciated.

Ciao,

Don


Interests: "All things Scientific"

 

[Aqua Tom]

Welcome to the Forum.

Well done for not jumping straight in & putting fish in the tank straight away.

Your tank needs to be Cycled. This is not just a matter of switching it all on & leaving it for a month. What we mean by cycled is that the filter has matured & is home to beneficial bacteria that will consume the toxins in the water.
For these bacteria to grow thay need food which we provide in the form of 9.5% solution Ammonia This is what we call a Fishless Cycle.
If you put the fish in before the filter is matured you will be in what is known as a Fish-In-Cycle which is very hard work & will probably mean the death if a few fish.

Here is a link to our Beginners resource Centre . Please read it carefully it has all the information you need to make your new hobby a success.

 

[waterdrop]

When you buy the typical 9.5% (or unmarked percentage often in the USA) household simple ammonia cleaning solution, you are really buying mostly a bottle of distilled water. There is a small bit of ammonia dissolved in it but it is already considered to be a reasonable household thing (dangerous if used in a wrong manner but reasonable overall.)

Then, for fishless cycling, we take little amounts of this in a drugstore syringe or eyedropper and add an amount that becomes parts per *million* in the tank water. It's such a tiny amount that it's not even detectable except with little test kits.

Fishless cycling using ammonia and following the Add & Wait method written up so nicely by member RDD in our Beginners Resource Center is a vastly more flexible and less frustrating way to cycle a new aquarium, if you are a beginner with no old mature media to use. Taking RDD's writeup and then starting a "Fishless Cycling" thread here in our beginners section, keeping a daily log of what's happening and the test results, is an even more refined way to achieve success and to get all sorts of added benefits in my opinion. It's much more about learning important baseline aspects of the hobby than it is about just getting that first tank ready for fish!

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Gvilleguy]

Like the others, I would definitely recommend you go with ammonia for the cycle. Just be careful when handling the ammonia to not inhale too deeply from the bottle!!

To answer your question, some people have used fish flake food to cycle tanks, which I believe takes longer. But as the flake food breaks down it releases ammonia into the water.

 

[ACQUAUOMO]

Ciao:

Well, thank you all for the very nice responses to my post. Your information strengthens the point that has been made in a number of books and Internet Sites I have been reading. "Use Ammonia to initiate the proper chemical processes." I have read several times that purchasing Ammonia that contains surfactants or detergents is not recommended. I imagine a trip to my local pet store should solve this problem... provided that they have the correct solution of Ammonia. "So many opinions in text, But, which are based on real experience?" Advice from those who practice and participate is the most beneficial, thank you all again for your Recommendations and Suggestions I will take your advice and move forward...

Ciao,

Don


"Sempre Avanti"

 

[Aqua Tom]

Your local pet store will NOT have ammonia.

Please see my signature for links on where to get it.

 

[waterdrop]

Most of us in this forum have indeed performed real fishless cycles with ammonia and are speaking both from experience and from reading, watching and helping others in this forum.

Unfortunately, the pet store, or even a dedicated fish shop is unlikely to have any of the right ammonia for you. There's just not enough money in it for them, so instead they often give the hard sell for bacteria-in-a-bottle products, which unfortunately most of us here feel are ineffective.

The members however are often great at helping you find the right ammonia, they consider it an adventure!

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Skins]

Most of us in this forum have indeed performed real fishless cycles with ammonia and are speaking both from experience and from reading, watching and helping others in this forum.

Unfortunately, the pet store, or even a dedicated fish shop is unlikely to have any of the right ammonia for you. There's just not enough money in it for them, so instead they often give the hard sell for bacteria-in-a-bottle products, which unfortunately most of us here feel are ineffective.

The members however are often great at helping you find the right ammonia, they consider it an adventure!

~~waterdrop~~

+1, If you live in the UK then Boots or Homebase is the place to find ammonia.