Im Confused On How Much Ammonia To Add

[Angel98]

My mum has just bought a 50 litre tank and im unsure how much ammonia to add (not very good at maths lol) can sum1 help? Is it ok to use Kleen Off ammonia multi purpose household cleaner? I cant see any ingredients on the bottle??

 

[sws]

I used 50 drops (from the plastic droppers you get with test kits- a spare one) to get my 65l tank to 5ppm ammonia. You will probably need around 30-40 drops for your tank - this is just a guestimate. To work it out you could add 10 drops to 10l in a bucket of water and test the concentration in that (in ppm). Add more a few drops at a time until you get a concntration in the bucket of 5ppm. Multiply the number of drops you needed by 5 and that will tell you how much you need for the 50l tank
Shaun

 

[fiki]

ummm depends on what kinda of ammonia you got ... I got really concentrated ammonia that I juked from my universities chemistry building ... 2 drops make a 5GUS 8ppm ... but test it out... try using 20... then keep going up until you test the water and see that it is 5ppm... gl

 

[Angel98]

I got a 10 litre bucket and filled it with water then added 10 drops of ammonia (Jeyes Kleen Off ammonia household cleaner) and did a test and the results were 8ppm so should i just add 40 drops (rough guess) to the 50 litre tank instead of 50 drops as this is too much or do i need to do the test again for a more accurate reading? Ive read through the fish cycling post in the beginners section and i think i will do the "add daily" method. I seem to understand that more than the "add and wait" method LOL!

 

[fiki]

40 sounds legit... and after you drop those 40 drops test the water to see if you are accurate.. if not... increase or decrease to your liking...

 

[Angel98]

Think i will put 30 in then test just incase, dont want to put too much in, how would i get it out again?

 

[Angel98]

What i also dont understand is once you have completed the cycling, how do you clean out the filter?

 

[Angel98]

Beneficial Bacteria. Depending on the type of your filter, you may need to turn it off. Your goal is basically to keep the bacteria at least submerged in the tank water at all times. If this means turning your filter off and throwing the media (sponges, wool, etc.) in to the tank to float, then by all means, do it. Certain filters (such as hang-on-back AquaClear) can be left running up to a certain point. The important thing to remember is if the filter is left to dry, you will have to re-start your cycling process -- not fun. Please always keep your filter in tank water during maintenance.

Ahhh just read that bit, i never knew this

 

[loachman]

Beneficial Bacteria. Depending on the type of your filter, you may need to turn it off. Your goal is basically to keep the bacteria at least submerged in the tank water at all times. If this means turning your filter off and throwing the media (sponges, wool, etc.) in to the tank to float, then by all means, do it. Certain filters (such as hang-on-back AquaClear) can be left running up to a certain point. The important thing to remember is if the filter is left to dry, you will have to re-start your cycling process -- not fun. Please always keep your filter in tank water during maintenance.

Ahhh just read that bit, i never knew this

Just remember you never really "clean" the filter. "Cleaning" it removes the bacteria that you want. You change out the activated carbon and mechanical filter media (usually floss or something similar, but the mechanical filter mechanism varies depending on filter type. Hang-on-back filters often have use the bag the carbon is in as the mechanical filter).

 

[fiki]

yea don't clean the filter... just scrub it under old tank water to remove any ballsy growths...

what kind of filter do you have? The bacteria that you create during cycling is predominantly chillin in the filter... so don't run the sponge under a tap or anything cause that tap is chlorinated... and the chlorine kills the bacteria... if anything clean it using your own tank water...

so don't ever change the sponge... and if you are ever cleaning your tank or anything... keep the sponge submerged in the water so the bacteria is alive...

i don't know if answered your question... but maybe i did?

 

[Angel98]

Yes thanks i understand that completely now. I have an external Ehiem filter not sure how often i need to clean it, my boyfriend said about once every 3 months.