What Type Of Ammonia Do U Use For Cycling?

[mike_nofx]

I went to the shop today (3 different ones actually) to buy some ammonia, all had a product called 'cloudy ammonia' which as the name suggests, is cloudy, not clear.

Does anyone know what this is, and if it is suitable for a fishless cycle?

I noticed on one of the shelves there was a label which said "Full strength ammonia" but it was unavaliable (out of stock i suppose).

Any ideas, thanks...

 

[Bignose]

If it is cloudy, it would not be good. The only ingredients should be water and ammonia (sometimes listed as ammonium-hydroxide). A chelating agent is not a deal-breaker, since that just helps keep the ammonia and water in solution together.

Any dyes or perfumes, or extra cleaners, or surfactants, would be bad. If it foams after shaking it, that would be bad, as it indicates that surfactants have been added.

Someone else from Australia may need to post where they found suitable ammonia.

 

[Padfoot]

I seem to recall from another forum that people have had problems getting ammonia in Austrailia.

In the UK one of the most common brands used is Boots' Household Ammonia. Which has a concentration of 9.52%.

Shake the bottle of ammonia...if it foams...its no good.

 

[millym]

hi
i used PURE ammonia ( ie: no additives of any sort-it smelled horrible!!- not that i tried to breathe it in mind,quite the opposite!!!!) bought from a hardware shop here in the uk. it wasnt actually on the shelf on display.i had to ask for it as they kept it well out of reach for safety.
as said if it froths when shaken its got surfactants & other stuff in it & you dont want to use it.
i used to live in w.oz & all i can think of is maybe bunnings or even the household cleaning section of somewhere like k-mart or big W (although i suppose you've tried them already) or even a tradesmans supply shop maybe???
sorry cant be of more help.

 

[kramers]

Ok just a quick question. How much ammonia should be used for say a ten gallon(US) tank? Should you go by what the instructions say on the back, offhand I'm not sure what that amount is either, or is there a general rule as to how much to add for cycling?

 

[Bignose]

Most people add enough until the test kits read 4 to 5 ppm. Each day replenish until you get back to 4 to 5 ppm. This will ensure a very large bacterial colony, probably a colony large enough to stock fully immediately.

Don't add more than like 8 or 10 ppm, you will actually slow down the cycle.

http/www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/star.../fishless.shtml