Where can I get pure ammonia?

[phishphood]

I have just acquired a FREE second hand tank, I have set it up and everything, but now I want to do a fishless cycle, but I can't find pure ammonia (or ammonia of any kind) anywhere! Where can I get it? Or is there anything else I can use?

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[Kissifish]

Try a local hardware store or somewhere that carries industrial cleaning products. You can get it in grocery stores here, but read the label to make sure no detergents are added.

 

[alex818]

phishphood, Here's a good way to cycle your tank. I found this at a fish store...


I dont know many fish stores selling it but you can ask...
Its called "Bio-Spira" by Marineland Labs. (www.marinelandlabs.com).
This product is the real thing and if you can find it, you will see that
it comes in a small metalic bag and needs to be kept refrigerated until its ready to be used because it contains the actual live bacteria in it. Im sure you can find it in your area, the website has a store locator for its products.

Basically what you're doing is adding a certain type of bacteria to your
tank which prevents ammonia and nitrite toxicity.

The bacteria is called Nitrosomonas, Nitrosospira, and Nitrospira.

Cycling your tank any other way usually takes a couple of weeks but according to the label on the product and what the fish store guy was telling me, it works overnight but just to be on the safe side, give it a week.

Here is the actual URL to the product itself:
http/www.marinelandlabs.com/products/mll...ML_biospira.asp

Like I said, Give it a week to stay on the safe side I know its not an overnight cure but its the actual beneficial bacteria you need.

I hope this helps and goodluck cycling your tank.

 

[gadazobe]

Where can I get it? Or is there anything else I can use?

You can get ammonia in any good hardware shop or, if you can't find any, use fish food. Sprinkle a little in your tank every day - as there are no fish to eat it, it will rot and turn into ammonia. It takes a little longer this way, but it works just as well.

Alex - I'm very dubious about any product that claims to do away with the need for cycling a tank. The bacteria you mentioned need oxygen to survive - and one thing I can't understand is where does the oxygen come from when they're in a sealed bag? I'm not saying it won't work - just that I'm dubious and would take the claims with a "bit of salt".

 

[Lithril]

Adding live bacteria is a good way to get your tank cycling, but with out a substrate/food source theres a good chance that after a week there either won't be any left or little more than you started with instead of building up a nice culture in the gravel/filter. You'll probably still need to add to your tank either ammonia for fishless cycling or fishes for the dreaded old fashioned way.

 

[joshua]

heard in the cycling articles that fish food contribute to the ammonia. can fish food be used to cycle the tank "fishless"ly?

 

[Where the river goes]

I found pure ammonia at Food-4-Less. I looked at all the pet stores for Bio-Spira and couldn't find any.