where to get ammonia
- Thread starter hwttdz1
- Start date
pitbullcrazy
Member
do you have any live sand or live rock?
cjason3041
Member
you can use regular ammonia....BUT...i would not...you really need to know what you are doing.....just be patient.....use a frozenshrimp, and give it a week to START....
hwttdz1
Member
I have a 30 gallon tank, 30 pounds of live sand, 8 pounds of live rock (bunch of base rock, no biological activity). I was under the impression just sand and rock would cycle the tank. Anyway now it's had a piece of fish flesh in there for quite a while, as far as I can see fish flesh should do the exact same as shrimp (I used fish because it was what I had handy). The live sand I already have is of questionable quality. I was hoping to go to the lfs today to get some good live sand but I missed my shot so will have to wait until next thursday. You think no ammonia? I can't see adding a pound or two of high quality live sand would have any negative effects. Would you endorse that plan of action?
Sorry forgot to mention that live sand was added the 11th, live rock the 19th. I trust my lfs very much and therefore believe the live rock to be of good quality.
Sorry forgot to mention that live sand was added the 11th, live rock the 19th. I trust my lfs very much and therefore believe the live rock to be of good quality.
cjason3041
Member
shrimp and fish flesh SHOULD be the same...but i don't know
for the record i added bottled ammonia to a freshwater tank probably 10 years ago to get it cycled....i used something like 3 tablespoons for 55 gallons....and if i remember correctly it was too much.....i remember waiting longer to add fish than i would have if i had just waited for the cycle normal
for the record i added bottled ammonia to a freshwater tank probably 10 years ago to get it cycled....i used something like 3 tablespoons for 55 gallons....and if i remember correctly it was too much.....i remember waiting longer to add fish than i would have if i had just waited for the cycle normal
scotty37
Member
Ha , get this, when I cycled my first tank... I was told to pee in it, just a little bit. Worked like a charm! Much better cycle than Im having with this one lol
Never had a problem with that tank either. Believe it or not, I was also told that a female couldnt pee in it, just a male. I have no idea where I heard that, but it worked
N
nereef
Guest
many freshwater keepers, including the discus people, use bottled ammonia to do a fishless cycle. it's not rocket science. just add until you test at .5 ppm. keep adding to keep it there for a few days.
lesleybird
Active Member
Originally Posted by scotty37
Ha , get this, when I cycled my first tank... I was told to pee in it, just a little bit. Worked like a charm! Much better cycle than Im having with this one lol
Never had a problem with that tank either. Believe it or not, I was also told that a female couldnt pee in it, just a male. I have no idea where I heard that, but it worked
Yea....I was going to say that but I thought I might get in trouble. Yes, a female might fall in if she tried to pee in the tank. A male would not! Really thought it would be a good idea except for it being kind of gross, and one might introduce some bad bacteria in the tank this way (probably not though). Lesley
Ha , get this, when I cycled my first tank... I was told to pee in it, just a little bit. Worked like a charm! Much better cycle than Im having with this one lol
Yea....I was going to say that but I thought I might get in trouble. Yes, a female might fall in if she tried to pee in the tank. A male would not! Really thought it would be a good idea except for it being kind of gross, and one might introduce some bad bacteria in the tank this way (probably not though). Lesley
lesleybird
Active Member
Originally Posted by Rslinger
Now that is one of the craziest things I think I have heard yet. One of my friends cats pissed in his tank he lost everything.
Cat should not try to cycle tank with fish in it! Ammonia kills fish.
Now that is one of the craziest things I think I have heard yet. One of my friends cats pissed in his tank he lost everything.
Cat should not try to cycle tank with fish in it! Ammonia kills fish.
geridoc
Well-Known Member
I have used the ammonium chloride method for cycling tanks for 32 years with great success. Using a piece of shrimp or fish instead should also work fine, although perhaps a little slower, but old habits die hard. Somehow, I like to be in control of what goes into my tank, especially at the start, but that is just me. BTW, hwttdz1, don't be concerned about the "quality" of the live rock and sand as far as cycling goes - it doesn't matter, although the quality might matter later in terms of appearance, diversity of hitchhikers, etc. A handful of sand from an established tank is all you need to seed bacteria for the cycle.
sepulatian
Moderator
You just started this tank. The first rule in this hobby is to take things slow. If you rush then you will have problems. Don't add anything to your tank unless it is LR or LS.
shrimpi
Active Member
your cycle is going to be very mild and short because you are using LR and LS;
I did the same thing, my cyle was over in less than 2 weeks.
I would imagine your ammonia will level off very shortlly. Then you just add a livestock (fish or hermits) and see if it lives. Add livestock slowly so that your tank can adjust to the increase in biological waste load.
What you are experiencing is completely normal.
Jessica/Shrimpi
I did the same thing, my cyle was over in less than 2 weeks.
I would imagine your ammonia will level off very shortlly. Then you just add a livestock (fish or hermits) and see if it lives. Add livestock slowly so that your tank can adjust to the increase in biological waste load.
What you are experiencing is completely normal.
Jessica/Shrimpi