Filter Start Bacteria - Possible Food Source?

[Bugdozer]

I've read many comments regarding "filter start" bacterial cultures being used in a fishless cycle, and there's a valid point that is often mentioned - without fish in there to provide ammonia, what are the bacteria going to feed on?
Hence, of course, the idea of adding ammonia to run a fishless cycle, which makes sound sense.
However... on reading another thread that mentioned the use of a product called Seachem Prime, I looked at the blurb for this product where it proudly states that Prime will remove ammonia which is produced by the dechlorination process - it seems one of the byproducts of chloramine breakdown is ammonia! So if this is the case (unless you're using Prime) whenever you dechlorinate new water you are adding a little portion of ammonia in with it.
Does anyone who understands the chemistry better than me (probably all of you!) know what sort of quantity of ammonia dechlorination will produce? Is it enough for filter start bacteria to eat?

 

[Prime Ordeal]

If you take a reading of your tap water's ammonia (which will be all, or mostly, from chloramine), then that's how much ammonia you have whether it's dechlorinated or not. The Prime just detoxifies it, it doesn't remove it and it's still useable by the bacteria even when in its detoxified form.

Usually there'll be about 0.5 - 1.0ppm ammonia but it's very variable depending where you are in the world and yes, that would be enough for the bacteria to chomp on.

 

[OldMan47]

Bugdozer it is simple. If you do not have another source of ammonia to cycle your tank you can use simple ammonium hydroxide, often labeled as ammonia, or yon can even use ammonium chloride, the chemical used in the 1990s as a cycling source. I have no idea where to obtain ammonium chloride but ammonia as a cleaning compound can be found at a typical Ace Hardware in the US.

Prime does not remove ammonia at all, instead it converts it into a less toxic ammonium form. That does not interfere in any way with using Prime during a cycle as long as you do not exceed a double dosing of the chemical. Dechlorinators in excess of 2 times the recommended dose have been shown to reduce the rate that a bacterial colony develops.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

You can get ammonium chloride, pre-measured so dosing one drop per gallon will result in 2 ppm of ammonia. DrTim's sells it. I use it now instead of household ammonia.
http/store.drtimsa...ling_p_190.html