Fishless cycling - using flake food for ammonia

[sinfulhorse]

I have a new 25 gal tank which I have planted and started fishless cycling

I was not able to get any ammonia from either my LFS or local shops. I read on this site that fish food was OK to use (I have subsequently read another post which said this was not a good idea but too late!)

Until I can get some ammonia, I am adding a large pinch of flake food per day but the ammonia levels after two days are negligible

Should I be adding larger amounts of food or do I need to wait till next weekend when I can head into town to shop for some pure ammonia? (What is the downside of using food if I clean the sand and do a 75% water change just before I introduce the fish

Thanks

 

[Tempestuousfury]

to the forum. Introduce yourself in the newbie section.

I would say wait for the ammonia. It's better to have a stable source of ammonia, and since the food would decay over time, the ammonia levels would not be very accurate.

Plus, there's a prescribed dose on the bottle, so no worries about having an incorrect amount of ammonia.

 

[platyperson]

I just did a successfull cycle with flakes, i only added ammonia when the readings were waay lower than they should have been

 

[sinfulhorse]

Thank you

Did you add a pinch of flakes every day?

If not, what dose were you adding and how often?

(Mine is 27.5 gallons max capacity)

Cheers