Fritz pro ammonium chloride. Is it good for cycling my tank?

[JJ Briant]

So I just set up a 29 gallon aquarium and I am In the process of cycling it. I have just been throwing in fish food to get the ammonia started and I’ve been dosing it with seachem stability. I was thinking about maybe just adding actual ammonia to get it going quicker. Has anyone used this stuff and if so is it any good for getting my cycle done faster?

 

[FishGuest5123]

Never heard of it but if it’s ammonium it’s not actually ammonia. You can order Dr. Tim’s ammonia online or just by household ammonia with no fragrance or detergent added. Shake it up and if no bubbles appear than it’s safe for fish. If you can’t find it at grocery stores, you can find it at hardware stores. You may want to try some Tetra Safe Start+. It’s bacteria in a bottle and usually speeds things along. Good luck!

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Dr. Tim's 'ammonia' is ammonium chloride.


Ammonium chloride dissolves in water to ammonium and chloride. The chloride eventually gasses off (there's not much there)... while the ammonium stays behind.

And in your fish tank, ammonia and ammonium are connected. The amount of ammonia versus ammonium present is a function of the pH, the temp and the salinity of the water. Ultimately, this can be used to speed up the cycle process.... and is far more reliable than fish food, in terms of dosing.

The only concern would be for unknown additives to the stuff. If its pure ammonium chloride, the next question is what the concentration is... and how much to add to get the desired 1-3 ppm ammonia.

 

[Colin_T]

If you use fish food, use pellets or wafers. Add a couple to the tank and wait until the ammonia level goes up to 3ppm, then remove the food and throw it away. Wait until the ammonia drops to less than 1ppm and then add some more food.

If the ammonia level gets too high (generally above 4ppm) it can stop the cycling process.

 

[JJ Briant]

I ended up getting some of the fritz ammonium chloride. It said 1 teaspoon per 100 gallons. Since I have a 29 gallon I did about 30% of a teaspoon and then waited like 10 min and tested my ammonia. It read right at about 4ppm so I guess I dosed it right haha

 

[FishGuest5123]

Dr. Tim's 'ammonia' is ammonium chloride.


Ammonium chloride dissolves in water to ammonium and chloride. The chloride eventually gasses off (there's not much there)... while the ammonium stays behind.

And in your fish tank, ammonia and ammonium are connected. The amount of ammonia versus ammonium present is a function of the pH, the temp and the salinity of the water. Ultimately, this can be used to speed up the cycle process.... and is far more reliable than fish food, in terms of dosing.

The only concern would be for unknown additives to the stuff. If its pure ammonium chloride, the next question is what the concentration is... and how much to add to get the desired 1-3 ppm ammonia.

Oops, you’re correct. Just checked a bottle I have.