How much Ammonia do I add?

[Sol]

Hi there, this is my first post on the forums, but they have already been very useful from reading up on the posts.

I bought a ten gallon tank which I setup a week ago. I had began by adding Stress Zyme, but after reading up on it, this appears to be more of an ongoing aid, rather than a product to start a cycle.

So I bought some Boots household ammonia today. On the bottle it says its diluted to 9.5%

Exactly how many ml do I need to add to my 10 gallon tank?

Is there an exact science to this?

Thanks.

 

[luxum]

Add enough to get to 5ppm, then write down how much that was and use it as your daily dose.

 

[tstenback]

to the forum.

THe science is pretty exact but the amount is variable. I usually add enough using a dropper/pipette to get an ammonia reading of about 5 ppm. For a 10 gal i would guess about 5 ml. Then in about an hour test the level if its not around 5ppm then add some more so that it is. Record the amount you put in and add that every day until your nitrites spike.Then half the dose until both the nitrites and ammonia read zero. HTH

 

[Sol]

OK well I've just added under 5ml and the water has suddenly gone cloudy.

 

[tstenback]

not to worry there are no fish in there. The cloudiness will go away soon try to add the ammonia at the same time daily and always take your readings just before adding. This gives you consistent results and a better picture of where your tank is in the cycle. good Luck with it and as i like to say sit back and watch the bacteria grow it's a fabulous show

 

[Sol]

OK thanks for your help.

I want to make sure I've got things just right before adding any fish, so I've been making a record of what I've done to the thank, and I began testing for the first time today.

 

[tstenback]

Great idea. Also excellent to continue this as you continue in the hobby as it shows possible causes for events in your tank. I record maintenance and new additions/deaths plants, new foods tried, meds etc. it really makes diagnosing tank problems much easier. Takes out a lot of the guess work.