Hello everyone,
Skip to the red part if you want to cut to the tip:
I'm new here and just started my fishless cycle a few days ago (30 gal). I went looking for ammonia and all I could find were bottles that had surfactant in them so I came home empty handed. I had heard of starting the cycle with raw seafood so I figured I'd give that a shot instead.
To start the fishless cycle I tossed in a raw jumbo shrimp and let it sit for a few days. When I tested the ammonia it was at 1.0 ppm not bad I thought but when I started to read more on the fishless cycle I realized that it was going to be hard to fine tune the ammonia when it started dropping and I need to add more. So I felt I needed to find some ammonia somehow, somewhere to get this thing done right.
I did some more research and found out that ACE Hardware has their own store brand that says "Ammonia Janitorial Strength Formula" it contains 10% ammonium hydroxide and when you shake it it does not bubble. I happily gave them my $2 bucks and change and headed home. I filled up a 3 gallon bucket (10% of my tank) and added 1 tsp of ammonia, this tested @ 1.0 ppm, too low. I added another 2 more tsp, this tested at 1.0 ppm, still to low. I need more so I added a dump from the bottle just to be sure, this tested at 1.0 ppm. Something seems a bit off so I checked the test kit and it is not expired. Hmm, I have an idea, I'll test the ammonia straight out of the bottle! Maybe the concentration in the bottle is too weak and it will never register more than 1.0 ppm. I test it and it reads 1.0 ppm. Now it hits me, maybe the test kit wont even register if the ppm is way too high.
I start all over with a fresh 3 gal bucked of water and try different amounts of ammonia. It turns out my epiphany about it being way too high to even register was right. I finally come up with 1/8 tsp to 3gal = 4.0ppm
Now I'm ready to take this formula to the tank and get it started cycling. I put 1 tsp of ammonia in the 30gal tank and measure it, it tests @ 8ppm, dang!
I then do 3 different 10% water changes and finally get it down to 2ppm. I then take an eye dropper and put one drop in the tank and it tests at 4ppm. Success!
So now I just have to stay on top of my testing and only add single drops from an eye dropper when it starts to fall. Wow what an interesting learning experience I had with that. I'm glad that I figured it out though and that I understand a bit more than I did about my tank and the things going on in it. If you've read this far I'm impressed with your patience for tolerating drivel and I thank you.
Tip 1: In my experience the API Ammonia Test Kit will not measure above 1.0ppm if the ammonia is way way too high. You'd think that it would peg out at the darkest color on the chart if it was way way to high but it doesn't, it will basically read 0.0/1.0 ppm. So start with just a tiny bit of ammonia, something like an 1/8 of a tsp to 3 gallons as a starting point. Be sure to do this in a bucket, don't just go for it straight in the tank or you'll probably be doing a whole bunch of water changes.
Tip 2: If you live in the States and there is an Ace Hardware around you you probably have access to Ammonia. Here is their Item no: 10183
Hopefully this will be useful to other new aquarists.
Skip to the red part if you want to cut to the tip:
I'm new here and just started my fishless cycle a few days ago (30 gal). I went looking for ammonia and all I could find were bottles that had surfactant in them so I came home empty handed. I had heard of starting the cycle with raw seafood so I figured I'd give that a shot instead.
To start the fishless cycle I tossed in a raw jumbo shrimp and let it sit for a few days. When I tested the ammonia it was at 1.0 ppm not bad I thought but when I started to read more on the fishless cycle I realized that it was going to be hard to fine tune the ammonia when it started dropping and I need to add more. So I felt I needed to find some ammonia somehow, somewhere to get this thing done right.
I did some more research and found out that ACE Hardware has their own store brand that says "Ammonia Janitorial Strength Formula" it contains 10% ammonium hydroxide and when you shake it it does not bubble. I happily gave them my $2 bucks and change and headed home. I filled up a 3 gallon bucket (10% of my tank) and added 1 tsp of ammonia, this tested @ 1.0 ppm, too low. I added another 2 more tsp, this tested at 1.0 ppm, still to low. I need more so I added a dump from the bottle just to be sure, this tested at 1.0 ppm. Something seems a bit off so I checked the test kit and it is not expired. Hmm, I have an idea, I'll test the ammonia straight out of the bottle! Maybe the concentration in the bottle is too weak and it will never register more than 1.0 ppm. I test it and it reads 1.0 ppm. Now it hits me, maybe the test kit wont even register if the ppm is way too high.
I start all over with a fresh 3 gal bucked of water and try different amounts of ammonia. It turns out my epiphany about it being way too high to even register was right. I finally come up with 1/8 tsp to 3gal = 4.0ppm
Now I'm ready to take this formula to the tank and get it started cycling. I put 1 tsp of ammonia in the 30gal tank and measure it, it tests @ 8ppm, dang!
I then do 3 different 10% water changes and finally get it down to 2ppm. I then take an eye dropper and put one drop in the tank and it tests at 4ppm. Success!
So now I just have to stay on top of my testing and only add single drops from an eye dropper when it starts to fall. Wow what an interesting learning experience I had with that. I'm glad that I figured it out though and that I understand a bit more than I did about my tank and the things going on in it. If you've read this far I'm impressed with your patience for tolerating drivel and I thank you.
Tip 1: In my experience the API Ammonia Test Kit will not measure above 1.0ppm if the ammonia is way way too high. You'd think that it would peg out at the darkest color on the chart if it was way way to high but it doesn't, it will basically read 0.0/1.0 ppm. So start with just a tiny bit of ammonia, something like an 1/8 of a tsp to 3 gallons as a starting point. Be sure to do this in a bucket, don't just go for it straight in the tank or you'll probably be doing a whole bunch of water changes.
Tip 2: If you live in the States and there is an Ace Hardware around you you probably have access to Ammonia. Here is their Item no: 10183
Hopefully this will be useful to other new aquarists.
