Need Help, Think I Put Originally In The Wrong Place...

[rgrrmg]

I am new to this forum, I have started a 12 gallon tank...No fish I am adding 10% ammonia using a Seachem ammonia alert to monitor the level.
I'm wondering if I have now added too much ammonia. When I take off the lid of the tank there is a really strong ammonia smell, is this normal??

Thanks.

 

[fatheadminnow]

You need to get a liquid test kit.

I, and many others, would recommend the API Fresh Water Master test kit.

In this test kit, one can accurately measure the Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate and pH levels within a tank, which is essential to a good healthy tank and good fish care.

So until you get a good liquid test kit, do not get a strip test kit, you will not know how much ammonia is in your water.

 

[OldMan47]

Welcome to the forum rgrrmg.
If you can smell ammonia, the tank is at a much higher value than we ever use to cycle a tank. A large water change to get the ammonia back down is needed and then get a good test kit as FHM recommended. Silly monitors like the one you have are almost useless unless you just want to monitor a healthy tank and don't want to ever test for yourself. Even the manufacturers suggest frequent test element changes for them and if you intentionally spike it with high ammonia values you can probably burn out the sensor fairly quickly.

 

[ZoddyZod]

would 10% ammonia in a 12 gallon tank mean 1.2 gallons of ammonia in there?

Is that how much you have added?

 

[rgrrmg]

I did not add 1.2 gallons of ammonia, probably in the neighborhood of 5 to 6 tablespoons of a 10% solution. The bottle of ammonia I bought ( Ace Hardware) says "contains 10% Ammonium Hydroxide".
Last night I did a 50% water change, and this morning there was still a strong smell of ammonia so I did a 90% water change. Now there is a very faint smell of ammonia.

Thanks for all your input, I guess I will have to go buy a master test kit. I am going to try and get a piece of filter media from a healthy tank to seed it.
I just moved to Fort Worth Texas and I don't know anyone here with a tank, so I guess it may take a little time to find some.

Thanks.

 

[fatheadminnow]

Yeah, get a Liquid master test kit and try to get some mature filter media, that really kick-start your cycle!

-FHM

 

[rgrrmg]

OK so I went to my lfs and bought the API freshwater Master Test Kit and did a test...it shows my ammonia at 8.0 PPM.
I just did a 50% water change and will retest...to be continued.

 

[waterdrop]

Good, glad you did the additional water change after that. 8ppm is right where you don't want to be. It encourages a different species of ammonia oxidizing bacteria that die out when the ppm drops lower, as it inevitably will! You want about 4ppm for the start of your fishless cycle and perhaps a little tweak up to 5ppm at the very end after weeks of cycling.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[rgrrmg]

Thanks for the great Info. wd, I believe after 2 more water changes I now have the level around 4 to 5 PPM.
Now all I need is a little of patience, and to find someone in the Fort Worth area to get some seed material for the tank.

 

[Truck]

I, and many others, would recommend the API Fresh Water Master test kit.

In this test kit, one can accurately measure the Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate and pH levels within a tank, which is essential to a good healthy tank and good fish care.

cant say i agree...API are one of the most un accurate brands on the market!

 

[rgrrmg]

Well API was recommended to me on this forum... (Check the beginning of this thread.)

 

[Truck]

i use saliferts, and i had some spare API so i had them tested against each other by having my water tested at a lab, the saliferts were closest to 1 decimal place, whereas the API were 0.5 ppm out on ammonia and nitrate and the nitrite was out by 0.25

 

[rgrrmg]

Great! So now I know that I might be +/- 0.5 on the ammonia readings.

 

[waterdrop]

I and some of the others don't disagree that Saliferts have a better accuracy reputation, we just disagree that typical API readings are as inaccurate as truck is making them out to be by this one laboratory cross-check. rgrrmg, you might check the price and availablilty of Saliferts in your area and choose to get that kit, it would be good. I just feel the API would probably be good enough too.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[rgrrmg]

OK sounds good, I'll look into it.
Oh yeah forgot to mention one thing, I'm currently unemployed so cost plays a big part in this.