Newbie Questions....!

[MadMan-JaMeS]

I am just setup my tank and am doing a fishless cycle to get it going,

however when i asked a man in my lfs today if they sold ammonia he looked at me funny and said i dnt need to add it all i need is tap water conditioner and stress-zyme.

he leave it for 5 days then add some fish ?

also i need to add 1 ml of water conditioner for every 75.7l of water but my tank has 120l so 2ml is my guess but can i over do it with this stuff ?

 

[mommyof2bettas]

Don't believe everything the lfs says, it is best to cycle and not use water conditioner. You can buy ammonia in stores like Wal-Mart, but since you're in the UK (you are, aren't you?) I'm not sure where you can get it.

 

[MadMan-JaMeS]

Don't believe everything the lfs says, it is best to cycle and not use water conditioner. You can buy ammonia in stores like Wal-Mart, but since you're in the UK (you are, aren't you?) I'm not sure where you can get it.

yer i am in uk so if anyone knows ehere i can get some ammonia from pls let me know !

to be honest i'd rather use the de-chlorinting stuff just to be sure

 

[mommyof2bettas]

and to be honest I use it too!
But I make sure i's from a good company-Mine is AquaSafe, I went to the website and the company knows their stuff!

 

[sarena_rye]

AquaSafe is good stuff As for over doing it, there have been plenty of times I've overdone mine a little. I haven't had any adverse effects, even in my fry tanks, and it's not surprising considering it's a chemical that takes the bad things OUT of the water rather than being bad itself As MO2B (yay for abbr.) said, it's best to do a full cycle, and definately don't believe everything an LFS tells you, especially when it sounds way too good to be true.

 

[Torrean]

about the ammonia...try grocery stores, hardware stores, wallmart equivalent. I got mine from wallmart. I believe there is a pinned topic about where to get ammonia. It may be in the cycling resource center. Have a look around;

 

[MarkTheShark]

Know any close who has a little established media they can give you?

If not, good luck in your Ammonia Quest!

 

[MadMan-JaMeS]

Know any close who has a little established media they can give you?

If not, good luck in your Ammonia Quest!

yer i know a guy closish but wht is media ? the sponge stuff ? and how would i transport it ?

 

[doubledee]

Hi,

If you're in the UK, you can buy it in Homebase. It's 1.99 GBP for a 500ml (I think) bottle and it's 9.5% solution. Check the pinned thread on cycling, which I also believe has a post or two about UK stockists of ammonia. I've also heard that Boots stock it and my local independent DIY store had some but as I couldn't identify the ingredients, I left it. After some further investigation, I found it's the same stuff as the Homebase product. I think (don't quote me though) if it's a 9.5% solution, you can more or less be sure it's suitable. As long as it doesn't froth when you shake it, it's fine as it won't have any other chemicals i.e. detergents or perfumes.

 

[mark.w.jones]

Most filters contain a combination of things to help them run efficiently. Ceramic media (white tubes) which have a large surface area to be colonised by beneficial bacteria. This is where most of your bacteria are found. There are usually also one or two types of sponge somewhere. Usually a quite course one and a finer one. These are also home to a lot of bacteria + help to sieve out fine particles. Finally, you may have some white filter floss (like cotton wool). This is usually very dense. It's main job is sieving out very small particles from your water. You may also have a carbon filter knocking about in there. Usually its a black sponge or plastic case containing black gravelly stuff. This is not needed. Your best bet is to remove it and replcae with another sponge. Hope that helps

 

[MarkTheShark]

Yup, The sponge stuff. Transport it in a plastic ziplock bag and keep it wet with aquarium water. Good Luck

 

[sketchy]

boots sell household ammonia in their laundry aids dept. only about £1.75 a bottle.