Where can i buy pure ammonia????

[Jimmy Twotimes]

Hi everyone

I've purchased my first ever tank and am completely new to the hobby. However, I want to do things right and proper and that appears to mean a fishless cycle to get my tank mature.

But here in UK (not sure who else can see these forums) i cant find plain pure ammonia for love nor money. Does anyone have any ideas where I can get some - either mail order or otherwise.

Its driving me crazy all these US websites saying how simple it is but i just cant find the stuff.....

Cheers

Jimmy

 

[Alien Anna]

Try DIY stores, up by the white spirit. Alternatively, one of those old-fashioned hardware stores is a good place to look.

 

[benzonar]

The small one off hardware stores are the best bet. Don't ask for pure ammonia though, its clear ammonia you need which has an ammonia content of 10%.

Make sure its not scented and if you shake the botlle make sure it doesn't foam.

Trawl through yellow pages and call the small shops, forget the big DIY stores as you'll only find ammonia cleaner in those.

 

[gadazobe]

Do you have one of those everything £1 shops near you. I get mine from those - cheap, cheerful and works a treat

 

[Jimmy Twotimes]

Ahhhh forums, where would we be witout them

Well I've tried a couple of old fashioned hardware shops who have surprisingly been unhelpful. The stuff they sell is for cleaning and it comes in plastic bottles which arent transparent so I cant see if it foams up.

Good tip about "Clear Ammonia" which is what I will ask for in future.

I'll try those cheapo pound shops and will hopefully come up trumps. Itching to get going seeing as we've spent quite a lot of money on getting good equipment.

Dont wanna stuff it up by killing the fish for cycling purposes .

Thanks guys for your help.

Jimmy .

 

[Jimmy Twotimes]

OK, bought Household Ammonia from one of those pound shops. Its clear, has a real strong smell of ammonia (not lemon scented or anything like that) but when i shake it, it does kinda foam up. And on the back of the label it does say 9.5% ammonia.

Does this mean its no good

I went everywhere looking for it and thought this was the OK. Is there any other way of a fishless cycle? I read on a site that you can drop a piece of raw meat and let that decompose to produce ammonia. Would this work?

And without being crude ) , but doesnt urine contain ammonia? If I was really desperate could this also work?

I really dont wanna buy fish to mature my tank but I'm running out of ideas...

Thanks for any advice.....

Jimmy.

 

[Navarone]

I've started the cycle in my Koi ponds with urine. I've never had a problem at all. Best part is that it's free.

 

[Ruby Slippers]

Not going to ask where you buy urine !
To my knowledge the small independant chemists sell ammonia I used to by mine there for cleaning my bisque-ware up before glazing. Hope that helps you out ?!

 

[Alien Anna]

Not going to ask where you buy urine !

Personally, I think he's just taking the piss

 

[Navarone]

 

[Jimmy Twotimes]

You Guys!!!!!

Well back to the serious question in hand, I tried my local independent chemists and they had nothing. I guess my part of Hertfordshire is an Ammonia Free Zone...!

Is urine really a viable option for a tropical tank? I mean could I be introducing other toxins which could harm the fish (come to think of it, what about turning the water yellow )....

Any thoughts on this business of dropping a piece of meat in the tank and letting it rot? The site also said you could add small amounts of food each day to produce ammonia...

Help me.....

Jimmy

 

[mrV]

OK, bought Household Ammonia from one of those pound shops.

Is it only ammonia?

Have you asked from your pharmacy? I have always buy those chemicals from there... (NH3, H2SO4, HNO3, HCl, NaOH.... etc...)

 

[Jimmy Twotimes]

Mr V

Yeah I've asked at my local Pharmacy and they just look at me funny. The bottle I bought which says "Household Ammonia" only tells me that it contains 9.5% ammonium.

But cos it foams up I'm reluctant to use it.

I actually asked my LFS if they sold it. He laughed at me saying "you need to get rid of ammonia, not add it.......". I told him I wanted to fishless cycle and he tried to sell my a £5.00 bottle of stuff that cycles a tank in a week.

Wont be going there for my supplies.

Still have this issue of how i'm gonna cycle my tank.



Jimmy

 

[Alien Anna]

You Guys!!!!!

Well back to the serious question in hand, I tried my local independent chemists and they had nothing. I guess my part of Hertfordshire is an Ammonia Free Zone...!

Is urine really a viable option for a tropical tank? I mean could I be introducing other toxins which could harm the fish (come to think of it, what about turning the water yellow )....

Any thoughts on this business of dropping a piece of meat in the tank and letting it rot? The site also said you could add small amounts of food each day to produce ammonia...

Help me.....

Jimmy

Urine from a healthy human or animal is a sterilie substance containing urea (a "locked up" form of ammonia). The yellow colour is from the ammonia in it. If you add ammonia to your tank, the water goes yellow for a while anyway in my experience.

But if you're too squeemish for that, try adding a little bit of fish food every day. Turn the temperature up (about 84F should do it) and you'll have to wait 3 or 4 days for the food to actually start rotting nicely. Add the amount of food you think you'd add to feed the appropriate amount of fish (this is basically unprocessed fish poop). I think the meat thing could go wrong because controlling the dose is rather difficult.

Also try "seeding" the tank with live plants.

 

[Lithril]

Whilst were on the subject does anyone have any ideas what sort of strength ammonia to use in tanks, I can get HPLC grade from work but would imagine its way over strength for what we need it for.