Possibly another silly question...

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new2betas

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I am cycling my new tank. If I decide to put in straight ammonia, how much do I add. In all of the articles I have printed from here (thanks all!) I don't see a measurment for how much ammonia to add. I hate to just guess at it. I have a ten gallon tank. Do I just start pouring and then test, or is there a general guideline of how much to add?
Thanks!
 
I'd say start with 5 drops, let the filter circulate it for a while, then test. You would want to be around 4-5ppm. I'd take it down to 3ppm once your nitrItes start showing up. Hope this helps. :)
 
no such thing as silly questions around here, Dottie! You are doing a great job and your betta will be so happy with the new tank :)
 
I just did exactly the same thing. I cycled a 10g tank from scratch. About 1/8-1/4 tsp of ammonia was enough to go from 0ppm to 4ppm. Look at it this way - if you don't add enough, you can always add more, and if you add too much, you can do a PWC and take it out. It's a great learning experience IMO.
 
The reason you don't see amounts listed, is because the strength of the Ammonia can vary greatly. So what works for one bottle won't necessarily be correct for the one you find.
 
I can not tell you guys the fun I am having with this today....I went out and bought my ammonia. I added it to my 10 gallon tank along with a "cave" from my daughter's betta's house....I forgot I had it. I got some pH down and added a few drops of that also. I got a turkey baster at the dollar store and it works marvelously with my smaller betta tanks. I was amazed all of the junk it cleared out of the gravel! Wow! Then, I treated my betta tank with the parasite clear, just one more time. He doesn't seemed stressed at this point! I think it will work well! I am now going to go in my daughter's room and clean out her betta's tank with the turkey baster and then take pictures for you all to see her beautiful betta! I gave my new tank a little while with the ammonia and it is testing at a 2, so I guess I need to put a little more ammonia in....anyway. I am having fun!
 
No need to worry about the PH Down. It's another waste of money. As long as the PH in your tank(s) does not fluctuate rapidly by itself, the fish will get used to whatever PH your tank is stable at.

I agree with the turkey baster! I have one here at work that I use with my 2.5g guppy tank. It works great for mixing up the mulm in the gravel and helping the filter do it's job.

Just double the amount of ammonia you put in, and that will bring it up to 4ppm. Keep an eye on it, and in a week or so, you should start to see it drop, and the Nitrites will start to rise. Don't let the ammonia bottom out, or the bacteria will starve.

I know what you mean about the excitement! It's so fun to put this kind of chemistry to work, knowing that you're building a home for something.
 
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