Too much ammonia?

[mwitha]

Im doing a fishless cycle and added some household ammonia. 2 days ago. My current readings are:

Ammonia: 4ppm - 8ppm (its between the two colours)
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate: 0ppm

Ph 7.6
Temp: 83F

 

[CaptainAhab]

Little high but not to worry (if you want to PWC some out, that is fine too) You're sure it was pure ammonia with no additives? A lot of cleaners contain chemicals such as surfactants (that make bubbles), dyes, coloring agents, fragrences, and a whole range of chemicals that you do not want in you aquarium. You want just ammonia and water

 

[mwitha]

Yup, its 9% ammonia. Im from the UK so it was quite hard to find, but I did manage to get some pure ammonia (it doesnt froth when shaken and is colourless). I did a slight PWC and added some cheap plants - so I'm hoping that might help.

Can you keep an eye on this post because I might need some help when the values start changing. Need someone to do this with me!! lol.

Thanks for the advice!

 

[CaptainAhab]

Sure thing though there are lots here that have been thru the fishless as well, or you can PM too..

Good luck and good choice

 

[jonnythan]

I'm glad I found this thread. I have essentially the same question:

Is it possible to add too much ammonia? I added probably a couple of tablespoons to a 5 gallon tank. I'm waiting for the ammonia test kit to come in the mail.

 

[tetroid]

Yes, it's possible. Once you start hitting 7 or 8 ppm ammonia, you run the risk of stalling your cycle. You want a level closer to 5 ppm, give or take. I don't know how dilute your household ammonia source is, but two tablespoons for five gallons sounds high. You might want to try a 50% water change, or wait and see what your test kit says.

 

[OldMan]

One of the problems with a high ammonia concentration is that the wrong bacteria will develop. As the concentration starts to drop, the bacteria we have established don't get enough ammonia any more and you will not have established the right bacteria. The shift from the bacteria we want to the ones we don't want happens somewhere around 8 ppm so you will want to keep your concentration around the 4 to 5 ppm level while trying to get your cycle going.
Jonnythan, a 5 gallon will likely take much less than a teaspoon, I don't remember exactly. You can probably smell the ammonia if you have that much in it.
I just did a quick calculation and it should take slightly less than 1/4 teaspoon in a real volume of 5 gallons to get to 5 ppm. Many 5 gallon tanks don't actually hold that much water so you want even less ammonia than that. Warning, when I calculate my ammonia for a cycle, the first thing I do is add half that much, test and adjust based on my readings. There are just too many variables to do it by adding everything at once.

 

[jonnythan]

I did two 80% water changes and the ammonia now seems to be just at or above 4.0 ppm on the scale. Thanks

 

[CaptainAhab]

'One of the problems with a high ammonia concentration is that the wrong bacteria will develop'

Interesting statement, could you post some links describing the differences between the 'high concentration' Nitrosomonas and the low level please.

 

[OldMan]

One source of that kind of information is here.
Effect of nitrite concentration on the distributio...[Water Res. 2006] - PubMed Result
It took me a while to find it and is not the first place that I had ever seen it. Trouble is I no longer know where I first found it. That was a bit easier reading than this one.

 

[CaptainAhab]

Interesting series of articles. Your statement is a stretch based on my reading but interesting never the less.