HOLY Mmonia!!

[Engel]

I just started a fishless cycle for my son's tank (10g). Are there varying levels of potency for pure ammonia? I picked some up at Ace hardware today, and I am 100% sure it is pure ammonia with no additional ingredients. No one warned me that this is some wicked stuff! I popped the cap, and went to measure out my teaspoon over the lip of the tank, and when it hit me in the face it really blew my hair back! Maybe scorched it! What with blindness caused by watering eyes, and lack of oxygen (now I REALLY feel bad for cycling my first one with fish!!!), the initial shock caused a slight amount of over spill, but nothing too bad. Less than a teaspoon?
I went to test a few hours later, and knew something was wrong when the ammonia smell wafted out at me. The test was off the charts. Not the darkest green it could be, oh no, this stuff was blue BLACK. I did a fifty percent change, and it still smelled so I didn't bother to test. I siphoned all but substrate level of water (My plant bulbs are probably gonners), and pulled out all my petrified wood.
I can add fresh water, but how about my wood? I personally hunted for this stuff with my dad a few years ago, and desperately want to use it in my tank. It's porous stuff right? Do you think I've transformed it into irreversible fish killing ammonia wood now? I've got it soaking in a new bucket of water that is dosed with Prime. I know that removes ammonia... but I'm afraid they are forever going to release ammonia into the tank!

 

[mfdrookie516]

It is some nasty stuff. First time I used it, I did the typical male thing and sniffed it. After I regained consciousness, regrew the hair inside my nose, and quit smelling ammonia every breath, I didn't ever do that again (ok, over dramatic, but I felt that way!). It takes just a little. Seriously. It took me a cap full to get 5ppm in my 55g. I would suggest getting a medicine dropper for kids and do it a few drops at a time, testing about 30 minutes after doing each round of drops.

 

[Engel]

It does feel that way. My nose and eyes burned for the next twenty minutes. Ok, I did read about the med dropper, but since it was not tank size specific I went to another article that said a teaspoon per 10g. Even if I hadn't over spilled that would have been WAY too much.
So what do you think about the wood? Guess it couldn't hurt to put it in and watch what happens with the ammonia levels for the next month or so. If if refuses to drop, I'll just yank it out, and then see.

 

[Engel]

YES! We are back in the green. It is unbelievable, but after removing all water except the substrate level, refilling the tank, and adding Prime, I tested a solid FOUR for ammonia an hour later. Wow... that's some horrid stuff. Ok... puuullleease let this cycle properly.