How much ammonia???

[mandi0321]

Hey Guys,

I bought and set up a new 55 gal FW tank Saturday. I added stress zyme, dechor, and easy balance to the water on Sat also. Early this morning, I noticed the water has begun to cloud. Could this be bacteria? Also, I noticed many people add ammonia to the tank. How much should I add in this tank and how often? Thanks!!!

 

[krap101]

you should put a couple drops of ammonia and test it. you should keep doing this until you test 5ppm. record this and put around that same ammount every day and test it. you should test the nitrites in like a week and test it every day. once you get nitrites test the nitrites and ammonia every day and your ammonia should go down. about a week after that you should test the nitrates and when the nitrates go up then watch the ammonia and nitrites and wait for them to go to 0. and then u have ur tank cycled.

and you should put an ornament etc from an established tank (if you can) because it'll speed up the cycle.

(this is just the way i do it others may do it differently) and also you should read up on the nitrogen cycle. theres an article about it in the article section. and theres other sites that have it too.

 

[TankGirl]

Take Krap101's advice and here is a wonderful article about the fishless cycle: http://www.tomgriffin.com/aquamag/cycle2.html

 

[cginflorida]

Welcome to AA, mandi!

I'm assuming you don't have fish in that tank, and you want to do fishless cycling with ammonia. That's great. Just make sure it's clear ammonia without any soapy stuff in it. I got mine at Wal-Mart for .97 a half-gallon. I just started a 75 gal tank cycling, and I use 4 tsp. of ammonia a day, so you could probably start out with 1 tbsp. or a little less for your 55. I had asked this same question the other day, and TankGirl gave me very accurate amounts to start with - thanks again, TG). Just make sure you do the tests like krap said, you want to keep track of your progress.

As for the cloudy water, that's pretty common in new tanks. My 75 is getting a little bit cloudy, too. It should clear up over time. Don't know if it's bacteria or not.

Have fun and good luck.

 

[mandi0321]

Thanks everybody for the help! I am so happy to have found this site! The tank has cleared somewhat today. I guess a lot o f patience is needed to deal with new tanks! I can't wait to get the fish in. I have two neons and a pleco in a five gallon who will love their new home!! (Talk about moving on up )

 

[TankGirl]

I guess a lot o f patience is needed to deal with new tanks!

Truer words were never spoken!

 

[Menagerie]

[center:acb79bb891] Welcome to AA, mandi0321! [/center:acb79bb891]
Patience will go a long way in this hobby