Adding Ammonia

[Fish noob]

I'm starting my cycle in my 65g. I've read that adding ammonia helps kickstart the process. Is that true? If so, is this ammonia acceptable?

I got it from walgreen's. It says Ammonium Hydroxide (contains no Phosphorus). That is the only active ingredient listed.

How much should be applied? How often?

Thanks!

 

[Hondatek]

You have to shake it up and see if it bubbles . If it does bubble it's no good . 4 ppm of ammo is the right starting dose.

 

[Mpfaff77]

Still throw a raw shrimp in to tank. This will feed your Bactria. The liquid ammonia will cause the spike you need to kick start cycle.

 

[AquaRick]

You don't need to add a raw shrimp. That's what the pure ammonia is there for. Dose to 4ppm. A little goes a long way with that stuff. I'd add a teaspoon at a time and see how much you need. If memory serves me right, I think i only needed a 1/3 of a cup for my 125g + 40g sump.

Read this if you haven't already:
The (almost) Complete Guide and FAQ to Fishless Cycling

 

[Mpfaff77]

Yeah but once that ammonia is converted there is no more ammonia to feed the cycle. He needs to keep dosing pure ammonia every couple of days or give tank something to create ammonia like shrimp. I have always understood once ammonia drops to 0 ppm in less than 24 hours then you can stop dosing tank. Maybe I'm wrong about this. I didn't read that link that Rick put up. I will tho

 

[EriksFish315]

Keep dosing ammonia to 4ppm until you have no ammonia and no nitrites then do a large water change and you will be cycled. Read the link aquarick posted its helpful.

 

[rdnelson99]

You don't need to add a raw shrimp. That's what the pure ammonia is there for. Dose to 4ppm. A little goes a long way with that stuff. I'd add a teaspoon at a time and see how much you need. If memory serves me right, I think i only needed a 1/3 of a cup for my 125g + 40g sump.

Read this if you haven't already:
The (almost) Complete Guide and FAQ to Fishless Cycling

Agree totally with this except for the amount. I put one small capfule in my 45 and it was way to much. Start with just a few drops and then test to see how close that got you to 4 ppm.

Each time the ammonia drops, dose it back up to 4 ppm. Keep doing this until you see nitrites start to rise. Continue dosing to 4 ppm until you see that all the ammonia and all the nitrite are converted to nitrate within a 24 hour period. When you can dose up to 4 ppm and then have no ammonia and nitrite 24 hours later you can start to do water changes to reduce the nitrates. Once the nitrates are below 10-20 (but as close to 0 as you can get) you can start slowly adding livestock.

 

[NyteGTI]

it's ~ 2.5 ML per 10 gallons to get you to 4ppm. thats abotu as close as I can get "scientifically"

 

[Fish noob]

UPDATE:

I found some pure ammonia at Ace Hardware last weekend. I dosed the tank to 4ppm. A few days ago my numbers were :

Ammonia: 2ppm
Nitrite: >5ppm
Nitrate: 80ppm

Then last night my ammonia had dropped to 1ppm, but all the other numbers remained the same. So, I dosed it back up to nearly 4ppm.

NOW this morning my numbers are:

Ammonia: 1ppm
Nitrite: >5ppm
Nitrate: 40-60ppm.


Its weird, because my ammonia dropped overnight, but my nitrIte has remained off the chart this entire time. AND how would my nitrAtes drop without even doing a water change?

 

[NyteGTI]

Live sand?

 

[Fish noob]

Yes, live sand and live rock

 

[AquaRick]

UPDATE:

I found some pure ammonia at Ace Hardware last weekend. I dosed the tank to 4ppm. A few days ago my numbers were :

Ammonia: 2ppm
Nitrite: >5ppm
Nitrate: 80ppm

Then last night my ammonia had dropped to 1ppm, but all the other numbers remained the same. So, I dosed it back up to nearly 4ppm.

NOW this morning my numbers are:

Ammonia: 1ppm
Nitrite: >5ppm
Nitrate: 40-60ppm.


Its weird, because my ammonia dropped overnight, but my nitrIte has remained off the chart this entire time. AND how would my nitrAtes drop without even doing a water change?

Looks like you're getting close. But your trites still need to come down. Give it time. Also, it wouldn't hurt to get a second opinion on your testing. I'd take your water to your LFS and see what readings they get and compare.

 

[Fish noob]

I didn't know it was possible for my NitrAtes to drop on their own- especially overnight. I haven't done a water change.

 

[Hondatek]

Nitrates can turn into a gas and leave the tank naturally if you have a deep sand bed . There are other factors but I can't remember them off hand.

 

[Fish noob]

Is it normal for my ammonia and nitrate levels to both drop, but to have the nitrAtes be so high and not drop at all?

 

[Hondatek]

Yep it's normal . Even though nitrates can turn into a gas and get absorbed by macro algae a water change is the only way to see instant results.

 

[Fish noob]

Should I continue to dose the ammonia until nitrites start dropping, or just leave it alone?

 

[Hondatek]

I would . It will give your tank a better beneficial bacteria colony. It will pay off in the end.

 

[rdnelson99]

Right now, you have a good start on the bacteria that converts the ammonia to nitrite but the bacteria that converts the nitrite to nitrate has not been established well. That is why the nitrite stays high. The nitrate may have dropped because you did the test a little different or because of a macro algae or even your skimmer possibly. Because the bacteria are not converting a lot of the nitrite to nitrate, you have no new nitrate to replace what is being consumed or exported by natural means.

 

[Fish noob]

Right now, you have a good start on the bacteria that converts the ammonia to nitrite but the bacteria that converts the nitrite to nitrate has not been established well. That is why the nitrite stays high. The nitrate may have dropped because you did the test a little different or because of a macro algae or even your skimmer possibly. Because the bacteria are not converting a lot of the nitrite to nitrate, you have no new nitrate to replace what is being consumed or exported by natural means.

I'm not running my skimmer during the cycle process. Is there anything I can do to help facilitate the conversion of NitrIte to NitrAte?