ammonia used

[Super9119]

I am currently setting up a brand new 40 gallon fresh water tank. Its going to be the home of just one oscar. However i made a mistake and im wondering what effects it will have and what to do going forward. I tried to start cycling the tank with fish food but it for whatever reason didnt work. The ammonia levels wouldnt rise. Then I was also afraid it could cause problems afterward having all that rotted food on the gravel. So then i decided to just dump ammonia into the tank. This is the problem. It was not 100% pure ammonia with no additives. It has listed in the ingredients " colorant " " ammonium hydroxide" and " fragrance", just those 3. It worked and the ammonia level is now 6 ppm. I know i can change all of the water repeatedly before i add the oscar to the tank. The water was very cloudy but is now fine after a water change. The bottle of ammonia did appear to foam as well in the bottle. I am now waiting for the cycle to finish in the next weeks. Other than water changes what can I do and how concerned should i be?

 

[jlk]

The colorants, fragrances, & 'foaming' (which means there are surfectants as well) are all going to pose problems for having fish. I dont think even lots of water changes are going to remove these additives & they may affect your attempt at cycling this tank. I honestly would find some pure ammonium hydroxide (such Ace Hardware's) since you are just starting out, clean everything, and start over. But, this is just my opinion. Lets see what others have to say!

 

[OasisKeeper]

I concur. Empty it, rinse and soak repeatedly.
I know this sounds like a lot of work, but I think it will be less then the hours of frustration that you will spend if you don't.

 

[Super9119]

ok thanks for replys. The guy at pet store said same thing. Im just going to empty the entire thing and clean out everything.