How long until a piece of uneaten food turns into ammonia?

[trickshot3102]

Well, the tittle says it all; how long until an uneaten piece of food starts to release ammonia?

 

[tnfinfan]

Sounds like a fun experiment! Just use a cup of tank water and a pinch of food then test periodically. I know folks sometimes fishless cycle with cheap flakes but no clue how long it takes to get the ammonia up.

 

[trickshot3102]

Sounds like a fun experiment! Just use a cup of tank water and a pinch of food then test periodically. I know folks sometimes fishless cycle with cheap flakes but no clue how long it takes to get the ammonia up.

When I get a test kit, I think I will try it! That would be pretty fun

 

[mrvincent]

It depend on the number of presence of heterotrophics bacterias avaiable in your system. If you put food into fresh tap water, it will take time for chlorine to evaporate, time for heterotrophics bacterias to develop and eat the food...

If you put food into your tank with supplement of heterotrophics bacterias, after one day you'll probably see ammonia raising... It's case to case. Depend on the temperature, O2 levels, heterotrophics bacterias levels. If you have too much autotrophics bacterias, you won't see any ammonia spike, but only nitrates at the end of the process...

 

[trinifella]

I never thought about that!!!

 

[mrvincent]

If you're using sterile food, with sterilized container, and seal all this, you'll probably not see any ammonia spike before months, years... Or never...

This is the way they make conserve cans. Still no ammonia in my old two years tuna cans. hehe

 

[Mebbid]

If you're using sterile food, with sterilized container, and seal all this, you'll probably not see any ammonia spike before months, years... Or never...

This is the way they make conserve cans. Still no ammonia in my old two years tuna cans. hehe

That's a different process completely. The ammonia comes from stored nitrogen that's in everything that is or was alive. It just has to be broken down (decomposed) in order to release the ammonia.

The can of tuna on the other hand has been cooked to kill any bacteria in the can as well as removing every ounce of air inside it. Many types of bacteria need air to live and grow and without some in the can they can't break anything down.

 

[mrvincent]

That's a different process completely. The ammonia comes from stored nitrogen that's in everything that is or was alive. It just has to be broken down (decomposed) in order to release the ammonia.

The can of tuna on the other hand has been cooked to kill any bacteria in the can as well as removing every ounce of air inside it. Many types of bacteria need air to live and grow and without some in the can they can't break anything down.

YEah I know, I was putting the thing to the extreme.

 

[trickshot3102]

The thing is, I give my fish freeze dryed shrimp as a treat and it sometimes takes them a while to eat it. I take out what they don't eat, but I was wondering if any ammonia could be released in this 10 to 20 minutes that they eat it?

 

[mrvincent]

No, it takes at least 24hrs. In this case feed them less.

What I do for feeding big cubes for my few fish, is I split the cubes via melting and refreezing.

I take a container, put grinded flake food, pellet foods, frozen brine shrimps, frozen bloodworms, I put water in this, I wait 20 min it melt, then I mix a bit and freeze this mixture. Then I crush it into small pieces that I can give to my fish, and there's never uneaten food in the tank.

Then I put water and freeze and crush the ice plate:

You can make the ice plate more thin for easier ice crush. They seems to like this food, and the grinded pellets feed my corys in the same time.

 

[trickshot3102]

No, it takes at least 24hrs. In this case feed them less.

What I do for feeding big cubes for my few fish, is I split the cubes via melting and refreezing.

I take a container, put grinded flake food, pellet foods, frozen brine shrimps, frozen bloodworms, I put water in this, I wait 20 min it melt, then I mix a bit and freeze this mixture. Then I crush it into small pieces that I can give to my fish, and there's never uneaten food in the tank.

Then I put water and freeze and crush the ice plate:

You can make the ice plate more thin for easier ice crush. They seems to like this food, and the grinded pellets feed my corys in the same time.

Wow that seems like a great way to feed! I should try it! I just feed the flake food and for a treat, I give them the shrimp.

I didn't know that it take almost 24 hours! That is such a relief!

 

[mrvincent]

Wow that seems like a great way to feed! I should try it! I just feed the flake food and for a treat, I give them the shrimp.

I didn't know that it take almost 24 hours! That is such a relief!

My cories take at least 30min-1hrs to eat sinking pellets... No worries.

 

[trickshot3102]

My cories take at least 30min-1hrs to eat sinking pellets... No worries.

That is such a relief!!! I was thinking that as soon as it went into the water, it started to dirty up the water!

 

[mrvincent]

Food must not go into the filter intake too, it will accumulate and release nitrates in the water overtime.