mattrox
Aquarium Advice Addict
When fishless cycling the advice is to add about 4ppm of ammonia to start off........
When ammonia is converted to nitrite 3 hydrogen atoms are removed and 2 oxygen atoms are added. NH3 -> NO2
Then when nitrite is converted to nitrate one more oxygen is added.
NO2 -> NO3
Why does this matter, you ask? It matters because ppm is based on mass (weight) Ammonia is 17.04, Nitrite is 46.01 and Nitrate is 62.01.
1 ammonia is converted to form 1 nitrite, 1 nitrite is in turn converted to 1 nitrate. As this is happening the mass is increasing. ppm is eqivalent to milligrams per litre (or liter if you are 'merican). This means the number of milligrams is increasing as the conversion takes place. With out boring you with the calculations, 1 ppm of ammonia forms 2.7 ppm of nitrite then 3.6 ppm of nitrate.
Having said that 4ppm of ammonia -> 10.8ppm nitrite -> 14.4 ppm nitrate
Food for thought when redosing your ammonia because I am not sure at which point too much nitrite stalls a cycle.......
When ammonia is converted to nitrite 3 hydrogen atoms are removed and 2 oxygen atoms are added. NH3 -> NO2
Then when nitrite is converted to nitrate one more oxygen is added.
NO2 -> NO3
Why does this matter, you ask? It matters because ppm is based on mass (weight) Ammonia is 17.04, Nitrite is 46.01 and Nitrate is 62.01.
1 ammonia is converted to form 1 nitrite, 1 nitrite is in turn converted to 1 nitrate. As this is happening the mass is increasing. ppm is eqivalent to milligrams per litre (or liter if you are 'merican). This means the number of milligrams is increasing as the conversion takes place. With out boring you with the calculations, 1 ppm of ammonia forms 2.7 ppm of nitrite then 3.6 ppm of nitrate.
Having said that 4ppm of ammonia -> 10.8ppm nitrite -> 14.4 ppm nitrate
Food for thought when redosing your ammonia because I am not sure at which point too much nitrite stalls a cycle.......