Fishless cycle + ammonia question

[Chris Palma]

Hi.

I haven't posted to the group in a while -- I hope no one minds a quick
question.

Anyway... I recently set up a 75 gallon. I've had water in it for about
a week with the filter running and air stones going. I took some gravel
from a friend with a long established tank and added it to mine.

I'm going to start a fishless cycle, so I bought a bottle of ammonia. I
tried to find pure ammonia, but the best that I could do lists ingredients
as: softened water, ammonia, chelating agent.

Anyone know if using ammonia with a chelating agent is bad?

Any advice is appreciated...

--chris


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Christopher Palma Penn State University
ph: (814) 863-0733 Dept. of Astronomy & Astrophysics
FAX: (814) 863-3399 525 Davey Lab, University Park, PA 16802

[Cris]

I don't know what the chelating agent is, but I don't know of a common
ammonia you can buy without it. In other words - it's fine - it's
what we all use. But I would suggest doing a 100% water change once
the tank is cycled. Don't wash it out, of course - you want to keep
the bacteria you've built up on the tank walls, substrate, decor and
filter. Also, make sure the new water is declorinated, the temp isn't
very different, and add some fish in very soon afterward (to keep
feeding the bacteria). You don't want to kill it off after all that
work to grow it! ;)
Cris

On Thu, 22 Jan 2004 23:17:51 -0500, Chris Palma >
wrote:

>Anyone know if using ammonia with a chelating agent is bad?

[Laura Dawson]

Chris Palma > wrote in message >...
> >
> I'm going to start a fishless cycle, so I bought a bottle of ammonia. I
> tried to find pure ammonia, but the best that I could do lists ingredients
> as: softened water, ammonia, chelating agent.
>
> Anyone know if using ammonia with a chelating agent is bad?
>
> Any advice is appreciated...
>
> --chris

I am about to start a fishless cycle too... with gravel from my
established tank and the sponge from the filter... but the expert at
my LFS said nothing about adding ammonia. This is the first I heard
of it. Could somebody explain if you don't mind? Thanks in advance!

Laura
>
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Christopher Palma Penn State University
> ph: (814) 863-0733 Dept. of Astronomy & Astrophysics
> FAX: (814) 863-3399 525 Davey Lab, University Park, PA 16802

[Glenn]

Chelating agents bind to metal ions, and are used to clean up ground water
contaminated with heavy metals, in agricultural nutrients, to control water
hardness ions that interfere with household and industrial cleaning
products, and in photographic film processing, to name a few applications.
Basically it makes the cleaning products work better by softening the water.

I generally use household ammonia to cycle new tanks without putting the
fish through the trauma. No ill effects whatever, AFAIK. The dose is so
small, that it is insignificant.

I just add ammonia daily, 5 or 10 cc at a time--until I get a reading on the
test kit. Then just test every couple of days until you see the ammonia
disappear and the nitrite come on. Keep adding a few cc of ammonia daily,
and you will see that it is quickly converted to nitrites, and eventually to
nitrates. When you get a positive for nitrates you know the cycle is
finished.... Usually about 3 weeks I think.

Glenn

"Laura Dawson" > wrote in message
om...
> Chris Palma > wrote in message
>...
> > >
> > I'm going to start a fishless cycle, so I bought a bottle of ammonia. I
> > tried to find pure ammonia, but the best that I could do lists
ingredients
> > as: softened water, ammonia, chelating agent.
> >
> > Anyone know if using ammonia with a chelating agent is bad?
> >
> > Any advice is appreciated...
> >
> > --chris
>
> I am about to start a fishless cycle too... with gravel from my
> established tank and the sponge from the filter... but the expert at
> my LFS said nothing about adding ammonia. This is the first I heard
> of it. Could somebody explain if you don't mind? Thanks in advance!
>
> Laura
> >
> >
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
> > Christopher Palma Penn State University
> > ph: (814) 863-0733 Dept. of Astronomy & Astrophysics
> > FAX: (814) 863-3399 525 Davey Lab, University Park, PA 16802

[Eric Schreiber]

(Laura Dawson) wrote:

>I am about to start a fishless cycle too... with gravel from my
>established tank and the sponge from the filter... but the expert at
>my LFS said nothing about adding ammonia. This is the first I heard
>of it. Could somebody explain if you don't mind? Thanks in advance!

What you'll be doing is actually just tank seeding. This is certainly
a valuable thing to do, and can help jump-start the whole cycling
process with or without ammonia.

For information on ammonia-based cycling, look here:

http://www.tropicalfishcentre.co.uk/Fishlesscycle.htm
http://www.csupomona.edu/%7Ejskoga/Aquariums/Ammonia.html


--
www.ericschreiber.com