Wouldn't doing a fishless cycle go faster if you could introduce ammonia and nitrite at the same time instead of waiting for the ammonia eating bacteria to form nitrite? Do solutions of ammonium nitrite (NH4NO2) exist?
Ammonium nitrite
- Thread starter chunkoblue
- Start date
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammonium_nitrite
Sounds like something I want no where near my fish, or my house for that matter.
Sounds like something I want no where near my fish, or my house for that matter.
Of course one would want to wait until the ammonia and nitrite is broken down.. Also I'm sure the concentrations for those uses are much higher than 2-4 ppm. I'm not really going to try this, but I was just curious.
not worth the risk, just get mature media. With the exception of ammonia, I refuse to put any sort of chemical in my tank. Medicine may be another exception.
I dunno, something about the saying "acutely toxic to humans" kind of steers me in the opposite direction.
ammonium chloride is toxic to humans as well.... and its what i use... as well as many others who discover it 
also id like to add, you talk of toxic chemicals and not wanting them near you, then you need to take a look at the MSDS for melafix/pimafix/flourish/ etc ... they are EXTREMELY toxic to humans, but no one pays them a second second thought 
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The goal is not to have nitrates, the goal is to have bacteria that convert nitrites to nitrates. Dumping nitrate in doesn't accomplish that.
Having nitrates after adding ammonia is evidence that you have the bacteria.
Having nitrates after adding ammonia is evidence that you have the bacteria.