Confused and Befuddled...ammonia @ 1.0 w/ no fish!

sophiecat22 said:

I set up my 46 gallon on Wednesday and just tested my water today and the reading for ammonia was 1.0! The only thing that I've added to the water is Prime and I was told that it wouldn't have any effect on my water test (Aqua. Pharm. Freshwater Master Test Kit).

OK, I just tested my tap water, because as I was typing the above paragraph it occured to me that someone would probably ask me if I had tested it lol, and its coming out at nearly 4 ppms. I guess the Prime has knocked it down to 1 ppm in my tank. I was going to get some fish (probably platies) and bio-spira to start the cycle with since I couldn't find any ammonia that didn't foam. But now I'm wondering if I should just skip getting fish and put in some bio-spira today and fish later? It seems like I could do a fishless cycle with my tap water lol. Any thoughts on what I should do??

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Do you plan on using live plants? If so, they should suck up the amonia if you have enough of them.

sophiecat22 said:

I set up my 46 gallon on Wednesday and just tested my water today and the reading for ammonia was 1.0! The only thing that I've added to the water is Prime and I was told that it wouldn't have any effect on my water test (Aqua. Pharm. Freshwater Master Test Kit).

OK, I just tested my tap water, because as I was typing the above paragraph it occured to me that someone would probably ask me if I had tested it lol, and its coming out at nearly 4 ppms. I guess the Prime has knocked it down to 1 ppm in my tank. I was going to get some fish (probably platies) and bio-spira to start the cycle with since I couldn't find any ammonia that didn't foam. But now I'm wondering if I should just skip getting fish and put in some bio-spira today and fish later? It seems like I could do a fishless cycle with my tap water lol. Any thoughts on what I should do??

Click to expand...

You don't have to use ammonia to get your ammonia level up, you can use raw shrimp from the grocery store just make sure it's raw. It will start to rot giving you ammonia just like fish's waste does. The reason people use pure ammonia is the ease of dosing, and the ammonia level is instantly present insted of waiting for it. Just to warn you if you do use shrimp you will have a bit of odor that comes with it. If you don't want the smell keep looking for "pure ammonia" without scent, colors or surfactants. Also it will take a day or two to notice ammoinia(if using shrimp).

Here's a link to a good fishless cycle...

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=89185

Red

Your water probably has chloramines.

Prime breaks down chloramines into chlorine and ammonia, hence your mystery ammonia.

If you are getting 4ppm ammonia readings on your tap water before adding Prime, I think you have problems extending far beyond your aquarium. I wouldn't drink that stuff!

I also had the hardest time finding the "right" ammonia as well. Check the dollar stores.

If your cycling fishless all I would keep in the filter is sponges or filter floss or other media that will "mechanically clean" and something that bacteria will stick to as in ceramic rings, bio-balls or something like that. Most of the "freebies" that come with filters are for fishy cycles. Such as ammonia remover or activated carbon to keep the water polished. Carbon does little to nothing for the actual cycling process and if your dosing ammonia the ammonia remover and such products are working against what you are trying to achieve. Carbon does however remove copper, chlorine and other water impurities. My guess is that the bio-stars you are talking about is the "bacteria collector". Your Bio-chem zorb must be your ammonia remover. I would take the bio-chem zorb out but leave the stars in (if they are the bacteria collector).

biospira contains actual live bacteria that will begin to consume ammonia and nitrites and help establish the bacteria colony in a matter of days. biospira is not available everywhere, so use www.marineland.com and their store locator to find a LFS that carries Marinland products. they might not necessarily carry Biospira, but the chances are much better. When you do get it, you will notice that the package is cold. thats because refrigeration helps keep the bacteria "dormant" thus lasting longer. although refrigeration is necessary for months of storage, it is not required if being used on the same day or week. just keep the package at below 80 degrees fahrenheit and the bacteria should be fine. refrigeration is always recommended though.

follow the directions on the package and add directly into tank (not in filter, not on filter pad, not with your water changes, etc this will not help speed up the process in any way) . Biospira has a high rate of success although theres always the chance of getting a dead bag. its also a bit costly. i cycled my 20G with a 1oz package (rated for up to 30Gs) that was around $15. i added almost my entire stock of fish the same day and the ammonia and nitrite levels never rose above dangerous levels. after a matter of days, i began to see ammonia and nitrites go down to near 0 and my nitrates went up. after a week or so, i did the partial water change to bring the nitrates down and my cycle was pretty much complete, no dead losses.

also, its important to use either Marineland's own Bio-safe or Seachem's Prime to condition your water. Many WC's these days contain ammonia detoxifying properties that may or may not interfere with the way Biospira's bacteria consume the ammonia. It's best to just use either one of those WC's for better chance of a successful cycle. Marineland only gave the thumbs up to Prime as the other WC choice.

if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.