ammonium chloride crystals

[andruboz]

found a large bottle of 'f.c.c. granular ammonium chloride' at my lfs for $3.99.

the bottle was kinda dusty. she said in the old days she'd use this stuff to cycle wet/dry systems.

wonder how strong it is? should i try a teaspoon in a gallon bucket before i go crazy on the big tank?

 

[wetmanNY]

Watch out! If you dose more than 5ppm ammonia, your cycling will drag on interminably, because NH3 represses the bacteria that turn nitrite to nitrate.

Go with the plainest non-sudsing ammonia at the hardware store.

 

[slipknottin]

And your very likely to crash your buffer system, In that case youll have trouble developing any bacteria.

 

[wetmanNY]

BTW, isn't ammonium chloride sal ammoniac, better known as "smelling salts." I bet that bottle was dusty. Pressed glass in a discontinued pattern. Aunt Pitty-Pat was the last one to have a snort! And that was about 1872...

 

[RTR]

Aunt Pitty-Pat was not the last... The first tank I ever fishless cycled (SW) used ammonium chloride, carefully weighed out and added daily. And I am not, contrary to rumor, that old.

PS: Sorry, but I can't help you on the quantities. I use clear ammonia now.

 

[JSchmidt]

Yeah, so make that Uncle Pitty-Pat, bub....




Jim

 

[wetmanNY]

Wow! that must of bin, like nineteen-eighty or something!

 

[RTR]

It was definitely dark ages - it might even have been earlier. That was the one in which nitrites were run first, then ammonia.