In a previous post someone had asked me if I was dosing my tank up to 2ppm to keep the bacteria alive. At the moment I have no fish in my tank and I do not plan on adding any until after Christmas. Were they talking about ammonia? Because I haven't added ammonia, I have just put fish flakes in the tank because I've heard that will also help bacteria growth. Also, I put a phosphate removing media in my filter. Was this a mistake?
Tank with no fish - How to generate good bacteria
- Thread starter Freshwater Noob
- Start date
yes they were talking about ammonia.. and fish flakes will do the trick.. but you'd need a lot of them and it would get very messy.. so most of us recommend ammonia because it's cleaner.. and it's actually cheaper too.
the phosphate removing media won't do anything bad, but most of us would probably say it's a waste of money.. unless you have a really crazy phosphate problem.
the phosphate removing media won't do anything bad, but most of us would probably say it's a waste of money.. unless you have a really crazy phosphate problem.
no ammonia is not available in most petstores.. you'll have to find it at a hardware store or cleaning supply store.. some grocery stores have it too. you have to get the kind that is pure ammonia with no surfactants in it (if you shake it, and it foams up, you have the wrong stuff.. you want NO FOAM) also no scents or dyes either (a lot of times they sell lemon scented ammonia.. you don't want that)
As the above poster stated "Pure Ammonia". Nothing with fragrances,surfactants,etc. Look for the ammonia with just Ammonia, and water as the ingredients. I hear the stuff at ace hardware-janitorial strenght is the way to go. The stuff from wal-mart labeled goldex, and great value is supposed to be ok too. Just read the ingredients and do the old shake test.
or, you could stick a shrimp in a nylon stocking from the grocery store. It's nasty, but it's easy and it works. Ammonia is great too.
You need to get a test kit, dont make the same mistake i made and NOT get one.
They are a MUST HAVE, i keep hearing that the "API master freshwater kit" is a good deal.
You add ammonia and wait then test to see how much to add.
Read the cycling for newbs sticky on top of the other threads.
They are a MUST HAVE, i keep hearing that the "API master freshwater kit" is a good deal.
You add ammonia and wait then test to see how much to add.
Read the cycling for newbs sticky on top of the other threads.
Born is right, you do need a liquid reagent test kit. I didn't realize you didn't have one. I also recommend the API FW Master Test Kit.
Best way to do it is to add a few drops...give it a good 45min to an hour to mix well and test the water. I am with everyone else here and say get an API Freshwater Master liquid style kit. All this depends on the size of your tank and the consentration of ammonia in the kind you end up buying as to how much it will take. My 55 gallon would need about 1/2 teaspoon or so to get it around 4ppm. If you overdose with ammonia say to over 6ppm just do a water change to get it back down. I have seen many people say that dosing over 6ppm can stall out a cycle. So the 3-4ppm range seems to be a good starting point to build a good bacteria colony but not get you too close to the 6ppm mark that it might stall out on you.