Fishless Cycle ammonia

[dsouthworth]

Hey all!
For those of you who did a fishless cycle, where did you purchase you're ammonia? brand name as well?
I dont want to buy the wrong stuff!

[Arcteryx]

http://www.bcaquaria.com/forum/fresh...ere-get-22701/



3-4 drops per gallon, folks in the thread had used basic Safeway brand & the one from London Drugs. From the packaging I think it's made by the same folks.

[waterlilly]

I used the London Drugs band ammonia as well. Just make sure it's pure. It worked really well. Good luck.

[d.co]

Don't use the no-name "household ammonia" from superstore. Picked up a jug last night.. doesn't list any ingredients and didn't seem to have any surfactants but when I brought it home and gave it the shake test in a water bottle it foamed up quite a bit. (20min later and there is still a ring of foam in the bottle)

Looks like I'm headed up to safeway! Going to pick it up right now, will report back with what I find.. but i suspect it will be okay since other members have used it.

[dsouthworth]

I just got some from safeway!
right on the bottle it read's the ingredients!
Water, and ammoniumhydroxide
It's a clear white bottle

[d.co]

Damn, wish I went to your safeway.... the one in coquitlam only had ammonia with "lemon scent and sudsy action" lol
Needless to say I went to home depot, rona, walmart, and london drugs.
London drugs being the furthest away so I went there last and they were the only one that had it.
Was a bit sceptical because it was in the exact same bottle as the superstore no-name brand, and didn't list ingredients... but got home and gave it a hard 30sec shake and no foam at all...

Looks like Safeway and London Drugs are the place to go.

[Flaming Fighter]

Hi all,

Just thought people would be interested to know that LD ammonia will raise the pH. The long version below:

I just started a fishless cycle for the first time with London Drug ammonia all-purpose cleaner. I tested the waters with API test kit and found that it will rise the pH quite a bit.

My pH went from 6.8 to 8.4 with 1mL of ammonia in 2 gallons of water. (the ammonia level went to 2ppm) The reading could be a little bit off from some residual baking soda because I had added in a pinch before realizing what's going on and did a 95% water change.

I read somewhere that it is best to cycle at ~7.5 pH so I am keeping my fingers crossed that it will start.

Also, my small tank has a piece of driftwood plus java moss and 2 stems of pothos. I hope they make it as well.

[Sweetpea]

I did a fishless cycle with ammonia from Superstore in October, and it worked like a charm (fully cycled in less than 3 weeks). It had no ingredients listed, but when I did the shaking test, it didn't seem to produce foam/suds at all, so I thought it must be pure. HOWEVER, I've since been trying to cycle a tank at my workplace, and using a different bottle of the exact same product (i.e. also bought at Superstore), and I have been having extremely lengthy difficulties getting the tank to cycle this time.

I didn't do a shake test for this new bottle because I thought I was just buying a familiar product, but now I'm wondering if maybe they have different suppliers etc., but slap the same label on...I have been racking my brains trying to figure out why it would work so perfectly the first time but not now. When I get to work tomorrow, I will do the shaking test again, and maybe I'll just go ahead and get a new bottle from Safeway or whatever, based on your recommendations above. Thanks!

[hp10BII]

Ammonia is a base, I think it has a pH over 11, so it wouldn't just be London Drugs ammonia that will raise your pH. Are you cycling a 2 gallon tank? For a small tank, I would consider buying a small bottle of Stability instead.

I find that in fishless cycling, you are more likely to have a pH crash the further you get into the cycle. Our lower mainland waters have 0 buffering capacity so either buffer it with baking soda or something to keep your pH stable. I used aragonite in the filter and that kept a pH of 7.6 throughout the cycle. I never had the elevated pH that you have - maybe too much baking soda? What is your KH reading after adding the baking soda?

[hp10BII]

I did a fishless cycle with ammonia from Superstore in October, and it worked like a charm (fully cycled in less than 3 weeks). It had no ingredients listed, but when I did the shaking test, it didn't seem to produce foam/suds at all, so I thought it must be pure. HOWEVER, I've since been trying to cycle a tank at my workplace, and using a different bottle of the exact same product (i.e. also bought at Superstore), and I have been having extremely lengthy difficulties getting the tank to cycle this time.

I didn't do a shake test for this new bottle because I thought I was just buying a familiar product, but now I'm wondering if maybe they have different suppliers etc., but slap the same label on...I have been racking my brains trying to figure out why it would work so perfectly the first time but not now. When I get to work tomorrow, I will do the shaking test again, and maybe I'll just go ahead and get a new bottle from Safeway or whatever, based on your recommendations above. Thanks!

Post your readings from your tank at work, ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, pH and KH, that may give us an idea where you are at in your cycle before buying a new bottle of ammonia.