Beginner questions 10 gal

[cassperr]

I have read several different forums/sites and still confused.

I filled the tank with water and turned everything on. Couple days later I added 1.9ml Ammonia to the tank, tested it the next day and either I tested wrong or somethings wrong with water cause it never detected ammonia. Can somebody please walk me through this as im confused lol

[Ice]

Why in the world would you want to add ammonia? You want 0 ppm of ammonia in a tank. Ammonia KILLS fish partivcularly high dosages of it. There is no need to add chemicals in a tank except Stress Coat and Stress Zyme (beneficial bacteria).

[cassperr]

fishless cycle?

http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?...hless-cycling/

http://www.fishforums.com/forum/begi...-question.html

[Obsidian]

Just continue to feed the tank with the ammonia slowly, it will register and start to go. Hopefully it has by now since this was a few days ago.

[Betta man]

Originally Posted by Ice Why in the world would you want to add ammonia? You want 0 ppm of ammonia in a tank. Ammonia KILLS fish partivcularly high dosages of it. There is no need to add chemicals in a tank except Stress Coat and Stress Zyme (beneficial bacteria).

I believe nitrifying bacteria need ammonia. I believe this is a fishless cycle.

[emc7]

What sort of water conditioner and test kit do you have and what concentration is the ammonia you have?

It could be simply too dilute to measure. You calculate % ammonia in the bottle you bought * the 1.9 mL you added divided by the size of the tank in mL (Liters x 1000). This should be a rough estimate of ammonia concentration in the tank. Multiple this by 10^6 (1 million) to get parts per million. If you don't get 1 or more, don't expect to see any on the test.

The next possibility is that the ammonia is "complexed" by your water condition and, even though its still there, the test can't see it. Some combos of test kits/dechor don't work well.

Or live plants and/or algae ate all the ammonia

Or the ammonia turned into nitrite or nitrate (this is your goal), test for nitrite and nitrate if nitrite is negative.

Or the test kit is dead. Test it by making a standard solution. Calculate how much ammonia you'd need for 5 ppm in a container of water and make it. Then test it.

[fishrawesome123]

1. Who in the right mind would put ammonia in the frigging tank PURPOSELY!?! 2. Now you have to clean the tank really really good

[emc7]

FISHLESS CYCLE, google it.

[cassperr]

Well it was strips but I went out and got the API Master kit and its still GREEEEEN as ever. Guessing its just gonna take time. tested for nitrite today for the first time and it was zero but I figured that was gonna be the result. The ammonia I used is 10% which by the calculation I read was 1.9ml so thats what I added. I was just having problems with the dinky strips.

[cassperr]

Originally Posted by emc7 FISHLESS CYCLE, google it.

Youd be amazed at the "FISH PEOPLE" who dont know what this is.

[emc7]

Green is good. But if it gets much darker than 4, change water. 2 or 3 ppm should do the trick. Too high, ammonia kills the filter bacteria, too low and they have nothing to eat. Liquid tests are more accurate and longer lasting. Since you got the good kit, run a pH test on the tap water and the tank water and post results. Cycle are faster in alkaline water.

Do you plan to seed the filter (with old media or bottled bacteria) or do this the old fashioned way? This can be slow but it gives you time to plan your stocking and research fish before you commit.

[cassperr]

Well, it mostly resembles the 8ppm measurement so should I change?

Tap water and Tank water are both is the 7.4 range. That good?

Old fashioned way cause im in no hurry but I do have a friend with a tank but im a newb when it coems to seeding old media and she did hers with fish so she doesn't know either.

[Betta man]

If you haven't already added gravel, you'll want to do that. If your friend's tank has no disease, you could ask for her old filter cartridge. I have done that to cycle my tanks and it is effective.

[Betta man]

Originally Posted by fishrawesome123 1. Who in the right mind would put ammonia in the frigging tank PURPOSELY!?! 2. Now you have to clean the tank really really good

Lol. Bacteria that help cycle your tank need some ammonia. That's the reason. I've actually heard of using urine in the tank instead of buying ammonia, and it makes sense to me.

[weedkiller]

a fishless cycle is far better than adding bacteria from a bottle, that is why you would add ammonia, general household ammonia that does not froth up when you shake it.....
8ppm is fine.. let it drop to about 0.50ppm then add a little more, try keep it at about 4ppm maximum, once it drops rapidly just top it up a little, once the nitrites go mad then back off with the ammonia, try get it to 4ppm max once a day and leave adding till the next day,...
ammonia=nitrites=nitrates
you need to try and get the nitrites to naturally drop so adding less ammonia should keep the nitrites from going off the scale longer than they will already, but add enough ammonia to keep the bacteria alive hence try to get to 4ppm a day,
once the nitrites hit 0 naturally hit with ammonia one last time to make sure and if your nitrates are high then do large water change then hit with a little more ammonia to check you are still winning...
this is how i do it and so far so good

adding used media that is fresh is a good idea as betta man said, it will give you an amazing head start, using water from another tank is no good