Bottled ammonia

[Calebb8133]

Any suggestions for a bottled ammonia? I need it to maintain my QT and my new reef. My tomato clown just died this morning and idk y. I just moved the tank 2 days ago so maybe stress but he was the only fish. I get home at 1:30-2 so I am gonna check the water but now I need to supplement ammonia to keep the good bacteria alive. And I need it for my QT anyway.

 

[lapin]

Ammonium Chloride Solution for Fishless Cycling | Dr Tims Aquatics

avail everywhere

 

[brandon429]

You do not have to feed bac ammonia to keep them alive, as long as you keep water in the tank they’re alive. Humans don’t control bacterial starvation when a cycle is done by withholding feed, a cycle cannot be undone without medication, antibiotics. Offhand I can think of five mechanisms that provide feed to established bacteria in a home. One chief feeding mechanism is that any tank which had fish in it and some form of surface area will catch particulate organic matter / detritus and that’s near permanent bacterial feed on its own. Secondly there are home contaminations such as a gnat...one unfortunate micro bug falls in, he’s ammonia destined. There are several more...non filtration bacteria that 100% contaminate any home system are always getting in, and dying, reducing to feed right in proximity of nitrifiers etc

wet bac in a use natural acquisition means to stay alive they don’t need our expenditures.

 

[Calebb8133]

You do not have to feed bac ammonia to keep them alive, as long as you keep water in the tank they’re alive. Humans don’t control bacterial starvation when a cycle is done by withholding feed, a cycle cannot be undone without medication, antibiotics. Offhand I can think of five mechanisms that provide feed to established bacteria in a home. One chief feeding mechanism is that any tank which had fish in it and some form of surface area will catch particulate organic matter / detritus and that’s near permanent bacterial feed on its own. Secondly there are home contaminations such as a gnat...one unfortunate micro bug falls in, he’s ammonia destined. There are several more...non filtration bacteria that 100% contaminate any home system are always getting in, and dying, reducing to feed right in proximity of nitrifiers etc

wet bac in a use natural acquisition means to stay alive they don’t need our expenditures.

Hmm so I cycled my QT a few months ago but I only had one fish in it for about 2 months. When I added 4 new fish to QT the ammonia spiked and I could only assume it was because the system only had enough bacteria for 1 or 2 fish and the rest died off because of a lack of ammonia. I NEVER let any food go to waste either so that could have contributed to a lack of food for the bacteria.

 

[brandon429]

why not use this next fallow interval to test the claim it would be good data

go fallow and then before adding fish, use the ammonia to spike up to 1 ppm then retest in 24 hours to see if it can oxidize. Take before pic on the test kit for calibrated zero, then once at one ppm, then another in 24 hours. this w be good measurements for the chem forum regarding what bacteria can or cannot do


if you have removed nearly all surface area such that use of Prime is required it’s not the same test as providing plenty of surface area like multi bags of siporax or sponge filters, up front in the tank where the waste is, not isolated in a tiny filter hob etc

The claim is those systems with ample surface area cannot uncycle by starvation.


if the total allowed surface area only covers one fish, or if the design of the system circulates waste in the display area but restricted surface area is relegated to a tiny hang on back filter + add fish up front that indeed could spike.

if the surface area being used was enough for multi fish at the time of cycling, and placement in the actual tank exposes it to currents efficiently, then it should be testable now with the new fallow approach it w be neat to see


post pics of the setup so we can assess surface area am curious

 

[Calebb8133]

If you measured that fish in/fish out on a seneye, it would not occur. Disease killed them

Surface area maintains its bacteria fully as long as it’s wet.


why not use this next fallow interval to test the claim it would be good data

go fallow and then before adding fish, use the ammonia to spike up to 1 ppm then retest in 24 hours to see if it can oxidize. Take before pic on the test kit for calibrated zero, then once at one ppm, then another in 24 hours. this w be good measurements for the chem forum regarding what bacteria can or cannot do


if you have removed nearly all surface area such that use of Prime is required it’s not the same test as providing plenty of surface area like multi bags of siporax or sponge filters. The claim is those cannot uncycle by starvation.

Well actually when the ammonia spiked in the QT it didnt kill any fish. I had a kole tang and I brought him back to my LFS and she got him better and gave him back. I had 3 firefish in it and they were not effected. The other fish in my new reef was looking good yesterday but he was dead this morning and I am not sure what is wrong. I will try that test though thx