Household ammonia?

[Nem0]

Upgrade tank up and running, added a full bottle of biospira. I don't want to buy Dr. Tim's and wait for shipping + pay for shipping because i truly don't need anything else. I did some googling on walmart and lowes for pure ammonia and this is the closest thing I found - https://www.walmart.com/ip/Great-Value-Ammonia-All-Purpose-Cleaner-Clear-64-oz/642113336

Do y'all think it would work/is safe? If not, where did you guys find household ammonia?

 

[KrisReef]

It appears that it is only ammonia and water, so that may be good. It doesn’t mention any fragrance but you won’t know for sure until you take the cap off and take a whiff?

Lots of folks toss in a shrimp and let the bacteria eat that. If you boil the shrimp before you add it then you won’t have to worry about adding any pests.

But the ammonia does appear to be just ammonia and is probably ok.
GL

Also, you won’t need that much ammonia but it works great for cleaning windows if you dilute it.

 

[Nem0]

It appears that it is only ammonia and water, so that may be good. It doesn’t mention any fragrance but you won’t know for sure until you take the cap off and take a whiff?

Lots of folks toss in a shrimp and let the bacteria eat that. If you boil the shrimp before you add it then you won’t have to worry about adding any pests.

But the ammonia does appear to be just ammonia and is probably ok.
GL

Also, you won’t need that much ammonia but it works great for cleaning windows if you dilute it.

yeah! i was planning on doing some deep bathroom cleaning with the rest of it lol. it's like $2 so even if i use 10% of it I won't be upset! if i take the cap off, what smell should i be smelling for? just making sure there are no fragrances?

 

[Dom]

If you boil the shrimp before you add it then you won’t have to worry about adding any pests.

Doesn't the shrimp need to be raw? I use this method (cocktail shrimp in the tank) and always used raw because I though it needed to be.

 

[KrisReef]

Doesn't the shrimp need to be raw? I use this method (cocktail shrimp in the tank) and always used raw because I though it needed to be.

I have not used shrimp to cycle, but the raw shrimp will certainly come with a good amount of bacteria to get the tank started quickly. The OP added bacteria already so a cooked shrimp would prevent any potential for adding pests that might be present on a raw shrimp.

The proteins breaker down (raw or cooked) should provide the nutrients needed to fuel a bacterial explosion needed to cycle the tank.

 

[bluprntguy]

If you have an ace hardware close by they do have pure ammonia that has been used safely by others for cycling.

 

[KrisReef]

yeah! i was planning on doing some deep bathroom cleaning with the rest of it lol. it's like $2 so even if i use 10% of it I won't be upset! if i take the cap off, what smell should i be smelling for? just making sure there are no fragrances?

Caution: Never “whiff” ammonia!

I was being clever, but YES, if it smells like a “spring breeze” or flowers then there are fragrances present that may cause an issue.

 

[PatW]

Many LFS sell ammonia for cycling. A little bottle lasts a long time. Also, it is made for cycling so there is scant worry of additives.