# Where can I get ammonia for a fishless cycle



## Hailfirex (Dec 23, 2008)

Hi,

I was wondering where or what you can buy to add ammonia to a FW tank. Also How do you calculate how much ammonia to add for a fishless cycle?

Thanks,

Hailfirex


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## Oldman47 (Sep 7, 2007)

Easy, they have it at your local Ace hardware with the cleaning products.


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## Kim (Apr 30, 2008)

I got mine at Hannaford.


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## el Mattador (Nov 19, 2008)

I saw at petco a bottle of stuff that is supposed to cycle the tank in about 2 weeks. I thought I remember seeing someone on here post good things about it, but I can't remember what it's called.


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## rugie (Dec 28, 2008)

a bottle of clear ( not sudsy) can be bought at any grocery store. you will need a few test kits-- ammonia, nitrite, nitrate. add ammonia to water a little at a time --test for ammonia and add ammonia until you reach 0.50 ppm, hold this level until you see nitrite in that test kit, keep dosing the ammonia until you see nitrate in that test kit. your tank will be cycled when your tests do not indicate ammonia or nitrite and your nitrate will be in the 10-20 ppm range. the bios that will be populating the tank will need some surfaces to live on. once you start the cycle put a filter on/in the tank and do not clean the filter media or do water changes but keep the level constant. God bless you for not performing a cycle with fish or other lifeforms in the tank


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## Tyyrlym (Jun 1, 2008)

I'd cycle with a higher concentration of ammonia, more like 3 to 5 ppm. There's nothing in the tank to hurt and its below the level that starts to impede bacterial reproduction. It also requires dosing less often.


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## Hailfirex (Dec 23, 2008)

I found ammonia, but I couldn't find it without perfume, Everywhere I went it had lemon fresh ammonia. Tried the grocery stores and hardware stores looking for unscented. I however picked up at the pet store a bottle of stress zyme that is also supposed to help cycle a tank.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.


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## Kim (Apr 30, 2008)

Well, if you can't find ammonia I've heard of people who have success cycling a tank using uncooked shrimp like the ones that you get at the grocery store. You can also use fish food, but in my experience it is really messy and gets everywhere. That's really odd that you can't find pure ammonia??


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## Tyyrlym (Jun 1, 2008)

I think it is a bit odd. Most places I've been sell scented ammonia but they always have some unscented right beside it. I'd really try a hardware store, they're more likely to have the unscented pure variety.

Oh, and the instant cycle stuff is hit or miss. It might work if everything went right between its manufacture, shipment, and storage, but I wouldn't count on it. I've tried some stuff similar to that and it did nothing for my tank except an ammonia spike.


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