Cant raise Ammonia levels to cycle

cleverbs · 10/04/2016, 08:48 AM

Started my 30g cube back up 2-3 weeks ago and tossed in a few raw shrimp (this is how I have always gotten ammonia up to start a cycle and it has always worked) First day ammonia went up to 2ppm now its 0ppm and has been the entire time. I added 2lbs of live sand from a tank that my LFS set up 6 months ago for a sting ray. There hasnt even been fish in it they have just been waiting for it to be very established before adding the ray. Used this sad to insure nothing unwanted would be put into my tank. I find it hard to believe that this little amount of live sand would cycle the tank. People always say to just get pure ammonia but I cant find it anyplace but maybe I just dont know where to look.

m0nkie · 10/04/2016, 11:49 AM

Any local drug store, amazon, ebay, dr tims website

You can try measure nitrite. If there is nitrite then you are fine. If not, just add more shrimps or ammonia

thegrun · 10/04/2016, 03:35 PM

Almost all True Value Hardware stores carry it.

Timfish · 10/06/2016, 05:05 AM

Looks to me like the sand was enough to cycle your system. In an expeirement done by Dr. Scott Siddall, Marine Sciences Research Center, State University of New York and published in Fresh and Marine Aquarium, March 1988 using a 30 gallon tank with a reverse flow under gravel filter and 33 lbs of dolomite the system was able to process 370 mg NH4 an hour. Equivelent to feeding 4.4 kg (10 lbs) of of fish and inverts (assuming they were fed 5% of thier body weight and 4% of that is excreted as ammonia).

cleverbs · 10/06/2016, 08:14 AM

Well got some ammonia and dosed the tank to 4ppm. in 24hrs it came down to 2ppm so its not there yet but its working on it.

THK · 11/15/2016, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cleverbs

Started my 30g cube back up 2-3 weeks ago and tossed in a few raw shrimp (this is how I have always gotten ammonia up to start a cycle and it has always worked) First day ammonia went up to 2ppm now its 0ppm and has been the entire time. I added 2lbs of live sand from a tank that my LFS set up 6 months ago for a sting ray. There hasnt even been fish in it they have just been waiting for it to be very established before adding the ray. Used this sad to insure nothing unwanted would be put into my tank. I find it hard to believe that this little amount of live sand would cycle the tank. People always say to just get pure ammonia but I cant find it anyplace but maybe I just dont know where to look.

After weeks of research and days searching for the RIGHT ammonia I found it today. Go to Ace Hardware and buy Ammonia (Janitorial Strength Formula), that is the only Ammonia they sale. It is 10% Ammonium hydroxide. This is an Ace product. It cost $2.99 for a quart. I used 2ml (toooo much) in 20gal plastic drum with about 100lb of dry rock and my ammonia jumped from .5ppm to off the chart with API test kit so be cautious using this product. I started this rock 3 weeks ago using one cube of frozen blood worms as a source for Ammonia and my test results have been at .5ppm ammonia the entire time until this afternoon when I added the Ace Hardware Ammonia. DO NOT go to Walmart, Home Depot or Lowes etc to buy ammonia because it has Surfactants in it and will kill your tank. Basically if you shake the bottle and it foams all sudsy you don`t want it!

ps I got a 5ml syringe at walmart pharmacy counter for free just by asking for it and pss most of your water test kits need 5ml.

Keep it simple and have fun!

10/04/2016, 08:48 AM	#1
cleverbs Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Nebraska Posts: 1,041	Cant raise Ammonia levels to cycle Started my 30g cube back up 2-3 weeks ago and tossed in a few raw shrimp (this is how I have always gotten ammonia up to start a cycle and it has always worked) First day ammonia went up to 2ppm now its 0ppm and has been the entire time. I added 2lbs of live sand from a tank that my LFS set up 6 months ago for a sting ray. There hasnt even been fish in it they have just been waiting for it to be very established before adding the ray. Used this sad to insure nothing unwanted would be put into my tank. I find it hard to believe that this little amount of live sand would cycle the tank. People always say to just get pure ammonia but I cant find it anyplace but maybe I just dont know where to look.

10/04/2016, 11:49 AM	#2
m0nkie Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: LA Posts: 6,264	Any local drug store, amazon, ebay, dr tims website You can try measure nitrite. If there is nitrite then you are fine. If not, just add more shrimps or ammonia __________________ 560gal in the making

10/06/2016, 05:05 AM	#4
Timfish Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 1,985	Looks to me like the sand was enough to cycle your system. In an expeirement done by Dr. Scott Siddall, Marine Sciences Research Center, State University of New York and published in Fresh and Marine Aquarium, March 1988 using a 30 gallon tank with a reverse flow under gravel filter and 33 lbs of dolomite the system was able to process 370 mg NH4 an hour. Equivelent to feeding 4.4 kg (10 lbs) of of fish and inverts (assuming they were fed 5% of thier body weight and 4% of that is excreted as ammonia). __________________ "Our crystal clear aquaria come nowhere close to the nutrient loads that swirl around natural reefs" Charles Delbeek

10/04/2016, 03:35 PM	#3
thegrun Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Garden Grove, Ca Posts: 17,023	Almost all True Value Hardware stores carry it.

10/06/2016, 08:14 AM	#5
cleverbs Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Nebraska Posts: 1,041	Well got some ammonia and dosed the tank to 4ppm. in 24hrs it came down to 2ppm so its not there yet but its working on it.