start the nitrogen cycle

[edraniam]

Hi I would like to use ammonia to start the nitrogen cycle in my 10 gallon tank, to start with dry rock and live sand.

Can you advise what type of ammonia dosarne use and how much and how often?

hello

[Mariaface]

I'd suggest either using Dr Tim's ammonium chloride, or finding pure ammonium chloride at a hardware store. Make sure it's got absolutely nothing else in it, because a lot of non-aquarium brands will add surfactants and other things that have no business in an aquarium.

 

Using an ammonia test kit, add the ammonia to the tank until you get about 2-3ppm. Keep the lights off, since you don't want to feed anything photosynthetic. Test ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate on a daily basis and ammonia will start dropping while nitrite spikes, then nitrite will start dropping as nitrate spikes. You want to make sure you don't stop dosing ammonia to keep it around 2-3ppm, because the bacteria that 'eats' it needs to keep eating it in order for the second and third rounds of bacteria to have food. When you see that your concentration of ammonia goes from 2-3ppm to 0ppm within twenty four hours (twelve hours would be better), you should be good.

 

If you want to try to speed it up, but want to maintain the essence of a dry rock start and find that the nitrifying bacteria in your sand isn't quite up to par, you can try bottled bacteria. I've had really good success with Seachem Stability, but there are a lot of other brands out there.

 

Out of curiosity, what saltwater are you using? Pre-packaged, or mixed at home? And if it's mixed at home, you do use RO/DI water, correct?

[hey]

I'd suggest either using Dr Tim's ammonium chloride, or finding pure ammonium chloride at a hardware store. Make sure it's got absolutely nothing else in it, because a lot of non-aquarium brands will add surfactants and other things that have no business in an aquarium.

 

Using an ammonia test kit, add the ammonia to the tank until you get about 2-3ppm. Keep the lights off, since you don't want to feed anything photosynthetic. Test ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate on a daily basis and ammonia will start dropping while nitrite spikes, then nitrite will start dropping as nitrate spikes. You want to make sure you don't stop dosing ammonia to keep it around 2-3ppm, because the bacteria that 'eats' it needs to keep eating it in order for the second and third rounds of bacteria to have food. When you see that your concentration of ammonia goes from 2-3ppm to 0ppm within twenty four hours (twelve hours would be better), you should be good.

 

If you want to try to speed it up, but want to maintain the essence of a dry rock start and find that the nitrifying bacteria in your sand isn't quite up to par, you can try bottled bacteria. I've had really good success with Seachem Stability, but there are a lot of other brands out there.

 

Out of curiosity, what saltwater are you using? Pre-packaged, or mixed at home? And if it's mixed at home, you do use RO/DI water, correct?

 

Ace hardware carries house brand ammonia that is pure ammonia. A good way to quick test is if you shake it and there are bubbles it has surfactants added.

 

edit* quoted the wrong person for the 2nd time today, my forum game is way off today

[edraniam]

Use the purest water for injection for pharmaceutical and salt Tropic marine o Royal nature, bubble bath I have yet to start. I will use certainly one starter bacterial.

So 3mg / liter of nh3

Perhaps alternatively ammonia can use a specific product for the bacteria based on amino acids.

Or dose bacteria and insert a fish that dirty and continue to dose bacteria?