Pure Ammonia

[jessiepbg]

If I were to cycle my tank using pure ammonia, where would I buy it? Does Walmart carry that sort of thing or would there be something more suited to cycling a tank with at petsmart/co?

[Cravenne]

You can purchase pure ammonia just about everywhere. It's likely cheaper at WalMart or a grocery store over anything your LPS would carry.

:)

[Pekemom]

I'm confused!! Why would you use pure ammonia to cycle a tank? Please explain!!

[jessiepbg]

I've had it suggested to me in place of a raw shrimp cycle, since you can accurately measure how much ammonia is being released into the tank. Also, the tank is going to be in my bedroom, and while I don't really mind the smell of ammonia, I don't think I'd be able to handle the smell of rotting shrimp right next to my bed.

[LolaQuigs]

I've never found it at any of the Wal-Marts near me, but maybe you'll have more luck. I got mine from Ace Hardware.

[jessiepbg]

That's good to know, I've got a few of those in the area, so that might even be my first stop. Is there anything I should look for on the label? Will they just say pure ammonia or be labeled as some kind of cleaning agent?

[LolaQuigs]

What I have is not labeled as a cleaning agent, it is just Ace brand ammonia.

EDIT: It also says "Janitorial Strength" in smaller print; the label is maroon. Good luck!

[jessiepbg]

Perfect, thanks!

[LolaQuigs]

Pekemom:

To cycle a tank you need to add ammonia to the tank so that the beneficial bacteria can breed and consume the ammonia and nitrites the fish produce. There are several ways to cycle a tank; if you do a fish-in cycle, the ammonia comes from the fish themselves. If you choose to do a fishless cycle, there are a few different methods you could use; one of them is to add small amounts of pure ammonia to the tank.