Do I need ammonium chloride?

[mrsjoannh13]

Hi, everyone! Total noob here. I am starting a 10 gallon glo aquarium for my daughter (please don't roast me for the glow part - she likes color). I am not doing live plants for now, it's all artificial. I have about 3 weeks before my daughter's birthday to do a fishless cycle of the tank (hopefully).

I got the Seachem Stability and have used that to hopefully help with the beneficial bacteria process. I have read that an ammonia source might be needed to speed up the fishless cycle. What are thoughts on adding ammonium chloride to the tank to expedite the cycle? Is it necessary? And do I keep using Seachem Stability while adding ammonium chloride?

I also read about throwing some food flakes in there, but seems like that could get pretty icky. So I was thinking of going the ammonium chloride route. I plan to stock the tank with 4 or 5 glo tetras once cycled.

My local pet store (which was highly recommended) was zero help in getting started, so I am feeling a little overwhelmed and I feel like the more I read and research online the more confused i get. So..... I appreciate any help or advice!

 

[cshouston]

Hello and welcome to R2R. While this is a community for saltwater and coral reef aquaria, we’re happy to help.

I would advise against using flake food. As you noted, it will get messy. Seachem Stability will work, but in my experience with freshwater aquaria, it’s pretty slow. Do you have a test kit to monitor parameters during the cycle?

Ammonium chloride is a great way to go for fishless cycling. The go-to option is Dr. Tim’s ammonium chloride drops, and if you go that route you should just get the fishless cycling kit. Dr. Tim’s bacterial starter is one of the most reliable options on the market, and faster than alternatives like Stability. It even comes with an ammonia and nitrate test kit!

Welcome to DrTim's Aquatics, LLC - See Success at Every Level

If you prefer a powdered option, Fritz Aquatics sells ammonium chloride in powder form. A little goes a LONG way, so be sure to read the directions and dose accordingly.

If you need more information on successfully monitoring and completing a fishless cycle, feel free to come back and let me know. Best of luck! I hope your daughter loves her tank and that it instills a lifelong love and respect for marine life and science in her.

 

[mrsjoannh13]

Hello and welcome to R2R. While this is a community for saltwater and coral reef aquaria, we’re happy to help.

I would advise against using flake food. As you noted, it will get messy. Seachem Stability will work, but in my experience with freshwater aquaria, it’s pretty slow. Do you have a test kit to monitor parameters during the cycle?

Ammonium chloride is a great way to go for fishless cycling. The go-to option is Dr. Tim’s ammonium chloride drops, and if you go that route you should just get the fishless cycling kit. Dr. Tim’s bacterial starter is one of the most reliable options on the market, and faster than alternatives like Stability. It even comes with an ammonia and nitrate test kit!

Welcome to DrTim's Aquatics, LLC - See Success at Every Level

If you prefer a powdered option, Fritz Aquatics sells ammonium chloride in powder form. A little goes a LONG way, so be sure to read the directions and dose accordingly.

If you need more information on successfully monitoring and completing a fishless cycle, feel free to come back and let me know. Best of luck! I hope your daughter loves her tank and that it instills a lifelong love and respect of marine life and science in her.

Sorry I posted in the wrong spot - I totally didn't notice that!

I did order some of the Fritz ammonium chloride and waiting for that to come in. I appreciate the advice (and the support for the garish neon glo-tank, LOL). I know she will love it and I'm excited to get her involved in the hobby with me.

Thank you!

 

[cshouston]

Sorry I posted in the wrong spot - I totally didn't notice that!

I did order some of the Fritz ammonium chloride and waiting for that to come in. I appreciate the advice (and the support for the garish neon glo-tank, LOL). I know she will love it and I'm excited to get her involved in the hobby with me.

Thank you!

Not a problem. I have used Fritz ammonium chloride and keep it on hand for cycling new tanks. Based on the directions, calculate the amount required to raise ammonia to 2ppm in your volume of water. Too much ammonia can stunt the cycle, so less is more. After that, test the ammonia level in the water every few days until it registers 0ppm. At that point, I would start testing nitrite as well. Nitrite is VERY TOXIC to freshwater fish, and a different kind of bacteria needs to grow in order to process that into nitrate which is far less toxic.

When your ammonia hits 0ppm, dose another 1ppm, continuing to check ammonia and nitrite every day or two. Once your ammonia and nitrite are registering 0ppm, test for nitrate. If you see detectable nitrate, zero nitrite, and zero ammonia, your tank is ready for fish. Just be sure to do a large water change (80-90% is fine) in order to remove the nitrate which built up during the cycle. After that, once fish are in, just perform a 20% water change every week or two in order to keep your nitrate level below 20ppm. Try not to add too many fish! An overstocked tank is a dirty tank and can lead to stress or disease.

 

[cshouston]

Oh, and if you’re going to use Stability, I believe it recommends adding a certain amount based on water volume per day. It will take some time for the dormant bacteria in that product to wake up and start reproducing. If you’re feeling a time crunch due to your daughter’s birthday, I would once again recommend using a live bacterial starter like Dr. Tim’s One-and-Only.

 

[mrsjoannh13]

Oh, and if you’re going to use Stability, I believe it recommends adding a certain amount based on water volume per day. It will take some time for the dormant bacteria in that product to wake up and start reproducing. If you’re feeling a time crunch due to your daughter’s birthday, I would once again recommend using a live bacterial starter like Dr. Tim’s One-and-Only.

Thanks for the extra info. I do have a bottle of One and Only in my Amazon cart. If I am a few days out and still having issues with the cycle I'll give it a shot. I also posted in my neighborhood's FB page to see if anyone has an established tank and would be willing to lend me a little substrate or an old cartridge. Worst case scenario, she gets presented with an empty but colorful tank and we go pick out her fish once the cycle is complete. I'd prefer to have the cycle done but I know it's just going to take however long it takes.

 

[cshouston]

Thanks for the extra info. I do have a bottle of One and Only in my Amazon cart. If I am a few days out and still having issues with the cycle I'll give it a shot. I also posted in my neighborhood's FB page to see if anyone has an established tank and would be willing to lend me a little substrate or an old cartridge. Worst case scenario, she gets presented with an empty but colorful tank and we go pick out her fish once the cycle is complete. I'd prefer to have the cycle done but I know it's just going to take however long it takes.

Sounds like you have the right attitude and approach! Patience is a valuable asset when it comes to keeping aquaria. I would just double check who is selling that One-and-Only. I wouldn’t trust a third-party seller because that live bacteria has a shelf life—not to mention the fact that you have no idea what conditions it has been stored/shipped in—and you wouldn’t want to waste your money on a dead bottle. Purchasing directly from Dr. Tim’s website would be the most reliable way to ensure its effective.

Be careful adding something from another person’s tank. It could be harboring parasites like ich which would be a bad way to start her new tank off.