human urine

[ChrisfromBrick]

this is kind of a dumb question but i’d like to hear the why nots for it.

Can you pee in your seeding tub or tank to provide a source of ammonia. Does human urine provide the same waste products that bacteria can effectively break down to nitrite?

 

[topjimmy]

It would work. Just don't let your wife catch you doing it.

 

[WalkerLovesTheOcean]

I do think it does, but I do not recommend doing it......

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Human urine contains very little ammonia unless you are very sick. It is mostly urea, and may not be useful for cycling a tank for ammonia processing as opposed to urea cycling, which is not needed or useful.

 

[PharmrJohn]

I've heard of this, going back 15 years and yes, it has definitely been done before, with success. But with all the other methods out there, I'd dose using other means. With urine, you lack any exactness of dosing.

 

[ChrisfromBrick]

I've heard of this, going back 15 years and yes, it has definitely been done before, with success. But with all the other methods out there, I'd dose using other means. With urine, you lack any exactness of dosing.

makes sense. Thank you

 

[ChrisfromBrick]

Human urine contains very little ammonia unless you are very sick. It is mostly urea, and may not be useful for cycling a tank for ammonia processing as opposed to urea cycling, which is not needed or useful.

thanks

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

While human urine does contain ammonia,nt.

As noted above, it is not enough to cycle a tank by peeing in it, even if you filled the aquarium with only urine.

The 15 healthy people studied in this paper had ammonia levels in straight urine of 0.1 to 0.7 ppm (figure 1). Folks with problems (such as kidney disease) that causes elevate ammonia still only have a few ppm.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214180421000660

 

[BZOFIQ]

Why pee where you'll put your hands into?

Thank god I don't have to adjust powerheads in the toilet bowl.

 

[exnisstech]

I've heard of this being done as an old school method and always thought it was pretty stupid TBO. A pinch of flake food a couple times a week works fine.

 

[Slocke]

Well I know my excuse next time I’m caught peeing in someone’s tank

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

So… If you pee in your tank after a night out… Are you adding ammonia and carbon dosing at the same time….:thinking-face::beaming-face-with-smiling-eyes:

 

[FishTruck]

LOL... from a Urologist's perspective....

Bacteria with urease can break the urea down into ammonia - but results may vary in your tank. Humans with infections from these bacteria (proteus, and a few others can end up loaded with stones (Magnesium Ammonium Phosphate) - so like Randy Said... it is not good if these bacteria are in the human's urine - from a Urologists perspective.

I suspect a mature tank has plenty of urea splitting bacteria to deal with fish urine... but not necessarily a new tank to be seeded. Results will vary.

 

[ChrisfromBrick]

Why pee where you'll put your hands into?

Thank god I don't have to adjust powerheads in the toilet bowl.

the nasties on your skimmer cup are pretty bad I would imagine. I don’t see touching live rock any less gross than tick.

 

[Crabs McJones]

This thread gives R. Kelly vibes
I would say don't do it

 

[BZOFIQ]

the nasties on your skimmer cup are pretty bad I would imagine. I don’t see touching live rock any less gross than tick.

So the fact that the skimmer is pretty goo already makes it's ok to pee in your tank? No sure I follow.

What's next, poo in the tank?

 

[Borat]

Don't do poo-poo either unless you have a coral-zilla there..

 

[Dom]

this is kind of a dumb question but i’d like to hear the why nots for it.

Can you pee in your seeding tub or tank to provide a source of ammonia. Does human urine provide the same waste products that bacteria can effectively break down to nitrite?

There was once a post on here regarding some kid peeing in the sump of a tank. No harm as the bacterial colony processed the urine.

I wouldn't make a habit of it.

 

[Arkayology]

People dose all kinds of stuff. I remember people talking about dosing milk in the past.

 

[Borat]

People dose all kinds of stuff. I remember people talking about dosing milk in the past.

Best to dose special milk