Using Ammonia for fishless cycle

**dborregoa** · 12-06-2012, 03:03 PM

I've been reading about doing a fishless cycle with Ammonia and that's probably what I'll end up doing.

Can anyone tell me, loosely, how much ammonia to add to a 75 gallon tank. I know that the amounts vary and the general reading should be 4-5ppm, I just need to know a quantity to start with.

**Lady Hobbs** · 12-06-2012, 03:24 PM

Dose a bit, wait 15 minutes, test. If you need a tad more, then add a tad more.

Links below for your enjoyment. :)

**imma24** · 12-06-2012, 03:32 PM

+1 - don't put in too much at a time - if you end up putting in too much you'll need to remove some - too much can stall the cycling process.

**dborregoa** · 12-06-2012, 03:46 PM

Ok, but what are some common amounts added to a 75 gallon tank?

5 drops per gallon? 1 drop per tank? 17 buckets per gallon?

Just in general. How much did you use for your tank and how big was your tank? I just want a general idea.

**Lady Hobbs** · 12-06-2012, 04:25 PM

I did this. Dosed a bit, waited 15 minutes, tested.

There is no exact measurements because all ammonia is not the same percent.

**imma24** · 12-06-2012, 04:30 PM

There have been people who kept very close track of how much they put in so they knew 15 drops, or a capful, or 1/2 teaspoon got their tank up to whatever reading they wanted - so, like LH said, if you find that 5 drops (or a half teaspoon for that matter) doesn't register any ammonia, then add another 5 drops or another half teaspoon...repeat if necessary!

**Goes to 11!** · 12-06-2012, 04:47 PM

Originally Posted by dborregoa

Ok, but what are some common amounts added to a 75 gallon tank?

5 drops per gallon? 1 drop per tank? 17 buckets per gallon?

Just in general. How much did you use for your tank and how big was your tank? I just want a general idea.

It doesn't work like that because it's not a recipe [As mentioned, There are too many variables], The typical route is this:

You dose. You then determine what level you have reached by testing and you then redose as required until you reach your target dosage.

**johndimo** · 12-06-2012, 07:14 PM

Originally Posted by dborregoa

I've been reading about doing a fishless cycle with Ammonia and that's probably what I'll end up doing.

Can anyone tell me, loosely, how much ammonia to add to a 75 gallon tank. I know that the amounts vary and the general reading should be 4-5ppm, I just need to know a quantity to start with.

When I did my 55 gallon I used the Ace brand ammonia. It believe it was 10% strength.

I dosed 5ml (used a test tube from API test kit as measuring device) and it brought ammonia up to around 5ppm.

**Bolsen27** · 12-06-2012, 07:36 PM

Here is a calculator I found online. It worked well for me.

http://www.fishforums.net/aquarium-calculator.htm

**Cliff** · 12-06-2012, 08:13 PM

This thread is a great example of why you can not always trust the on-line calculators to tell you how much ammonia to add to your tank. Johndimo used 5 ml of a 10% solution to get around 5ppm of ammonia in his 55 gallon tank while the above link tells you that a 5 ml amount of 10% ammonia will give you 9ppm in a 55 gallon tank.

While those calculators may be somewhat accurate at times, I have never found them to be reliable. There are far to may variables that pop up for those calculators to be accurate in all conditions. I've tried a few different ones as well.

The best is approach is to add a bit, wait, test, and re dose as required. That had always worked best for me

Just my $0.02