Oops, Too Much Ammonia

Hey guys. I'm cycling a 10 gallon tank for a betta.
I have a sponge filter & heater running.
I accidentally added way too much ammonia. The ammonia used was
Ace Ammonia 1 gal. Liquid For Multi-Surface
I read a lot about this here before I purchased. My concern is, if I added way too much ammonia, will I have to remove some water and replace it ? Or will I be okay
So far its been about a week since added but it hasnt dropped much, hence I put so much to begin with.

 

Why is there any need to add ammonia?

 

Hi! If the tank has a Betta in it, the fish is the ammonia source. Ammonia like that is used for cycling the tank without fish in it. It sounds like you might need to do a large water change. What are the ppm exactly? Do you have a water test kit? If not can you tell us how much ammonia you put in?

 

I take it its fishless now but it will be for a betta.

 

I take it its fishless now but it will be for a betta.

Thanks! Missed that completely back to the coffee shop for me....

Still, it would be useful to know the amount used if there’s a worry.

 

Hey guys. I'm cycling a 10 gallon tank for a betta.
I have a sponge filter & heater running.
I accidentally added way too much ammonia. The ammonia used was
Ace Ammonia 1 gal. Liquid For Multi-Surface
I read a lot about this here before I purchased. My concern is, if I added way too much ammonia, will I have to remove some water and replace it ? Or will I be okay
So far its been about a week since added but it hasnt dropped much, hence I put so much to begin with.

Playing with ammonia additives is not recommend.

 

Playing with ammonia additives is not recommend.

It’s fine if you use the right type and correct dosage for fishless cycling, which it looks like is being done here. The ingredients in this particular bottle are fine for fishless cycling it’s just knowing how much to use

 

Why is there any need to add ammonia?

To cycle a tank one needs an ammonia source. Since there are no fish in the tank one has to add pure ammonia to feed and grow the bacteria needed to keep a tank healthy. Without an ammonia source the cycle will never happen.

So far its been about a week since added but it hasnt dropped much, hence I put so much to begin with.

You say it hasn't dropped much. I assume that means that it has dropped some. If that is the case I think you are alright for now.

 

To cycle a tank one needs an ammonia source. Since there are no fish in the tank one has to add pure ammonia to feed and grow the bacteria needed to keep a tank healthy. Without an ammonia source the cycle will never happen.

I would have to disagree ammonia is caused naturally,there is no need in my opinion to add pure ammonia as an additive.

 

we will just have to agree to disagree but if there are no fish in the tank there will be no ammonia unless it is added.

 

I would have to disagree ammonia is caused naturally,there is no need in my opinion to add pure ammonia as an additive.

It’s caused naturally by the nitrogen cycle, but the nitrogen cycle can’t happen without the presence of ammonia. It can’t just appear out of nowhere. If there’s no fish, you have to have some other source of ammonia or your tank just sits there with nothing happening.

 

Thanks guys for understanding & it is fishless. I'm not sure how much I added, its hard to describe but the color was very dark, I have the testing kit. My numbers are off the limit on the testing kit, meaning too dark to tell. It has cleared up, so I was just wondering if this would mess everything up, but it seems I'm doing well as some commented. Thanks guys, always good to have reassurance!

 

Do a water change and try and maintain ammonia at 2 ppm until you're able to add ammonia and have it test at 0 in 24 hours.

 

Do a water change and try and maintain ammonia at 2 ppm until you're able to add ammonia and have it test at 0 in 24 hours.

Thank you for your help. I will try that!!

 

I don't think there is a need, even with to cycle, seems like a product someone is just trying to sell that's not needed. I think everyone makes this way more complicated than it need to be. I have set up many tanks over the years and made my share of mistakes. I think it's way overthought. Just let the tank run for a few days to a couple of weeks. Can even add a tiny, tiny bit of food. Most healthy fish can survive the initial cycle stages.

 

I don't think there is a need, even with to cycle, seems like a product someone is just trying to sell that's not needed. I think everyone makes this way more complicated than it need to be. I have set up many tanks over the years and made my share of mistakes. I think it's way overthought. Just let the tank run for a few days to a couple of weeks. Can even add a tiny, tiny bit of food. Most healthy fish can survive the initial cycle stages.

I can understand why you’d feel that way. I think fishless cycling is really just a personal choice and there’s more than one right way to cycle tank fish-in or fishless. For me, I was glad I chose fishless because as a beginner it helped me develop a greater understanding of the nitrogen cycle. I also learned that recent scientific studies show fish can and do feel pain and discomfort. My own skin feels itchy when I touch water that’s been drained from an uncycled tank, and I don’t like imagining what the ph swings and ammonia are doing to them. That doesn’t mean I think it’s wrong for anyone to do a fish-in cycle, just that my own personal preference is not to. I can see you have over 10 years of experience, which is awesome! maybe if I weren’t a beginner I’d have more confidence to try a fish in cycle!

 

You can absolutely do a fish in cycle and make your Fish totally safe and comfortable. I’ve done both. When I did fishless, I used flake food.

 

Guys, it looks like everyone was missing the point.
EslI is just trying to add ammonia to start a fishless cycle, and accidentally added too much than needed.

 

EslI another vote for water change yourself down to about 2.0 ammonia. Are you using a bacterial supplement like TSS or stability?

 

EslI another vote for water change yourself down to about 2.0 ammonia. Are you using a bacterial supplement like TSS or stability?

I'm not but I have it on hand. Should I begin using stability?
How will that help?

 

Whether you are using a bacterial supplement (TSS or Stability) will change expectations for how long things will take. Whether you want to use Stability/TSS or not is mostly personal preference or situation. Ex. I have children who would have done poorly if u had an empty tank for months, so I did Fish in cycle with TSS. Good luck!

 

Whether you are using a bacterial supplement (TSS or Stability) will change expectations for how long things will take. Whether you want to use Stability/TSS or not is mostly personal preference or situation. Ex. I have children who would have done poorly if u had an empty tank for months, so I did Fish in cycle with TSS. Good luck!

I started using it today! I totally forgot about it, but thanks so much for reminding me. Hopefully it comes along

 

I like when this topic comes up, because it's one I've experimented a lot. Using a bacterial additive vs not using one. I've started up a few tanks at the store I work at, as well as at home. I've used TSS, stability, our store brands bacterial additive, and Top Fin brand. Then of course I've not used any of them while starting a tank. My findings were very odd. I found that there was no relation between using any of the products, and the time it takes. One time I had a tank without any additive cycle in under 2 weeks, while I had another tank with TSS take almost 2 months. Oddly enough, another occasion it was flip flopped, where the tank with additive was much quicker. I made sure to do the same thing each time, using pure ammonia.

 

I take it is a case by case thing and preference! I will keep you guys updated to my results!