PlanetCatfish.com

I was out picking up things for my new tank yesterday and couldn't find 100% ammonia anywhere. The only thing I found was ammonia with surfactant. This is a type I don't want to use right? I really really dont want to have to do a fish-in cycle.

Where'd you look? I found mine at a dollar store.

Pure (100%) ammonia is a gas, and it's extremely hydrophilic (likes to attach to water), is it's very difficult to keep a 100% ammonia in any other form than as a gas in a cylinder.

For cycling the tank, you almost certainly don't need 100% ammonia - you only need TINY amounts - the target is to get around 2 ppm, so 2 grams of pure ammonia per 1000 liter of water. Most DIY stores (Like Home Depot in the US or B&Q in the UK) should have it, but it's probably a 10% solution or such. You then have to calculate (or try a bit and measure how many PPM you actually got, and then add more until you reach the target). If it's 10% solution, you will need approximately 20 grams per thousand liter of tank - or 1g per 50 liter.

--
Mats

Hehe, I was really concerned with the surfactant, not the % of ammonia in water. Still, that is interesting to know. I have a bad way of wording things at times


I looked at Lowes and Walmart. Not much else where I live and we're very lucky to have Lowes LoL

I see what you mean.

I found this post, which has links to several different "brands" of ammonia - at least one of which is available in Walmart.
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/sh ... hp?t=88486

It would be helpful for those with geography knowledge of Minnesota if you go to User Control Panel and add some more info about where you are - I presume you are "in the sticks", given the small choice of shops... (My knowledge of Minnesota is quite ropey, I've been to Minneapolis a couple of times and been driven up to the Northwest side, but I can't say I really know the state well).

--
Mats

i just know it's hardware store ammonia, not the kind from the food store with smells or scents added.

I was shocked the Walmart had absolutely no ammonia and there were a few other every day things that were unfindable as well. Maybe I just hit it on a bad day. I'll keep looking.

i 've seen it at ACE hardware , unknown if you have one of those.