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If you do water changes you will be removing the ammonia(NH3, NH4) as well as the nitrIte(NO2). Just remember how the cycle works ammonia to nitrIte to nitrAte. I dont know about just adding the oscar i am sure someone will chime as this site has some of the most knowledge and helpful members around. My first guess would be that once your tank is cycled adding a large oscar might cause a mini cycle what you could do to try and avoid this is start with a school of Zebra Danios or another hardy fish, a couple of weeks or so and then add the oscar and then she/he will have a nice snack to help acclimate her/himself.

Also I love that tank stand. If any of the stores around sold that setup I think I could convince the lady friend to accept an upgrade

"No whammy, No whammy, No whammy, STOP!!"

1984-Michael Larsen On Press Your Luck

I tested for my ph with the normal test, and I'm off the charts. So I test with the high end ph test and my ph is 8.2!!!

So, I went and bought my test kits at the Petland here tonight (obviously, since I'm freaking out over my high ph) and my friend says "Do you have pure ammonia?" Because I've been looking for it ALL day, and I say "They don't have it." So the guy get curious and asks what I need it for. So I say "To cycle my tank without fish" which confuses him even more so he says "I have this cycle helper..." and I say "No, that won't do me any good. Without any ammonia, to bacteria aren't going to grow." So he gets even more puzzled and is literally scratching his head and he says "You mean you WANT bacteria in your tank?" So I tried to explain as best I could in a few seconds, paid and left. The poor guy probably thinks I'm crazy. I'll bet he goes home tonight and looks it up online.

aaronfry: That's why I was asking if I should up the amount of ammonia I'll be adding to cycle, so it can withstand the bioload of a big oscar. Or if I should get it cycled, and just slowly bring up the amount I add every day and then put in the oscar. I'm totally lost. But even if I just threw some danios in there, even a slightly large school of them wouldn't produce as much waste as an oscar, and it would still probably mini cycle once I got it in there.

Okay I'm confused here, do you have ammonia or not? It should be easy enough to find in the grocery store or pharmacy. Usually in the health section where they have bandaids and epsom salts, little bottles near the bottom. Just look for the one that is no color no scent. Many stores also put some with the cleaning supplies as it's one of those old fashioned cleansers.

I'm not sure I'd use zebras for this one, you're right they just wouldnt produce enough ammonia. Danios and overfeeding maybe, but I'm not sure that's really the best way to go about it.

There are plenty of threads on fishless cycling here on FP, this one]http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/threads/19204.1.htm?13#[/link] seems the best. A favorite is the [link=tom griffin site but it does seem to be down at the time of this posting, hopefully it'll be back up.

I have read that one of the reasons its difficult to give an exact number of drops to add per gallon is that aparently the ammount of ammonia between bottles varies as does the difference between a fresh bottle and one that's been open.

.

Without ammonia there's also the crumbled fish food option although from what I understand that takes even longer.
When you do finally get your oscars I'd make sure you pick up some cycle as well and add it per the instructions on introducing new fish, it'll help with minicycle issues.

Sounds like you found a top notch employee at that store ...hopefully you taught him something .

^_^

I haven't found it at walmart (we just have a small one, not a super center, it barely has band-aids and alcohol) and I haven't found it in any of the grocery stores. I got off of work so late I didn't have many options to find it. I guess I'll have to leave early tomorrow.

Wow! Really?!?

Once I had a better think on the subject, you might do better finding ammonia in the cleaning aisle, not sure if it's first aid or I'm just thinking that ammonia and hydrogen peroxide and rubbing alchohol were all found together in my parents house growing up ...

If it's the grocery store or walmart an employee there should know where to find it, and they won't look at you funny ...I hope.
And this was supposed to be the easy way

^_^

Things I thought were common and simple to find and I would never have to worry about just don't exist here. I've tried the grocery stores, the super walmart off the island, and target, lol. Someone told me they sell it at dollar general though, for a $1 a bottle. I just have to make sure it doesn't have anything else in it. I guess I'll be starting the cycle tonight instead, lol. I would have never thought to check the dollar store.

I know the target near me in the states carried it, would have figured Walmart would have it too .
AFAIK there's only scented and colored or plain unscented and uncolored. Not sure I've ever seen one without the other, a sniff should tell you if it's plain ammonia or not.

Good luck

^_^

<---grocery store employee

Try the cleaning-products aisle. Most stores-even the small ones-carry it there, both plain and lemon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
There is water at the bottom of the ocean

I've now checked EVERY store except the gas stations. Only the dollar store and winn dixie even sold ammonia, and both kinds were lemon scented. No one has the regular, the only places I haven't checked are the cleaning sections in Lowe's and Home depot. I'm thinking about just cycling with fish.

I've just skimmed this thread & it seems you all are looking for a source of ammonia?
I was looking through my house one time for ammonia to test out some test strips. I didn't have any bottled ammonia, but realized that I myself am a source of ammonia. Weather it grosses you out or not, I went into the bathroom & came out with a vial of ammonia & tested my strips. Yup! It tested as having ammonia in the vial!

Would this method not work for that tank? Just a thought.......trying to help out here.

I told my husband I'd get him a stool and he could empty out every morning, but he's not going for it.

Why does everyone feel the need to lemon scent ammonia? It still stinks anyway, why do they bother?

I'm almost to the point of calling aqua zoo, asking if they have some baby oscars and getting one. I guess I could cycle a tank with a baby oscar. Or I could get a large school of some small fish, and just replace them with an oscar instead of adding the oscar to them. I've always cycled with fish, I just thought this would be a good opportunity for me to fishless cycle, especially since I wanted to start with such a large fish. If the hardware stores don't have the pure ammonia I'm giving in, lol.

I didn't have any bottled ammonia, but realized that I myself am a source of ammonia. Weather it grosses you out or not, I went into the bathroom & came out with a vial of ammonia & tested my strips. Yup! It tested as having ammonia in the vial!

Some times you see a post and you just have to say something and unfortunately for me this one of those times and well i just have nothing to say

daerelle if you are going to home depot and it is anything like mine just go to the section with the brooms and vaccums and it should be on the bottom shelf/floor

"No whammy, No whammy, No whammy, STOP!!"

1984-Michael Larsen On Press Your Luck

Thanks! I figured the home improvement places were my last hope, so maybe I'll find it.