adding ammonia in cycling?

Question

1) is it true that if u can add your own urine to get ammonia in a new tank?

2) how can i use cooked shrimp for an ammonia? how do i cook the shrimp?

3) if any of the above is true and really able to add to a new tank can i add them while i have 2 small feeder goldfish?

Answer 1

No, you cannot add your own urine to a new tank. If you are wanting to cycle your tank then go to your local pet store, not the local restroom. I have never heard of using cooked shrimp to add ammonia to your tank either. And please don't add ammonia to a tank with feeder goldfish or any other type of fish for that matter.
CT

Answer 2

1) You can add your own urine to start a cycle, but due to the other substances in urine you will not be able to sustain a fishless cycle this way without the nitrifying bacteria being affected by the toxins. If you want to do a fishless cycle start with the cheapest ammonia you can find with no soap added. You cannot do this with fish in the tank.

2) A raw shrimp will do the same as cooked, it rots and produces ammonia. There is no way of controlling the amount of ammonia, you are better off buying a bottle of ammonia for a fishless cycle.

3) Do not attempt either with fish in the tank, you will kill the fish with the elevated ammonia level.

Answer 3

1) You'd be adding more compounds (salts, sugars, and lots of others) than you'd expect with this method, and human urine isn't ammonia, but urea. Usually, pure ammonia is used if anything, because this is what the fish byproduct of metabolism is and what the bacteria involved in the nitrogen cycle use.

2) You don't need to cook the shrimp. Any source of protein would work, but most meats would contain too much fat. you can also use small amounts of fish food to cycle.

3) It would be better for your fish if you didn't. The point of fishless cycling is to reduce stress to the fish by having it in the tank with high ammonia concentrations while the bacteria population develops. You'd be adding them to a tank with not only their own wastes but addtional ammonia sources.

Answer 4

Why do you want to add ammonia to the fish tank? Usually that is something you do not want in your water.