What would happen if you left ammonia...

[doublethink]

What would happen if you filled an empty fish tank with pure ammonia and left it to sit for a really long time. Would you eventually get a cycled tank?

Just curious.

 

[happyfishies]

I would guess that the bacteria can't live in too much ammonia, so they might not even come.  you'd have to catch it at the right moment, too, since if they did come, they'd eat all the ammonia and then die when they ran out of food.

 

[luvfishies]

Too much ammonia actually inhibits the cycle. Also, the bacteria need oxygenated water, so filtration of some sort is a must.

 

[qc]

A tank full of pure ammonia would inhibit the growth of the bacteria a 40mg (Milligram) count of ammonia is leathal to most organisums!

How ever if you poured 2L of ammonia into a tank about 60L and set up a filter it would eventually cycle since the ammonia would be diluted but would still be relitivly high
How ever even if you stocked the tank with all the fish you could fit in there you would still have Massive die back of the bacteria


(Sorry if i aint clear i am exusted!)

 

[RedTurquoise]

Is not ammonia a pure acid or very acidity? Ammonia is also used in household cleaners I believe.

 

[happyfishies]

yep, ammonia is an acid, a weak acid.

actually, if you had *pure* ammonia, only NH[sub]4[/sub] molecules and no H[sub]2[/sub]O's it would be a solid (I believe).  you need to have some concentration of ammonia in water for it to do its acid thang.

 

[RedTurquoise]

A weak acid? Hmmm! What is ammonium hydroxide? We use it at work for the blueline machines and even the vapous are corrosive.

Another thought Doublethink! Even if bacteria could live in pure ammonia and it would cycle, would it turned in pure nitrites?  *twirlysmiley*