Peeing in tank to speed up cycle?
 

Hey,

Ok, so I heard about certain people (who shall remain nameless :biggrin: ) who urinated in their tank to get the cycle going and I have to say I'm intrigued by this. Is this true? Are there any detrimental effects?

Justin

I've deleted my last few attempts to reply to this post.
So I'll try and be nice and here is the highly edited version...you find that intriguing, you are kidding right?

Dave

Do a search for "fishless cycle".

They were simply adding ammonia to kick start the tank, and for $1.98 at any grocery store you can do the same without urinating in your tank.

Actually no. I was really wondering if this is an effective way of speeding up the cycle process. But I understand how this must seem ridiculous.

Thanks dunl, I think I'll opt for the $1.98. It just seems wrongto do that to my tank :biggrin: .

First time I heard about it, I thought it was completely crazy. Now that I know the science behind it, it's not COMPLETELY crazy, just pretty darn inefficient.

Really inefficient if you're female LOL

No way would I ever do this, I'd never want to put my hands in the tank again.

Nor would I feel right about it!
Poor livestock!

That is one of the most stupid Ideas I have ever heard of :confused: To take a **** in your tank and think it will cycle it quickly, who the heck took the first trial on that idea.


Anyone have a link to this *%^#*

Make sure the tank is grounded !!!

pee?
 

Not that I haven't felt like peein' on the reef during on of THOSE days :rolleyes: , but I think you are confused by the step: Add one ****-tail shrimp :razz:

:rofl:

Spend the $1.98 on a beer and kill 2 birds with 1 stone. :lol:

Best answer yet! :razz:

Seriously though, I have heard of that before, and imagine it would work, but a piece of shrimp or better yet some uncured live rock is the best way to cycle a tank, IMO.

I pee'd in my buddys tank once, he wasnt looking :biggrin:

Curious as to why this would work better? The shrimp decomposes and produces ammonia, which starts the cycle.

Curious as to why would starting with straight ammonia instead of it slowly leeching off the shrimp work better? Not that it wouldn't work, but why would that be the BEST way?

well think about other Chemicals that are in your urin...It's not just ammonia!!!!

Started my cycle with a chunk of frozen mysis, within a day I was full into the ammonia cycle. No urine required. :rolleyes:

Hmmmm I did pee in the ocean before I don't think it hurt anything :razz:

It might work but I wouldn't do it. You might introduce unwanted hitch-hiker crabs into the tank.

I'd guess this idea originated due to more than $1.98 worth of beer being drank.

Because you do two things at once, you cycle your tank, and you fill it with live rock, which most of us here will do anyways. Even adding "cured" rock to a cycled tank can start another cycle. How are you to know that live rock cured at the store is fully cured? So by starting with only rock, you get both tasks accomplished.

It is the best way to cycle a tank in my opinion only as i stated in my orginal post. :biggrin:

it is a very common practice oversea's to do this when clam farming.

I wasn't suggesting the ammonia only, but using it instead of the shrimp, that's all. Ammonia plus the live rock allows you to start straight from the ammonia - just a different way of starting the cycle I guess.

Sorry - I thought you were suggesting that starting with the shrimp was better than starting with the ammonia.

will any shrimp work from the store? or do i have to stay away froms ome(maybee perservatives?)

I have added around 4 bottles Each bottle doign around 500gal per bottle. and that was for my 62 gal and had no problems ,I swear by it love the stuff.

it worked for me

Do you mean you can buy bottles of ammonia ? where would we find this ?
If i'm already registering ammonia, nitrites and nitrates i'm assuming I wouldn't need that?

amanda

Nope you won't need it, your tank is already into its cycle :biggrin:

You can buy ammonia solution (note it is not 100% ammonia) at most cleaning supply departments. Make sure you look for one that is additive free (ie unscented and detergent free); no-name brand type products typically fit this bill.

One advantage to using ammonia solution is the higher concentrations of ammonia that can be achieved. The amount of nitrifying bacteria that are present in one's tank will be proportional to the supply of ammonia. More ammonia will create a more robust bacteria colony more quickly. Using a single shrimp in a tank will prompt a cycle but that does not mean you can immediately add a full bioload to the tank once that cycle in completed. The bacteria colony may not be up to the task and another cycle will be triggered.

The disadvantage to the process is the higher concentrations of nitrate that you end up with. This is not an issue with freshwater because once the cycle is completed you simply do a 99% water change and then add your full bioload. Reef systems can eliminate nitrate but maybe not completely at the levels generated with 'fishless' cycling so you may have to do a much larger water change before adding livestock and salt mix not free.

Hold on a sec...

...OK, I'm back. Yeah, I don't think it's working.

Just think of all the stuff besides ammonia in your urine!!

There are also people out there (Waaco, Texas I think) that think it's healthy to drink your own urine. I'm no scientist, but...