The gold fish were really more for the kids and I figure they would help out some to get the tank started. I always thought they were pretty tough fish but maybe not.
Yes I need to get one of the kits you mentioned to test the water so not offended at all.
Where can I get the foamless ammonia and how much should I add?
But you ended up traumatizing the kids! LOL
I get the ammonia at Ace hardware. Shake the bottle. If it foams you don't want it. If it foams it means it has some detergent which is not conducive to bacteria.
Initially add just enough to keep you system at about 4 ppm of ammonia. Probably just a cap full or so for your size system. If you added up to 8 ppm don't panic. It will go back down once you nitrite oxydizing bacteria show up.
Keep testing it once a day for several days and add more to keep the ammonia at 3 to 4 ppm. After four or five days start testing for nitrites along with the ammonia. Once nitrites shows up you are half way through you "cycle." Keep testing once a day for both ammonia and nitrites and keep ammonia at about 3 to 4 ppm by adding more if need be.
At some point (two to three weeks if your water is kept in the upper 70's) your ammonia will be quickly oxidized and converted to nitrites and even when adding ammonia your ammonia and nitrites revert to a reading of zero within a day or less. At the same time you will find your nitrates will be steadily climbing which is due to your nitrites being coverted to nitrates. At this point your system is said to be "cycled" and you can safely add fish.
