Is Prime messing with my cycle?

**Goes to 11!** · 12-31-2012, 06:36 PM

Originally Posted by Taurus

Cliff is right without question.

+2

Originally Posted by Lady Hobbs

Is your filter large enough for the tank size and your stock?

Yes, Details please.

**serbusfish** · 12-31-2012, 11:39 PM

My filter does up to 300 litre tank, mine is around 105 litres. I don't know what my ph is unfortunately as I don't have a kit to test it. In any case I've done a water change with the Jbl stuff and after 9 hours ammonia + nitrite are at 0.

**fishmommie** · 01-01-2013, 02:22 PM

Not sure that 9 hours will be adequate time for your readings to represent the full picture.
I cycled a 30 gal with Prime with fish - took almost 3 months. Just depends on the tank. Know you are impatient but ... in this hobby, patience is the word of every day
good luck

**Cermet** · 01-01-2013, 02:43 PM

You need a pH kit asap; first off, you need to know the tank pH to see if the fish you want will be ok in that type of water. Next, knowing the tank pH and tap pH allows you to determine if your water in the tank will drift in pH - this is very important because large or delayed water changes could crash the pH and kill fish. Finally, you simply cannot cycle a filter in water at pH under 6.1 and it is very slow under a pH of 6.5. You need to test for this and a basic kit has ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH. Really need all of them.

When you say your ammonia is zero, are you not cycling? Either you add ammonia to hold about 1 ppm ammonia (no fish and no W/C) or if a fish based cycle, use W/C to hold a 0.25 ppm ammonia level.

**serbusfish** · 01-02-2013, 01:49 PM

I bought the test kits id need during a cycle (ammonia, nitrite and nitrate) I guess I will pick up a PH kit too.

My ammonia and nitrite have been at 0 for 48 hours now, to be honest I've been making a schoolboy error when testing. I haven't been rinsing the test tubes out very well between uses as I didn't think it would matter, but it turns out it can make a big difference to the results.

So its quite possible I'm now cycled, I will continue to test over the next few days. I'm cycling with fish btw, been going for over 2 months.

**fishmommie** · 01-02-2013, 02:06 PM

Originally Posted by serbusfish

I bought the test kits id need during a cycle (ammonia, nitrite and nitrate) I guess I will pick up a PH kit too.

My ammonia and nitrite have been at 0 for 48 hours now, to be honest I've been making a schoolboy error when testing. I haven't been rinsing the test tubes out very well between uses as I didn't think it would matter, but it turns out it can make a big difference to the results.

So its quite possible I'm now cycled, I will continue to test over the next few days. I'm cycling with fish btw, been going for over 2 months.

We all learn from our mistakes. Sounds to me like you might be cycled after all.
just an fyi on testing for nitrates: make sure you shake bottle one, add 10 drops to the vial. Cap and shake. then shake bottle 2 hard for 30 full seconds BEFORE you add it to the vial. Add 10 drops from bottle 2 then cap and shake vial for 60 full seconds. Wait 5 min. It's the only way to get an accurate nitrate reading.
Good luck