bpsmicro

Okay, so in our 15g tank the ammonia levels have been very stable at around 0.6. nitrites <0.1 (hint of color), and nitrates <5. We've lost fish, but the current lot seem healthy. Things have been "stable" for the two weeks since we bought the test kits.

On advice, I decided to try Prime, which detoxifies the small amounts of ammonia & nitrites while the cycle completes. We did a 25% water change, adding 1.5ml of Prime to the new water.

Today (24 hours after the first Prime use). The ammonia test skyrocketed to 4.9. Nitrites are zero, and nitrates still <5.

Googling makes me believe that the Prime is giving a false-high reading on the ammonia test, perhaps triggering on converted ammonium. The master test kit is from Hagen (Nutrafin), in case that makes a difference.
We've done another 25% water change and another 1.5ml of Prime, and we'll do this daily and monitor the results. At the moment I'm not panicking. :-)

Can anybody confirm that the sudden upturn in ammonia test results would be normal or expected when introducing Prime to a tank that hasn't yet completed its first cycle?

Brad.

Cody

that could be possible. i have a API master test kit and it says in the manual that you should wait 24 hours after using chemicals..or somtihng like that..are the fish acting different in anyway

bpsmicro

Yeah, it was nearly 24 hours after the chemicals were added before we did the test. The fish seem to not notice anything amiss, so for now I'm inclined to just monitor the situation and see what happens over the next few days.

Cody

yes i would test it again in another day or two, and then you should know for sure

zigmeister

Brad, I use Prime and don't have that problem with the ammonia. I use the API test kit though. It might be as you say, it is picking up on the inactivated ammonia. You might want to read the fine print on the test kit. I would think it would tell you.

bpsmicro

Reading the booklet that came with the test, it appears it may indeed pick up NH3 and NH4. What it says is:

"Nessler Method Modified. The color intensity of the chemical reaction in the test tude determines the concentration of ammonia gas (NH3) and ionic ammonium (NH4+)."

Based on my reading here and elsewhere (and I've been doing a *lot* of reading), the initial cycling of the tank was "stalled". After two weeks with *no* appreciable changes in any levels, but with a couple of dying fish, the Prime addition must have jump-started things. I'm actually hoping to see a small jump in nitrites and then nitrates to give me *some* indication that things are happening. If the fish tolerate this all, we'll be in good shape soon.

Brad.

ahcash

Hi Brad, any update on this?

bpsmicro

Not much new. So far the test results remain stable at 4.9 NH4 and zero Nitrites. The fish seem happy enough, so we're just going to continue with daily tests/changes and monitor. I'll let you know when anything dramatic happens.

Brad.

ahcash

ohh thanks for the info.

I made a mistake too by not cycling the tank before I put the fish in.

My tank has been running about 2 weeks now and been getting the following reading for the past few days.

Ammonia = 0.5 - 1.0
- I am doing daily water change or 25% and using Prime to control this. I hope it can come down a bit.

nitrite = 0
- Feel a bit weird. Zero nitrite?? The ammonia should turn on some reading, right?

nitrate = 50
- Does that mean my tank has cycle?

I might post in the help section and see what others have to say on this.

bpsmicro

My understanding (and consider my tag still says "newbie") is that with a nitrate of 50 your tank has cycled, but your bacteria may not be keeping up because your ammonia is non-zero. And a nitrate level that high indicates you may need more frequent water changes. If you're doing 25% a day, that'd make me wonder.

Which ammonia test are you using? I now know the Nutrafin (Hagar) test produces artificially high ammonia results when using Prime (which I'm convinced is really ammonium it's showing).

Meanwhile, our results remain unchanged, though I have noticed a bit of a behavioral change in the Neons, in that they don't school together as much, but seem to sometimes break off into individuals or groups for periods of time. They *look* fine, so I'm not worrying (yet).

ahcash

I am using the API Master Test Kit.

Slight change in the test result from yesterday.

Ammonia has remain in around 1
Nitrite has gone up from zero to .25
Nitrate remains at 50.

I have tested the tap water and nitrate is zero. Therefore, the nitrate in the tank must be from the the bateria build up but unable to keep up..