duckyluv

Hi,
I have 4 goldfish in a 55 gallon tank. Two Pearlscales, and two Orandas all are young. The fish are all fine, swimming and eating and playing. My tank hasn't cycled quite yet, but they don't feel the pain of it cause i'm on top of things as far as water changes and adding Prime....etc....
My tank consists of a pond pump, 2 Aqua Clear 70 hang on filters, and a deep water air pump with 2 large round flat stones running.
My water perameters are ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 5, and pH 7.8.....I clean the filters in tank water when the mechanics slow, and also do daily water changes of about 25 percent in the morning.
My tank has been running for about 6 weeks or so.

Question:
My Nitrates keep going down to 0......I will get a reading of 5 for a week or so and then 0.....what is going on My tank will never cycle like this. I heard from an old expert that Prime is for Cycling only and to use a water conditioner that takes away chlorine and chloramine "only" once a tank has cycled. Could this Prime product be taking out my Nitrates?? from use??

Shawnie

you dont need to do daily water changes with no ammonia/nitrites in the tank..weekly is fine...prime isnt doing anything to the nitrates, the cleaning and water changes are

duckyluv

Thank you for clearing that up for me. Well, my ammonia was spiking every morning like clockwork and is why I was doing the daily water changes but I noticed that the ammonia hasn't spiked the last day and a half and was hoping my cycle was complete but with no Nitrates I'm afraid I am now back to square 1 and I am so frustrated right now. My hopes have been tossed out the window as I have worked so very very hard and I love my fish so much.

Shawnie

when was the last time you used stability? that will throw it all off and give false readings...

duckyluv

Well, to be honest, I haven't used the Stability for a couple days or more since I was told to not use it.

duckyluv

I can't remember yesterday....lol....but if my calculations are off at times it's not because i'm a liar but just because I can't remember yesterday....lol....totally honest and straight up is who I am....lol....which is why I should be writing this stuff down....but I have a busy life with work and dogs and fish and excuses excuses!!!

Shawnie

theres the reasons you arent cycling...throw the bottle out or exchange it

duckyluv

Throw what bottle out?? I quit using it. Why would I exchange it?? It's sitting here and if someone needs it they are welcome to it. I'm not using it.
Also, I just bought it over a week ago and used it for a few days and quit using it. My tank didn't cycle long before the use. And it's still not cycling. And I've had problems with my Nitrates like this on and off for a while now. I just do not understand where they keep going. If my Ammonia has spiked then I do the water changes daily and use Prime, and yes, I've done small water change lately at night because I worry about my fish laying in Ammonia through the night and it seems to help, but, where to go from here?? I'm caught between a rock and a hard place is how it all feels to me on an ongoing basis.....I'm frustrated with the whole situation.

Shawnie

you just used it a couple days ago...no one needs to use it as its more hassle and it was recommended awhile ago that it was not helping you cycle your tank...exchange it for something that you can use like more prime etc...or throw it out so you arent tempted to use it again !

duckyluv

No.....my friend Chris likes this stuff and when I see him he can have it.....I know what you're saying but I also told you I quit using it. Was it a while ago? If it was then I haven't used it in a while. I quit using it when someone told me not to. So now I need to know what the ongoing problem is.

yukoandk

Hello, I just found this thread. This maybe one of those situation where you have to wait it out until the cycle completes. It sounds like you've been working hard and doing all that you are supposed to. I know Prime detoxifies all ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate, but not sure how that affects the test readings. Theoretically if you test at the end of 24 hour period, that should be close to the actual state of the water? I've used Stability before as well but couldn't really tell if it did anything good or bad. I'm interested to hear if anyone can explain how it works or not works.

Meenu

Duckyluv,
I think that since you stopped using the Stability recently, it's probably throwing off your readings a bit. Once the Stability is completely out of your tank, you are likely to see the ammonia and the nitrites go up as your tank cycles. I would keep up the daily water changes and keep testing the water. The water changes will continue to get the stability out of your tank. You can add the Prime each time you do a water change.

As far as throwing out or returning the Stability bottle, it's up to you what you do with it. Some stores will let you return the product within a couple of weeks, even if part of it was used, if you weren't satisfied with it. Just depends on the store. As far as giving it to your friend who uses it, I think it's okay to do that, but you might want to give him a heads up about what you've learned about the product. Maybe refer him to this forum. No reason for him to keep using a product that isn't going to let his tank completely cycle.

Yuko, my fish have ich but what can i do till i get to the lfs?? contains a response I wrote to someone using a product similar to Stability. You might find it interesting.



edit: Ducky, do you have plants? They can process nitrates. In a planted tank, it isn't uncommon to have 0 nitrates. Otherwise, I think you may just be getting wacky readings because of the traces of Stability still in your tank.

yukoandk

Thank you Meenu for the info!

duckyluv

Yes I have plants and yes I tell my friend Chris everything I've learned....so frustrating so frustrating