dfrap

Does anyone know if BIO-SPIRA can be used with the fish in the tank? One person at the pet store said yes, another said the fish have to be taken out. If anyone has any experience with this product, I'd appreciate the feedback. Thanks

Gunnie

Bio spira is meant to be used with fish in the tank, a full bio load of fish. That is the beauty of it! You add the proper amount of bio spira, and then you immediately add all the fish you planned on putting in that tank. Keep in mind for this to work, your bio spira must be alive, and the fish you intend to add is the proper amount of fish for that size tank. If you don't add fish to the tank once the bio spira has been added, the bacteria will start to die off because the fish provide the ammonia they need for food.

dfrap

Thanks Gunnie I already have 3 guppies in there. I've had the tank for about 6 weeks. Ammonia is at .50, Nitrites .25, Nitrates .25 (these are guess-timates because the colors are sometimes hard to match completely). I was just considering giving my bio filter a boost, to hurry up and get it cycled. Or, in your opinion, would it be best to wait for it to cycle by itself? I just don't want to lose the fish to ammonia poisoning, but also don't want to keep trying to remove it because I know the bacteria need it. Thanks a lot!

Gunnie

The bio spira would help cycle your tank. Drain as much water as you can without affecting the fish, refill the tank, and add the bio spira. This should give the bio spira a good chance of keeping up with any existing ammonia and nitrites in the tank.

dfrap

Well, I added the Bio Spira Saturday morning. Tested the water today, the levels are

ammonia .50
Nitrites 0
Nitrates between 0-5

I just can't seem to rid my tank of the ammonia. I feel like I've tried everything. I've done the water changes, etc. I use Prime in the tap water when I change the water, and that takes out the ammonia in the tap water. So I know I'm not adding more ammonia to the tank. Guess I'm not sure what else to do. My 3 guppies seem to be doing fine. I wouldn't even know there was anything wrong with the water if I didn't test it. It's been over 6 weeks now since set up. Guess I'm just being impatient : I would like to add a couple more guppies and a few cory cats, but I'm afraid the ammonia in there will do them harm. Any suggestions on what to do? More water changes maybe? Could the low pH in the water (it's still at 6.0) be affecting the ammonia? I even brought a water sample to Pet Smart, and they showed no ammonia in the water, but they also used the test strips which I hear can be inaccurate. I'm just at a loss right now

bbfeckawitts

I would not add anymore fish until it is COMPLETELY cycled. Make sure you shake the bottles before you test it. I heard that sometimes the liquid can seperate and give you false readings.

-Brianna

Gunnie

The prime may have something to do with the ammonia after adding bio spira. Any kind of water conditioner that treats ammonia and/or nitrites may hamper the bio spira. Have you checked your tap water for ammonia?

dfrap

I won't add any more fish til the ammonia is at 0, I was just saying I wanted to . Yes, I have tested my tap water for ammonia, and it reads 1.0, which is why I use Prime when I condition it before adding it to the tank. I didn't even think if that would affect the bio spira. I tested the water again today for ammonia (yes, I'm obsessive) and it's now at 1.0. Not sure whether to do a partial water change again, or wait it out??