Does Prime really lock all the toxic element?

So.. Before i talked about this, my tank couldn't handle the sudden high bioload because i added dozens of Tetra at once. I did fishless cycle for over a month, tested everything and everything are ok. So i not sure if cycle can crash if it can't handle too high of a fish bioload. So I'm actually cycling the tank with my current tetras right now

So, i got about 12 neons and 6 ember yesterday. The fish in cycle has been about a week and half. I only lost one until yesterday. I add Seachem Prime every other day and water changes every 3 day.

When i woke up this morning, i saw almost half of my tetras dead. Now i left with 7 neons and 3 embers. I don't know why it happens. I have done fish in cycle before with the guppies and i have 0 casualties. But i assume it was the ammonia poisoning killed them or something related to poor water condition along the way.

So my question is does Prime really bind all the toxic element, especially ammonia and nitrite in the fish tank? Because i dosed the Prime yesterday and i still end up with half of the fish dead in a single night. There is few alive fish showing ammonia poisoning symptom so i immediately do big water changes and they are now recovered, at least that is what it look like.

 

Hi

I believe prime can only detoxify up to 1.5 ppm of ammonia and nitrite combined. Could be wrong on that and I'm sure I will be corrected.

You should get a water test kit and check your levels. Water changes are going to be needed frequently with a fish in cycle alongside the prime.

 

So.. Before i talked about this, my tank couldn't handle the sudden high bioload because i added dozens of Tetra at once. I did fishless cycle for over a month, tested everything and everything are ok. So i not sure if cycle can crash if it can't handle too high of a fish bioload. So I'm actually cycling the tank with my current tetras right now

So, i got about 12 neons and 6 ember yesterday. The fish in cycle has been about a week and half. I only lost one until yesterday. I add Seachem Prime every other day and water changes every 3 day.

When i woke up this morning, i saw almost half of my tetras dead. Now i left with 7 neons and 3 embers. I don't know why it happens. I have done fish in cycle before with the guppies and i have 0 casualties. But i assume it was the ammonia poisoning killed them or something related to poor water condition along the way.

So my question is does Prime really bind all the toxic element, especially ammonia and nitrite in the fish tank? Because i dosed the Prime yesterday and i still end up with half of the fish dead in a single night. There is few alive fish showing ammonia poisoning symptom so i immediately do big water changes and they are now recovered, at least that is what it look like.

Prime is great stuff, but changing water every 3rd day during a fish-in cycle very likely isn’t enough. I’d guess that’s why your fish are dying.

What ammonia source did you use to cycle before adding the fish and what are you using to test? What exactly are the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels in your tank?

If you were cycled before adding fish, the cycle probably didn‘t crash. . . Instead, there probably just wasn’t enough beneficial bacteria that had grown to handle the bio load of all the fish you added.

During a fish-in cycle and in addition to dosing Prime every 48 hours, water parameters should be tested every day. Water changes, possibly daily, should be done to keep the combined level of ammonia and nitrites at or below 0.50

 

Prime is great stuff, but changing water every 3rd day during a fish-in cycle very likely isn’t enough. I’d guess that’s why your fish are dying.

What ammonia source did you use to cycle before adding the fish and what are you using to test? What exactly are the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels in your tank?

If you were cycled before adding fish, the cycle probably didn‘t crash. . . Instead, there probably just wasn’t enough beneficial bacteria that had grown to handle the bio load of all the fish you added.

During a fish-in cycle and in addition to dosing Prime every 48 hours, water parameters should be tested every day. Water changes, possibly daily, should be done to keep the combined level of ammonia and nitrites at or below 0.50

I used fish food, raise the ammonia to 5ppm and then wait until it drop to 1ppm and repeat doing it like what it was suggested on fishlore. And yeah i agree that water changes for every 3 day might not be enough for my tetras. I didn't consider how vulnerable tetras be. Just because my guppies were ok doesn't mean my tetras will be fine with that.

My ammonia are always in between 0.5-1. I currently have 0 nitrites And 0 nitrates. Which is why i think my cycle crash, unless my water sprites and other plants are absorbing all.

I forgot to mention this, But the bacterias might die during the time where i keep two female bettas in the tank for 2 week. So the existing bacteria can actually handle only 2 betta bioload

 

I used fish food, raise the ammonia to 5ppm and then wait until it drop to 1ppm and repeat doing it like what it was suggested on fishlore. And yeah i agree that water changes for every 3 day might not be enough for my tetras. I didn't consider how vulnerable tetras be. Just because my guppies were ok doesn't mean my tetras will be fine with that.

My ammonia are always in between 0.5-1. I currently have 0 nitrites And 0 nitrates. Which is why i think my cycle crash, unless my water sprites and other plants are absorbing all.

I forgot to mention this, But the bacterias might die during the time where i keep two female bettas in the tank for 2 week. So the existing bacteria can actually handle only 2 betta bioload

You said in your original post that "everything tested OK" before you added fish. . . What exactly was your ammonia, nitrites and nitrates just before you added fish?

What is the pH level of your tank and what are you using to test? Have you cleaned and/or changed anything in your tank or filter? If so, please describe what you did.

 

You said in your original post that "everything tested OK" before you added fish. . . What exactly was your ammonia, nitrites and nitrates just before you added fish?

What is the pH level of your tank and what are you using to test? Have you cleaned and/or changed anything in your tank or filter? If so, please describe what you did.

When i meant everything tested and it was ok it mean i have nitrates, 0 on ammonia and nitrites. I use API test kit, the ph is about 7.2. And no everything is the same from the start.

It's a 30 gallon with 650lph filter.
Exact reading on
ammonia : 0
nitrite : 0
nitrate : 8
ph : somewhere in between 7.0-7.2

 

Last question. . Have you tested your tap/source water for ammonia? I’d guess there’s no ammonia in it, but can’t hurt to check it out. And how many and what type of fish are left in the tank?

As I mentioned above, I’d suggest you begin testing daily and be prepared to do daily water changes to keep the combined level of ammonia and nitrites at or below 0.50 ppm. Post your test results here and we can guide you through next steps if you’d like.

 

with a pH of 7.2 and lets say temp around 80'F you can safely have around 2ppm ammonia b/c it would be ammonium, the non toxic form of ammonia.

http://www.aztic.org/wp-content/upl...re-on-Ammonia-pH-Water-Temperature-v-2017.pdf

sometimes fish can die suddenly days or even weeks after coming home from the store. i've had healthy fish in a fully cycled quarantine tank die with in a few days and others die like 2 weeks later with no warning.

 

Last question. . Have you tested your tap/source water for ammonia? I’d guess there’s no ammonia in it, but can’t hurt to check it out. And how many and what type of fish are left in the tank?

As I mentioned above, I’d suggest you begin testing daily and be prepared to do daily water changes to keep the combined level of ammonia and nitrites at or below 0.50 ppm. Post your test results here and we can guide you through next steps if you’d like.

nah it's ok, i more or less figured out where i did wrong as i mentioned before.
I tested my tapwater, it only contain chlorine and no ammonia as far as i know.

I used same water on my other tank, my shrimp tank and betta tank wasn't affected. Now I'm doing wc daily to keep the ammonia/nitrite down. Fish are currently ok, now I'm down to 9 tetras left.

I learnt that i should have provide enough food source so that my beneficial bacteria won't die off Which i did wrong when i use the tank to home 2 juvenile female bettas for about 1-2 week which might cause most of the bacterias from fishless cycle to die and now only able to handle 2 betta bioload. Next it's i should have added the fish slowly, i guess the tank couldn't handle the bioload because i added many tetras at once.

with a pH of 7.2 and lets say temp around 80'F you can safely have around 2ppm ammonia b/c it would be ammonium, the non toxic form of ammonia.

http://www.aztic.org/wp-content/upl...re-on-Ammonia-pH-Water-Temperature-v-2017.pdf

sometimes fish can die suddenly days or even weeks after coming home from the store. i've had healthy fish in a fully cycled quarantine tank die with in a few days and others die like 2 weeks later with no warning.

I hope that's the cases. But i couldn't deny part of the reason of my fish death is my mistake. The neons are quite inbred, some comes in deformed shape and very thin. However they are the only neons i could find from mang lfs i visited so i just bought them hoping they will be fine.