TwoTankAmin
Fish Connoisseur
Hold on here just a minute. Ammonia levels between .25 and .50 ppm are not really high levels. Those are numbers before a decimal point not after it. Dependiing on the pH and temp of the tank water, they may not even be harmful to fish let alone killing them. And that assumes you actually have ammonia. I am not so sure. I can tell you this much without knowing your numbers.
For a real .5 ppm of ammonia to be harming fish, and assuming your water temp is 80F, then as long as your pH is under 8.2, the fish should be fine. If your pH is lower and/or your temp. is lower, then you are in even better shape.
Next, Dr. Tim's only needs to be added once to do what you got it for. Water changes are not needed. The proper way to add it is to make sure ammonia levels are clearly under 6.4 ppm (not an issue here), to turn off the tank lights for 24 hours, to shake the bottle well and then to pour the entire contents into the tank. The bacteria are dormant and the presence of ammonia and nitrite wakes them up pretty fast.
The thing about the Dr. Tim's that makes it such an advantage to use is that it contains both the ammonia and nitrite bacteria and in the proper proportion. This means whatever ammonia the ammonia ones can turn to nitrite, the nitrite ones can immediately turn to nitrate. So, if your ammonia reading is real, you should then also have a small reading for nitrite.
As for ammonia in your tap. This is not a common thing but it will be there if your water co. uses chloramine as a disinfectant. But the Prime neutralizes the chlorine in the chloramine which releases the ammonia part. Then the Prime also detoxifies it. And that lsmall evel of ammonia will get used by the bacteria pretty fast in an established tank.
Now about using Prime- Have you read the Prime page on SeaChem site and especially the FAQ?
Prime® may be used during tank cycling to alleviate ammonia/nitrite toxicity. It contains a binder which renders ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate non-toxic, allowing the biofilter to more efficiently remove them.
I am using Prime® to control ammonia but my test kit says it is not doing anything, in fact it looks like it added ammonia! What is going on?
A: A Nessler based kit will not read ammonia properly if you are using Prime®... it will look "off scale", sort of a muddy brown (incidentally a Nessler kit will not work with any other products similar to Prime®). A salicylate based kit can be used, but with caution. Under the conditions of a salicylate kit the ammonia-Prime® complex will be broken down eventually giving a false reading of ammonia (same as with other products like Prime®), so the key with a salicylate kit is to take the reading right away.
How long does Prime® stay bound to the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates?
A: Prime® will bind up those compounds for up to 48 hours. If they are still present after that time frame, they are released back into the water, unless Prime® is re-dosed accordingly. Also, if your ammonia or nitrite levels are increasing within a 24-hour period, Prime® can be re-dosed every 48 hours.
If Prime® is removing ammonia from the system, won’t that starve the beneficial bacteria? A: Prime® does not remove ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate from the system. It simply binds with those compounds making them harmless to the inhabitants and still bioavailable to the beneficial bacteria.
Finally, do your fish show any signs of ammonia or nitrite poisoning, If you are not sure what to look for in this respect
SIGNS OF AMMONIA POISONING
Fish will not behave as they normally do. Signs of ammonia poisoning can include sluggish behavior, panting, and gill discoloration (gill burn). Fish may hang just below the water surface or they may hide or stop eating. When you know you have ammonia in the tank during cycling and you notice such behavioral changes, the best course of action, regardless of test results, it to do an immediate water change of 50% or more.
SIGNS OF NITRITE POISONING
Fish will not behave as they normally do. Because their blood is not carrying oxygen, fish will behave as if they are suffocating. They may hang just below the water surface or near filter outflows trying to get air. What you will not see is any outward sign of bodily damage nor damage to the gills of the fish.
Full info can be found here https://www.fishforums.net/threads/rescuing-a-fish-in-cycle-gone-wild-part-il.433778/
I suggest you read about ammonia and nitrite and how and why they effect fish on that link. It should help you to better understand what may or may not be happening in your tank.
For a real .5 ppm of ammonia to be harming fish, and assuming your water temp is 80F, then as long as your pH is under 8.2, the fish should be fine. If your pH is lower and/or your temp. is lower, then you are in even better shape.
Next, Dr. Tim's only needs to be added once to do what you got it for. Water changes are not needed. The proper way to add it is to make sure ammonia levels are clearly under 6.4 ppm (not an issue here), to turn off the tank lights for 24 hours, to shake the bottle well and then to pour the entire contents into the tank. The bacteria are dormant and the presence of ammonia and nitrite wakes them up pretty fast.
The thing about the Dr. Tim's that makes it such an advantage to use is that it contains both the ammonia and nitrite bacteria and in the proper proportion. This means whatever ammonia the ammonia ones can turn to nitrite, the nitrite ones can immediately turn to nitrate. So, if your ammonia reading is real, you should then also have a small reading for nitrite.
As for ammonia in your tap. This is not a common thing but it will be there if your water co. uses chloramine as a disinfectant. But the Prime neutralizes the chlorine in the chloramine which releases the ammonia part. Then the Prime also detoxifies it. And that lsmall evel of ammonia will get used by the bacteria pretty fast in an established tank.
Now about using Prime- Have you read the Prime page on SeaChem site and especially the FAQ?
Prime® may be used during tank cycling to alleviate ammonia/nitrite toxicity. It contains a binder which renders ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate non-toxic, allowing the biofilter to more efficiently remove them.
I am using Prime® to control ammonia but my test kit says it is not doing anything, in fact it looks like it added ammonia! What is going on?
A: A Nessler based kit will not read ammonia properly if you are using Prime®... it will look "off scale", sort of a muddy brown (incidentally a Nessler kit will not work with any other products similar to Prime®). A salicylate based kit can be used, but with caution. Under the conditions of a salicylate kit the ammonia-Prime® complex will be broken down eventually giving a false reading of ammonia (same as with other products like Prime®), so the key with a salicylate kit is to take the reading right away.
How long does Prime® stay bound to the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates?
A: Prime® will bind up those compounds for up to 48 hours. If they are still present after that time frame, they are released back into the water, unless Prime® is re-dosed accordingly. Also, if your ammonia or nitrite levels are increasing within a 24-hour period, Prime® can be re-dosed every 48 hours.
If Prime® is removing ammonia from the system, won’t that starve the beneficial bacteria? A: Prime® does not remove ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate from the system. It simply binds with those compounds making them harmless to the inhabitants and still bioavailable to the beneficial bacteria.
Finally, do your fish show any signs of ammonia or nitrite poisoning, If you are not sure what to look for in this respect
SIGNS OF AMMONIA POISONING
Fish will not behave as they normally do. Signs of ammonia poisoning can include sluggish behavior, panting, and gill discoloration (gill burn). Fish may hang just below the water surface or they may hide or stop eating. When you know you have ammonia in the tank during cycling and you notice such behavioral changes, the best course of action, regardless of test results, it to do an immediate water change of 50% or more.
SIGNS OF NITRITE POISONING
Fish will not behave as they normally do. Because their blood is not carrying oxygen, fish will behave as if they are suffocating. They may hang just below the water surface or near filter outflows trying to get air. What you will not see is any outward sign of bodily damage nor damage to the gills of the fish.
Full info can be found here https://www.fishforums.net/threads/rescuing-a-fish-in-cycle-gone-wild-part-il.433778/
I suggest you read about ammonia and nitrite and how and why they effect fish on that link. It should help you to better understand what may or may not be happening in your tank.
