high ammonia in a cycled tank,,,

Wenzo0o0o0oo

Gambusia
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Jul 1, 2010
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always always always rinse out your bio media, this includes noodles, matrix, sponges, pads everything in old tank water. treated tap water kill your bio media, putting you back in cycle. add prime for tank size, not water replacing BEFORE you start filling the tank. I personally use a 5g bucked with the tanks emptying into it while i rinse out my media in it.
I add 3 caps for a 25 percent water changer weekly , that's for 150g


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pops

Alligator Gar
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I would pick that water change up to every other day till you know longer read ammonia or nitrite just before water change.fin level. that is my advice :)
 

pops

Alligator Gar
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just as a FYI having more filtration will not reduce your need for water changes. this is dictated by tank size+stock. having more filtration will not change this equation, just make your tank better at processing the nitrate cycle for your canisters and keeping the water clearer with your HoB filters.
 

ragin_cajun

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Prime does give false ammonia readings.
 

jstehman

Candiru
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Your biofilter is not sufficient now that your fish have grown.

Do you have a sponge filter from another tank?

Try feeding every other day also. That will cut down on wastes

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RD.

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always always always rinse out your bio media, this includes noodles, matrix, sponges, pads everything in old tank water. treated tap water kill your bio media, putting you back in cycle.
I never use tank water to clean my filter media, nor is it neccessary if one uses dechlorinated tap water. I've been using clean dechlorinated tap water to clean my filter media forever.


prime lasts up to 48 hours, after that it releases the bind back into the water, prime does not remove but binds making it inert until it wares out.

Prime doesn't release anything back into the water. Prime is a reducing agent, and it removes chlorine by converting (reducing) it to harmless chloride. Chloramine is removed by breaking the chlorine/ammonia bond, the chlorine is then reduced to chloride and the ammonia is then bound until it is utilized by the bio-bacteria in your biological filters. Unless you raise your tank water to pH 12 or higher it will not release the ammonia back into solution.
 

pops

Alligator Gar
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we going to have to agree to disagree, as I understand it, and yes you can use prime in tap water before using it to clean your bio media, but that's allot of prime or safe to use when you can keep the bucket flushing out with tank water while rinsing those nasty sponges and floss pads.
 

RD.

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The info that I posted comes from Gregory Morin, Ph.D., President/CEO
Seachem Laboratories, Inc.

Feel free to give Greg a call if you want to question anything that I said in that last post.


As far as wasting water conditioner, I use Seachem Safe, which is extremely economical. I only add a miniscule pinch of powder to each 5 gallon bucket and probably won't run out of water conditioner for another 7 or 8 yrs. lol
 

pops

Alligator Gar
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I agree on the safe have a 2.4 pound jar myself, only way to go you have larger tanks. 57 bucks to do 200,000 gallons of water versus 14 bucks to do 2000g, since i do a 180, 2 -75,s a 90 and 40 every week its a no brainer.
 
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