help!

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mking

Aquarium Advice Newbie
Joined
May 18, 2016
Messages
2
Location
Newfoundland, canada
hoping someone can help. so i HAD a tank that was cycled fishless about a year ago. while on holidays my pet sitter decided it would be a great idea to empty and clean my tank. three weeks later i still can't manage to get the water parameters correct. The nitrites were way pass what the test kit would read so 5.0 ppm plus. so i have been doing 50% water changes every day for the last three weeks and I'm using sachem prime water conditioner. i know the pwc are stressful but the nitrites are extremly high and more dangerous. the readings tonight are ( using the api master test kit) before the 50% pwc.

ammonia- 0.25 ppm
nitrite - 5.0 ppm
nitrate- 5.0 ppm
high range ph- 7.4
ph - 7.6
temp- 27 deg
20 gal tank
aqua 20-40 filter
fish- 1 blue dwarf gourami, brittleness pelco, and 3 mollies!

i read so many fish in cycle forums but most people seem to have more problems with ammonia. do these numbers add up for a "fish in cycle" which I'm guessing is exactly what I'm doing now that the tank has been wipe clean of any beneficial bacteria. does prime affect the reading if i test it after words? some people are saying it don't and others are saying it do for 24 hours. should i just continue the 50% pwc with prime????? a fishless cycle was so much easier and less stressful on me and the fish!!!!!!!!
 
Last edited:
I'm not aware of Prime affecting test readings.
Yes, continue with water changes + Prime.


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice
 
I've tested before a water change and 12hrs later with the numbers making sense. My water conditioner is seachem safe/prime. I haven't noticed it causing a problem reading.

You could try that test and see what you get.
 
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