Prime?

[Alex33]

Will prime give me a false reading, saying my amonia levels are high? I got the API liquid test. And how long till I get a accurate reading?

 

[emerald76]

No it will not give a false reading

 

[Nimo]

You will get an accurate reading as soon as you test, Prime nutralizes the ammonia so that it is not toxic it will not take you to a zero reading. Water changes and a good biological filter is what gets rid of the ammonia. If you are having ammonia problems 20%-30% water changes and use Prime to neutralize the remaining ammonia daily until you get a zero reading.

 

[Alex33]

Thanks , my no2 and no3 are at 0 ph7 but my amonia was at 1.0 this morning I did a pwc and used prime my amonia was never that high and I was hoping it was the prime? So should I do another pwc when I get home? I

 

[Nimo]

That's what I would do. How often are you doing water changes? I have different tanks and all are on different schedules some get changes twice a week and others once a week. My african cichlid tank some times gets three 20% changes pr week

 

[Nimo]

also how old is this tank? If it is new then you are cycling and that is a whole different ball game, you will battle ammonia then nitrites then nitrates.

 

[LyndaB]

Will prime give me a false reading, saying my amonia levels are high? I got the API liquid test. And how long till I get a accurate reading?

Many users have said that if you test within 24 hours after using Prime, you will get false readings.

 

[Daxhua]

Prime converts ammonia into a safe non toxic form ammonium that can be removed by the bio filter. I've read that most test kits (like the API kits) can't discern between the toxic and nontoxic form of ammonia produced after using prime.

 

[jlk]

Prime does not give 'false' readings- the API test checks the levels of both NH3 & NH4 (ammonia & ammonium) and does not distinguish between the two. Prime converts ammonia to ammonium up to 2ppm for a period of @48hrs. So, if you see a reading on the API test of 2ppm or higher, then theres some amount of toxic ammonia in the tank. If its been 2 (or more) days since doing a water change & adding Prime, then its likely you are seeing ammonia levels & not ammonium levels because the Prime effects will have worn off after 48hrs. Its worth noting that while ammonium does not have the same toxicity as ammonia, its still not the healthiest thing for fish to be swimming around in & breathing. So, stick to your water changes until the tank is cycled and there is zero ammonia.

 

[Alex33]

Yeah I will , I use prime for water conditioner because I heard its the best should I not use prime as a water conditioner and go back to tetra brand?

 

[Nimo]

I agree with jlk if you are getting a reading of ammonia it don't matter if it is the less toxic ammonium or the toxic ammonia the only way to make the water safe for your fish is to do water changes daily until you get a zero reading, then you are gonna be going thru the nitrites and still doing daily water changes until the tank is fully cycled and you get constant readings of zero ammonia zero nitrites and 20 or less of nitrates. Cycling takes time and a lot of work but once it is done it is well worth all the work put in to it.

 

[Nimo]

stick with prime, it works a lot better with out having to use extra chemicals for other things

 

[RussellC]

Yeah I will , I use prime for water conditioner because I heard its the best should I not use prime as a water conditioner and go back to tetra brand?

My opinion is that you should stick with the Prime. It makes ammonia and nitrites less toxic, and in my view that is critically important during cycling.

Once your tank is cycled (zero ammonia and nitrites, and nitrates rising), switching to Tetra should be ok -- the one caveat here: have you tested your tap water for ammonia? Sometimes tap water, depending on where you live, can contain ammonia. If it does, I would continue to use Prime even after your tank's cycle is fully established.

The reason is that the Prime will neutralize the ammonia coming from your tap water until your established biological filter has the time it needs to remove it from your tank.

Good luck!

 

[Alex33]

Thanks ! I did test my tap water and it has a little amonia in it so I'll stick with prime and continue pwc!