So your advice would be prime AND water changes or just prime? If with water changes, how often and what %? Thanks for all your help by the way!
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The PRIME website states that it will continue to work/covert for up to 48 hours so I wouldn't be doing water changes any more frequently than every 2 days providing that the ammonia level does not continue to rise in that time or the fish look effected by it's presence. So test your ammonia, use the PRIME, test the ammonia the next day and if it continues to be stable, hold off on the water change. Based on your long term plans, that tells you whether you should wait it out or continue with water changes ( other than for routine weekly maintenance after the tank finishes cycling) ever two - three days ( assuming the ammonia is still climbing.) Keep in mind that after the ammonia issue gets resolved, you will be having nitrite issues and even tho PRIME will detoxify that as well, higher dosages of PRIME needs to be used however, water changes are a better way to go. Yes, that will delay the second half of the cycling process but nitrite is more toxic to the fish than ammonia so you should handle it a little differently.
Here's another way to work this ( but is a little more work.): Once your ammonia level rises, remove the fish to another receptacle ( bucket, tank, etc) with an airstone. Depending on how large the receptacle, it should buy you about a week before there is an ammonia buildup and you need to do a water change. Monitor the ammonia level in there and change water whenever you see ammonia present. In the meantime, the ammonia in your tank is being converted into nitrites which will allow for the bacteria bed to produce the nitrobactors or nitrospiras ( whichever is growing in there
) to convert that into nitrates. Since there is no new ammonia production, the cycling process in the tank should go faster than if the fish are present. Once the nitrite level returns to 0 ( your ammonia should also read 0), do a water change and return your fish back to the tank. Once the ammonia production returns, the bacteria bed will grow fast to consume it. When I say fast, it may never even register on your test kit because the bacteria bed grows that quickly once established.
Hope this helps. As for helping you, No Problem! Glad to do it.
