Your target should be to keep ammonia + nitrite combined below 0.5ppm. If ammonia is 0ppm and nitrite 0.5ppm then do a small water change. If 0ppm ammonia and 1ppm nitrite then change 50% of the water. If 0ppm ammonia and 2ppm nitrite then do 2 x 50% water changes a few hours apart. When you say your nitrite is very high, what are you seeing?
Water changes won't screw up your cycle. Very little beneficial bacteria lives in the water, it lives on surface area like your aquarium glass, substrate, decorations, but mostly filter media. However if you dose bottled bacteria (safestart) and then do a water change you will simply be removing bacteria before it has chance to establish on surfaces. Do a water change, then add safestart. Honestly though if you have previously dosed a bottled bacteria product adding more is probably nothing more than a placebo. It wont hurt anything, might help, probably of no further benefit. If you have some left may as well use it up. If you dont mind the expense knock yourself out and buy some more.
Dont rely on prime to detoxify ammonia and nitrite. The only sure fire way to remove ammonia and nitrite during your cycle is water changes. Prime or any other ammonia/nitrite detoxifying product should only be a safety net.
IMO your priority during your cycle should be the health of your fish. Doing water changes is to benefit your fish, not establishing your cycle. If you care about the health of your 2 danios do the water changes. Some people will advocate simply leaving fish in toxic water. If they die you replace them. When they stop dying you are cycled.
Prime works within seconds. As far as i know all water conditioners work in seconds. I dose prime to the tank, enough to treat the whole tank, then start to refill immediately. Some people treat each bucket load individually. Whichever is your preference. But you dont need to wait for it to work.
Prime wont screw up your cycle. Even if it actually does detoxify ammonia and nitrite, thats all it does. It doesnt remove it. In its detoxified state it is still available as a food source for your beneficial bacteria.
As for getting contradicting advice, you will always get that. There are more than 1 way to skin a cat. On this forum i know other members will give different advice and they may well do to you as well. I have no reason to doubt that what they advise wont work, because it has done for them. Ultimately you have to find your own way and make your own decisions taking account of what you have learnt and what works for you.
Water changes won't screw up your cycle. Very little beneficial bacteria lives in the water, it lives on surface area like your aquarium glass, substrate, decorations, but mostly filter media. However if you dose bottled bacteria (safestart) and then do a water change you will simply be removing bacteria before it has chance to establish on surfaces. Do a water change, then add safestart. Honestly though if you have previously dosed a bottled bacteria product adding more is probably nothing more than a placebo. It wont hurt anything, might help, probably of no further benefit. If you have some left may as well use it up. If you dont mind the expense knock yourself out and buy some more.
Dont rely on prime to detoxify ammonia and nitrite. The only sure fire way to remove ammonia and nitrite during your cycle is water changes. Prime or any other ammonia/nitrite detoxifying product should only be a safety net.
IMO your priority during your cycle should be the health of your fish. Doing water changes is to benefit your fish, not establishing your cycle. If you care about the health of your 2 danios do the water changes. Some people will advocate simply leaving fish in toxic water. If they die you replace them. When they stop dying you are cycled.
Prime works within seconds. As far as i know all water conditioners work in seconds. I dose prime to the tank, enough to treat the whole tank, then start to refill immediately. Some people treat each bucket load individually. Whichever is your preference. But you dont need to wait for it to work.
Prime wont screw up your cycle. Even if it actually does detoxify ammonia and nitrite, thats all it does. It doesnt remove it. In its detoxified state it is still available as a food source for your beneficial bacteria.
As for getting contradicting advice, you will always get that. There are more than 1 way to skin a cat. On this forum i know other members will give different advice and they may well do to you as well. I have no reason to doubt that what they advise wont work, because it has done for them. Ultimately you have to find your own way and make your own decisions taking account of what you have learnt and what works for you.
