Recent content by bsud

Ok so I started up my tank. I used prime per instructions to dechlorinate tap water. Now I checked tap water ammonia it reads .50 ok before adding the dr Tim's ammonia I checked tank just to see what I'm starting with. The funny part is here where it reads 2.0 and I've not added any ammonia. Is...

Ok so today i did a big water change and got my ammonia level down to around 1 maybe 2ppm kinda hard to tell but its no more than 2 for sure. Now im wondering what i should do. Should this get my cycle back started? Im thinking my problem may have been that i overdosed way too much ammonia cause...

yes Ph is 7.6 Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

Thank you! Thats probaly what i will end up doing cause this just isnt making any sense Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

Ok let me ask if i do a fish in will i have to tear it down and start over or just put fish in there and continue to use prime?

I also use prime as my tap water conditioner Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

Tap has .25 ammonia and 0 nitrates. Should i just keep doing water changes until i get ammonia down to 0ppm and the consider it cycled? Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

correct no drop in ammonia ive seen no rise at all in nitrites and my nitrates are reading between 40-80. Im using the api master kit. The only thing different I did was add a bottle of Safe start to see if it would kickstart the bacteria but that was done in the early part of cycling

It has been right at 4 weeks now since i first started. Ive been checking ammonia and nitrites daily with no change what so ever. 4ppm ammonia and 0 nitrites. I tested nitrates today and they look to be about 40 or 80ppm hard to tell with those two colors. I am just puzzeled as to after all this...

OK thanks! I got another bottle of safe start today and dumped it in. So now it is just plant my tank and sit back test everyday and watch for the ammonia to drop. :-) Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

Also I want to ask, I was gonna get some live plants this weekend. Would that help the cycle as well if I go ahead and plant them?

OK thanks! So that means even if I see nitrates first I will still see the nitrites and then the ammonia will start dropping and once it hits .25 or less then I just dose ammonia back up to around 1ppm?

OK here is where I'm at, I did one more big WC and I now have my ammonia down to 1.5-2ppm. Now should I just. put a bottle of bacteria starter in after a day or two and then just wait and test everyday for nitrites to show up? Im not sure I can get any media. So I need something to kick start...

Oh I'm not looking for instantly cycled cause I know that's not gonna happen, I just won't to see results in order and not like I'm seeing now where I had nitrates before nitrites and never seeing the ammonia level going down.

Yes it helps, Also once I get the ammonia down a little lower would it be safe to dump a bottle of TSS in it again to kick start bacteria in case the other bottle I first put in was killed off?