When to stop the additives

[KennyAr]

I set up a 65G freshwater tank recently. It's been 2 months now, and I think that it's cycled. I don't know how to be sure though. I am still adding Seachem Prime daily, and Python Bio-Support on a weekly basis. My question is, when and how should I stop adding them.

 

[Aiken Drum]

Seachem prime is a water conditioner. You need to add that every time you do water change. It has a secondary property that is detoxifies ammonia for a short period of time and can help keep water safe while you are cycling. But it shouldn't be used instead of water changes. Change water to keep your parameters at non toxic levels while your aquarium is cycling. If that's daily, then change water daily. If it's weekly, then change water weekly. But you need to use a water conditioner every time you do a water change, and using prime as your water conditioner gives you a bit of a safety net.

Python bio-support is a product that claims to seed the microbial colony that cycles the aquarium. In reality it is probably doing nothing. Your aquarium will cycle over time whether you add these products or not. It might speed things up a bit, but most of the time all they do is part you from your money. They sell these products because people will buy them, not because they actually do what it says on the packaging. If this product actually did what it says, everyone would be buying it, it would be the most well known aquarium product on the market. I had to look it up on the Internet because I'd never heard of it. There are loads of these products and most do nothing at all.

An aquarium is cycled when you have grown enough microbes in your filtration to consume all the ammonia and nitrite your fish produce. You know if this is the case by testing the water for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. If you are cycled you will see ammonia and nitrite at zero, and your nitrate should steadily rise day after da, until you change some water and bring it down again.

It typically takes a couple of months to cycle a tank, but the only way to know is to test your water.

Do you know your water parameters?

 

[KennyAr]

Seachem prime is a water conditioner. You need to add that every time you do water change. It has a secondary property that is detoxifies ammonia for a short period of time and can help keep water safe while you are cycling. But it shouldn't be used instead of water changes. Change water to keep your parameters at non toxic levels while your aquarium is cycling. If that's daily, then change water daily. If it's weekly, then change water weekly. But you need to use a water conditioner every time you do a water change, and using prime as your water conditioner gives you a bit of a safety net.

Python bio-support is a product that claims to seed the microbial colony that cycles the aquarium. In reality it is probably doing nothing. Your aquarium will cycle over time whether you add these products or not. It might speed things up a bit, but most of the time all they do is part you from your money. They sell these products because people will buy them, not because they actually do what it says on the packaging. If this product actually did what it says, everyone would be buying it, it would be the most well known aquarium product on the market. I had to look it up on the Internet because I'd never heard of it. There are loads of these products and most do nothing at all.

An aquarium is cycled when you have grown enough microbes in your filtration to consume all the ammonia and nitrite your fish produce. You know if this is the case by testing the water for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. If you are cycled you will see ammonia and nitrite at zero, and your nitrate should steadily rise day after da, until you change some water and bring it down again.

It typically takes a couple of months to cycle a tank, but the only way to know is to test your water.

Do you know your water parameters?

Thanks very much.
I use Laguna Water Prep for Chlorine removal after each water change. Seachem Prime is mainly for detoxification. I have a Master kit. However whenever I test the water, everything is zero, possibly due to the aquarium plants. Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate are all at level zero, I use mostly testing strips for nitrate though. My fish are healthy, that's why I dare not withdraw the regular dosing of Prime and Bio-Support. Perhaps I should use the Master kit to test Nitrate more accurately to see if there is a level change.

PH is around 7.2, and it's 7.5 right after a 40% or up water change. I have a thick layer of plant soil in my tank. Guess that helps stablizing the PH. I never know the significance of other parameters such KH and so on.

 

[Aiken Drum]

You don't need to use 2 different water conditioners. Whichever is the cheapest per water change stick with that. Use up what you have bought, but going forward just use the cheapest per water change.

If your ammonia and nitrite is zero, then you are cycled enough for the fish you currently have. If you don't plan on adding more fish, great you are done. Just get into a regular water change routine. If you are planning on adding more fish it's safe to do add a few more, continue with your fish in cycle, and continue to monitor water quality.

I don't trust your nitrate test. You arent anywhere near planted enough for them to be consuming all the nitrate unless you are very lightly stocked with fish. Use a reliable test kit (the liquid test) and make sure you are using it correctly. Really shake the heck out of bottle #2, like twist the bottle, bang it on the counter. If you still see zero, get a 2nd opinion and take a water sample to the aquarium store. If they confirm zero, that's great for your fish, but bad for the plants as they need some nitrate.

 

[KennyAr]

You don't need to use 2 different water conditioners. Whichever is the cheapest per water change stick with that. Use up what you have bought, but going forward just use the cheapest per water change.

If your ammonia and nitrite is zero, then you are cycled enough for the fish you currently have. If you don't plan on adding more fish, great you are done. Just get into a regular water change routine. If you are planning on adding more fish it's safe to do add a few more, continue with your fish in cycle, and continue to monitor water quality.

I don't trust your nitrate test. You arent anywhere near planted enough for them to be consuming all the nitrate unless you are very lightly stocked with fish. Use a reliable test kit (the liquid test) and make sure you are using it correctly. Really shake the heck out of bottle #2, like twist the bottle, bang it on the counter. If you still see zero, get a 2nd opinion and take a water sample to the aquarium store. If they confirm zero, that's great for your fish, but bad for the plants as they need some nitrate.

Got that. Thanks so much.