Are these water parameters normal 5 days after bio-spira?

ghart999 said:

Added bio-spira to my new tank 5 days ago. It is 65 gallons. The water in the tank was 3 days out of the tap with Prime added to it. I concurrently added 7 zebra danios and 9 glolite tetras and began feeding them the next day.

My water parameters after 24 hours were:

.5ppm ammonia
0 nitrites
2-3 nitrates

These numbers have more or less been the same for the past 5 days. Still have about .5 ammonia, 0 nitrites and about 5 nitrates.

No water changes have been done.

Does this seem normal? I would've thought I would have no ammonia by now and more nitrates.

I always here that Prime can give false positives on ammonia readings. So could I have zero bad ammonia at this point?

Should I do a water change at this point or wait longer for the good bacteria to move out of the water stream and attach to the filter media? The consensus seems to be don't do a PWC for 10 days after adding bio-spira unless ammonia levels are high.

Thanks all.

Click to expand...

Hi, yea, i've had real trouble with bio-spira. i just set up a 30 gal and the biospira did crap, especially with the ammonia levels. I know it is supposed to work though if you get a good batch, i was not so lucky.

As for ammonia levels, prime can effect them in 2 different ways. First, if you are using one of the liquid ammonia tests that uses 1 regeant (liquid), then you will get false reading because the high ph from the test will break down the prime and release ammonia. If you are using one of the 2 regeant liquid tests, then you have the issue of reading total ammonia vs. free ammonia. Free ammonia is toxic. Ionized ammonia occurs when you add prime, it interacts with the free ammonia, ionizing it, and making it less harmful to your fish. So, you may have mostly ionized ammonia at this point, and not much of the harmful free ammonia but cant tell with the normal tests because they are reading the TOTAL.

How do you test for only Free Ammonia? Well, you can do as I did (thanks to the wonderful members here who have taught me well) and purchase an "Ammonia Alert" device that goes in your tank and measures free ammonia levels.

But eventually, you should have no ammonia levels present at all (free or total) so long as you are using a 2 regeant test (API Master Test for example). Wont matter if you are using prime or not.

THIS IS WHY I DONT TRUST BIOSPIRA!!!!!! If the batch you buy is already dead, then your screwed. You just end up adding even more toxic chemicals to your fish tank(dead orginisms = amonia). No, those readings are not normal, but for the sake of my argument, they just might as well be that. The best thing to do if you want to speed the cycle process is take a couple handfulls of gravel from an established tank, put it in a cheesecloth or lady's nylon stocking, tie it off, and stick it in the corner of your new tank. after your done with the gravel, its an easy, simple and clean trip back to your freind's or lfs's tank.

you can try to call up the company and tell them you got a dud.. but your supposta add in the bio spira and then the fishes..
and hold off on the waterchanges.. otherwise you end up takeing them out..




that seems to be the big problem.. people fiddle around with the whole cycling issue as thos it were rocket science... its nature(al)...so just let it do its thing and help it along with the bio spira

ghart999 said:

Added bio-spira to my new tank 5 days ago. It is 65 gallons. The water in the tank was 3 days out of the tap with Prime added to it. I concurrently added 7 zebra danios and 9 glolite tetras and began feeding them the next day.

My water parameters after 24 hours were:

.5ppm ammonia
0 nitrites
2-3 nitrates

These numbers have more or less been the same for the past 5 days. Still have about .5 ammonia, 0 nitrites and about 5 nitrates.

No water changes have been done.

Does this seem normal? I would've thought I would have no ammonia by now and more nitrates.

I always here that Prime can give false positives on ammonia readings. So could I have zero bad ammonia at this point?

Should I do a water change at this point or wait longer for the good bacteria to move out of the water stream and attach to the filter media? The consensus seems to be don't do a PWC for 10 days after adding bio-spira unless ammonia levels are high.

Thanks all.

Click to expand...

Sounds like the Bio-Spira is working fine. I would not do a water change just yet. Keep us all posted on your water parameters.