That's exactly why I'm concerned about the Prime masking my test results! Thanks so much for trying to help. This is a new tank and my first aquarium other than a 2 gallon betta tank. Sorry this is so long but I want to answer your questions very precisely about how it was set up.
I do plan to add the Prime to the water before putting it in the tank when doing a water change (and I do plan on doing water changes--once the tests indicate there's a reason to do so). However, the day I set up the tank (no fish!!!), I put the Prime directly into the tank. Or to be more precise, I put the gravel in first, then the rocks, then I filled the tank halfway with tap water, then I added a full 55-gallon dose of Prime and stirred it up, then I put in the fake plants, then I filled it up the rest of the way with water, then I put a second full dose of Prime and stirred it up. Why two doses of Prime? Well, it was pouring down rain that day and the LFS says our city water mgmt co. doubles the amount of ammonia and chlorine they dump in the lakes during a heavy rain; consequently, they recommend a double dose of Prime if it rains significantly during any water change. Then I set up the thermometer, filter and heater and turned everything on. I then used Mardel test strips (expiration 08/2008) to test for ammonia (it's a separate strip with reagant and test pads on the strip; you fill the little test tube up with tank water and agitate the strip in the water for 30 seconds then wait 30 seconds and read), nitrite, nitrate, total hardness, total alkalinity and pH (the rest of the tests are on a 5-in-1 strip). Ammonia tested at 1.0, nitrite zero, nitrate zero, total hardness 120 (moderately hard, same as city results), total alkalinity 80, and pH 6.4. I then added a third dose of Prime and re-tested for ammonia--it came back at 1.0 again. I can't remember whether I added a fourth dose of Prime or not before I remembered something about Prime altering ammonia test results with tests that use Nessler or salicylate reagents; in any event, I then bought a SeaChem Ammonia Alert thingy that hangs in the tank. (It read zero/yellow/"safe" when I put it in the tank, and it reads zero now.)
Two days later, with all systems running and operating OK (filter, thermometer, heater) I bought the fish. At the same time, the LFS provided seeding material, which was not gravel, and not filter material but liquid muck squeezed out of a display tank's filter, which I poured directly into my tank's filter. I should say that when the LFS told me not to do water changes, they knew I would be coming back in a few days with a sample of tank water for them to test. As I reported, their tests showed the barest traces of ammonia and nitrate but no nitrite. This didn't make sense to me knowing nitrates generally show up after ammonia and nitrites spike, but OK, they're the experts; and except for the "traces" of ammonia and nitrate they found last week (and they made a point of saying how minuscule they were), the LFS test results on my tank water were the same as mine.
I've been testing the water all week, every day, and getting the same results I got on day 1. The Ammonia Alert in the tank remains bright yellow. I'll be going back to the LFS with another sample of water tomorrow...wait, they're open late tonight! I might as well go after dinner. Will report back.
