more newbie fishy cycling

I really appreciate all of the advice.:)
Without this forum, I would be in a lot of trouble(since the LFS hasn't really given out any nuggets of wisdom)
I decided to test water from my fridge's water dispenser for ammonia- to see if the filter on the fridge would change anything-and sure enough, I tested it, and it was at 0ppm! I guess I will be getting a filter setup for my house.
I tested the water from the tank this morning, and the ammonia level was at .25ppm.:clap: I know it's not great, but it's better than 1ppm!
 
Please don't be annoyed...

I have a few more questions about cycling(I have read all of the "stickies" for the newbie section)
1) I have read on the back of the Prime bottle that I can safely double dose the aquarium to lower the ammonia level, but in an emergency i can use up to 5x the dose in an emergency- I was wondering if I need to continue to double dose or quadruple dose just to get the ammonia level down(I am still at .25ppm) or would that harm the fish?
2)When does the carbon filter need to be replaced?The box said monthly, but the previous owner of this setup said that he only rinsed it out every couple of weeks.What exactly does it filter out?(I have 2 Aquaclear 300 with carbon media,some charcoal-looking rock and foam filters)
 
Im new here on this forum but from what Ive been reading, it is not a good idea to rinse your filters with tap water. The chlorine in it will kill the good bacteria you are trying to grow. What you can do is hand clean it in the water that you remove from your tank during routine water changes. Once a week would probably be OK.
 
Carbon is not *needed*, though people say it does help odor and clarity. Others say they get the same results without. Either way, replacing it with biological filtration and mechanical filtration and soaking in old tank water when the pores get clogged is more cost efficient.
 
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