Cycling with Prime

My tanks are currently cycling and the parameters are:
Ammonia 0.0
Nitrite 5.0
Nitrate 20

I have read that Prime detoxifies Nitrite and Nitrate and adds slime coat to the water column. I was wondering is this beneficial while cycling? I also was wondering if it will stall my cycle or help it? I am getting impatient and want to add a fish or two to my QT, but I am not going to do it until my tanks are full cycled. It would be nice if Prime would help speed up the cycle process but I do not know anything about this chemical.

 

Nope, don't use it while cycling. What you're trying to do is culture two types of bacteria, one that feeds on NH3, the other will feed on NO2. The species that handles NO2 grows more slowly than the species that handles NH3, which is why you can stall your cycle if you add too much NH3 to the tank, or remove the necessary food for the bacteria by chemical filtration.

As for NO3, live plants, and an anaerobic bacteria which colonizes the deeper parts of your LR as well as your substrate handle this, as do water changes. Your tank is really too young to have much in the way of this type of bacteria, but we use live macro algae to help handle it.

HTH

 

I am not worried about the Nitrates as of now. So should I quit ghost feeding my tank until the nitrites drop to zero? They have been 5.0 for 6 days now, or just keep doing what I am doing?

 

I'd let them drop a bit, personally.

 

Cool, thank you. How long do you think that it will be before these levels drop?

 

That's impossible to say...I could make a WAG if it were my tank tho. By that, I mean that I know how I set a given tank up, what I used, how much, etc. plus a lot of experience setting up numerous tanks. The NO2 will go to zero at some point, but the NO3 will not...that's a water change thing. How long has it been cycling?

While your tank is in the "home stretch", so to speak, now's the time to be researching the fish/critters you want to keep. In between, you can watch for your first hitchhikers to appear...cool stuff.

You're close...be patient and don't push it. It would suck to log on and see you with a "HELP!!!" thread.

 

I am waiting until the the NO2 gets to zero before my water change. The tanks have been cycling for 5 weeks now. I know it can take 2 months, but I was anticipating the cycle to be done by now. I didn't have any real reason to believe this, just wishful thinking.

I have been looking into the inhabitants I want. Over the last 2 days I am watching what I think is to be the diatom bloom. I have a bunch of brown stuff forming on the rocks. Kind of exciting to see it in my tank, lol.

I don't think I will have any hitchhikers since all my sand and rock was dry dead rock. But as soon as I do my first water change, I am ordering a CuC for my DT, and going to pick out 2 fish for my QT tank.

I am also hoping I don't have to post in the HELP section tool.

Thank you Greg you have been extremely helpful.

 

Don't go crazy with your CUC yet. Your tank is too young to support much of one at this time, and you really don't want to over-buy and have the CUC die back to what the tank can support, it's a waste of money and critters.

I'd add a few "basic" CUC critters and see what your tank "needs" and which critters do well for you. Then you can adjust as your tank matures.

As a start, I'd go with:

Snails:

Nerite (the greyish/tannish one with black markings are best): Good for film algae. Start with a half dozen or so.

Astrea: Good for green and brown fim algae, will pick at filamentous algae if it's short. These snails sometimes have trouble righting themselves, esp. at first, so you may need to flip one every so often. Start with 6.

Trochus: Eat a variety of algae from filamentous to film, and has been reported to have a special adoration for diatoms. They can be found cleaning any surface of your tank, but will be frequently seen on the glass. They provide a similar function as the large turbo snail without the size, and therefore, are an excellent addition to your basic cleanup crew. 1 per 2-3 gals.

Ceriths: Eat film algae and diatoms and it has been said that they will eat cyano. They will graze on detritus but cannot consume filamentous varieties of algae. They can be seen both cleaning panels and cruising over any structure in your tank. They tend to be more active at night and help aerate the substrate when they burrow into the sand. Start off with a dozen for most tanks.

Nassarius: Obligate scavengers on meaty foods….. dropped foods…… dead/dying….. they are with the program. But a barebottom tank won’t cut it with these guys…… they like a nice sandbed. You generally won’t see them until you feed the tank. Then they’ll be popping up from the substrate like a jack in the box. This snail is often used to replace hermit crabs, as they are safe with your other snails. 1 per 5 gals or so.

I'd start there...

Steer clear of Margarita snails, as they're a temperate species that won't last long in tropical tanks.

I'd also hold fire on Turbo snails...most get large, are clumsy, and are really best if you develop a hair algae issue. However, if you can find the smaller, orange Caribbean snails (Turbo castanea), I'd add a few.

If you want hermits, I'd stick with scarlet reef hermits (Paguristes cadenati), as they are the least likely to prey on your snails (hermits love snail meat, it's not a shell thing), at the rate of 1 per 10 gals.

HTH

 

Hey bro my Nitrites sat a 5.0+ ppm for 4 months. Have fun with that. Call it anecdotal but when I started ghost feeding a tiny bit of flake food each night my cycle finished off.

 

I was ghost feeding a bunch up until yesterday. I didn't use just one or two pinches, lol. If the nitrites don't start to go down within 2 weeks then, I am going to buy some nitrifying bacteria in a bottle.