# Prime, nitrite, Tetra Safestart



## WetWork (Dec 9, 2012)

Okay so after a month long fishless cycle that stalled/stopped, I am back at square one. I want to try the cycle with tetra safestart and some danios. Now I have done 2 95% water changes and I am still showing some nitrite maybe 2ppm looks like a little less though. I know Prime does not remove Nitrite but it says it detoxifies it. Am I correct in assuming that even though Nitrites are showing,it will not cause harm to the fish since its been detoxified? Hopefully that is the case so I can start the new cycle. Otherwise i will just keep changing the water until it shows zero. Thanks for any help.


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## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

No I would not do it. It helps, but not that much. What you can do is go grab some Stability and use it to quickly cycle your tank. You should be able to add fish within a couple of days. Follow the directions on the bottle. Make sure you provide a source of ammonia.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Prime can sometimes save fish from nitrite, but I wouldn't count on it. The concentration it can "detoxify" is limited. I would use Prime if you fear a nitrite spike, but I wouldn't put fish into a tank with a positive nitrite reading.


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## weedkiller (Nov 18, 2012)

its a shame you gave up on your cycle, im sure you would have had some bacteria so whatever had gone wrong could have been saved especially if you had nitrites as they come from bacteria feeding on ammonia, patience is the key that's all...
if you are starting afresh with safestart you may as well change 100% of the water, and if you've done 2 95% changes to be honest you shouldn't be seeing nitrites at 2ppm unless your nitrites was seriously off the chart, that would probably be caused by not cutting back on the ammonia once your nitrites spiked which in turn meant you was probably nearly cycled, if you have not cleaned your filter media it may be worth having another go with a fishless as the bacteria will probably be present, add a bit of ammonia to get it to 2ppm an see what happens


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## WetWork (Dec 9, 2012)

I think Tetra SafeStart has a lot more success stories than Stability does. I will just continue to do water changes until the nitrite is gone.


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## WetWork (Dec 9, 2012)

Weedkiller...I will give it a shot...The cycle was going great then all of a sudden my ammonia wasnt being converted anymore. The ammonia stayed at 3ppm for 6 days, when before it was being converted in less than 24 hours.


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## WetWork (Dec 9, 2012)

Also i dosed prime, should I wait 24 hours before adding the ammonia?


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## WetWork (Dec 9, 2012)

Okay so after thinking about it, I decided to stick with fishless cycle and I think its a success...2ppm ammo converted completely in a day n half and nitrites are about the same but nitrates are rising so it looks like some of my nitrites are converting...hopefully only another week or two.


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## weedkiller (Nov 18, 2012)

if it takes 4 then be patient, it is done when its done, dont add anything except a little ammonia when its needed


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## WetWork (Dec 9, 2012)

So I added 2 ppm of ammonia last night which was completely converted by tonight. Can I wait a day or so to add more ammonia, my nitrites are still high and I don't want them to get to high if I keep adding ammo.


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## Ice (Sep 25, 2006)

I was never a big fan of any Tetra products. IMO - they're garbage until I switched to API brand for better quality.


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## snyderguy (Feb 9, 2010)

The biggest struggle with starting an aquarium is the cycle process. I've seen cycles take over 2 months, so be patient. Everything will balance out without the use of chemicals.


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## weedkiller (Nov 18, 2012)

Dose every day to keep feeding your bacteria, it needs feeding the same as your fish lol, keep at 2ppm max and be patient, drop it to 1ppm if you like but keep an eye on your ammonia, if it starts taking longer the dose back to 2ppm


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## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

IME the nitrite part sometimes stalls for a while,then it gets going and everthing one day is suddenly 0.


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## weedkiller (Nov 18, 2012)

it doesnt stall, its usually so high its hard to tell if its doing anything, as you say, one day its suddenly 0, you may see a slight drop gradually


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## WetWork (Dec 9, 2012)

My nitrites are definitely getting lower now. Instead of turning purple as soon as the drops go in, it actually stays light blue for 1 minute then turns purple. My ammonia is being converted so quick its hard to keep up with. I added a little of 1 ppm last night and this morning it was gone. Glad I stuck with it.


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## weedkiller (Nov 18, 2012)

cool, couple more days and you probably done...
once your nitrites are 0 check your nitrates... they are more than likely off the chart, do a large water change if they are at about 80% with dechlorinated water, treat the water before you add it to the tank, and add more ammonia to take it to 1ppm and check again in 12 hours, if ammonia and nitrites 0 your ready, keep topping up the ammonia till you stock it and the ammonia and nirites must be 0 before you add the fish


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## WetWork (Dec 9, 2012)

Thanks for all the advice weedkiller.


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## weedkiller (Nov 18, 2012)

np... glad to have helped


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