Tank not cycled have nitrite and ammonia

[StormySkiez]

Been doing weekly 40% water changes.

Water tested good first 2 weeks. Tryed to cycle with bio spira. 55 g Tank has been set up for a month with 2 under 2 inch gsp's. bio spira did not seem to work!

Last test results:

Nitrate 20
Nitrite .5
GH 150
Alkalinity 120
PH 7.8
ammonia .5
temp 78

Testing with strips and at pet store, test kit has been ordered and is on the way. Our last two weekly tests have been like this. Will this level nitrite and ammonia kill our fish? Advice plz. I know water changes. Is Daily 50% water changes until water specs are correct what I need to do?

Thanks in advance.

[crazedpuffer]

Yeah any sign of ammonia or nitrite could damage or kill a fish.
Does that tank have fish in it?

[StormySkiez]

Yes. 2 baby gsp's. Should I plan on doing daily water changes?

[SpockthePuffer]

Yes do lots of water changes. I'm not sure exactly how much but someone will come along soon and tell you exactly how many to do. I would at least start doing 50% because that ammonia will kill your little guys!!

[yunachin]

Have you considered Prime?

[StormySkiez]

I have been using prime since I became a member here. I just finished doing a 50% water change. Will test again tomorrow.

[Pufferpunk]

The problem with Bio-Spira is if you can't be sure it was kept refrigerated from the time it was made, to the time it goes into your tank, all you may be adding is dead bacteria. Best bet it so get it directly from Drs. Foster & Smith. They're really good about that. I have a wholesaler friend that went to his supplier & saw cases of the stuff sitting out in their warm warehouse. Another time, I was at a LFS & saw a package sitting out on their counter. I told them it had to be refrigerated & they argued with me until I showed them the directions on the back. Yhey proceded to put it into their fridge for future sale. It had been out on their counter for months!

[StormySkiez]

water tested today:

NO3-0
NO2-0
GH-150
KH-120
PH-7.2
Ammonia-.5

By the way...those expensive ammonia alerts are not showing any ammonia. The fish industry sure has a lot to offer to make you feel like you are putting your money down the drain.

Should I add amquel to the water or will that screw things up more?

Also I have heard that prime can give a false ammonia reading, is that true?

Thank you for any advice.

[beachbum]

Don't use amquel, only use Prime. They do the same thing, except amquel kills off ammonia, resulting in you starving your bacteria you want to grow that eats the ammonia.

And I don't believe Prime gives false readings. Technically, Prime is going to detoxify the ammonia, however, you are still going to see a reading for it. That may be where that rumor comes from.

Keep using prime, and do WC... This is why fully cycling a tank is beneficial before adding fish.

[Nick]

I've been waiting for someone to mention that, because as of recently, I'm pretty sure the new formulas of amquel and ammo lock actually work the way prime do now, only detoxifying, not removing it from solution. At least, thats what I have heard, and when I checked at my job, it is what is claimed in the new literature on the bottles. Perhaps they're actually improving their products. Also, those ammonia alerts can work, but they need to be at the bottom of the tank, just above the gravel or slightly sunken into it. Ammonia buildup often starts with rotting material that is in the gravel, and you will detect the stuff before a lot of the ammonia will have time to mix into the faster moving tank water system above the gravel. You also need to replace them every six weeks or so. This makes them VERY VERY expensive.