ammonia in tank...still

Question
QUESTION: Hi Christy..It's me again.  28 gallon tank..1 mollie, 1 platy, 3 guppies, 1 rainbow.  We lost a mollie this week.  The tank has been running for 24 days now.  I know you said 6-12 weeks to cycle but I am questioning myself again.  My ammonia has been anywhere from .50 to 2.0.  I have been adding the Prime with my water changes (20%) which I did 2 last week as you directed.  I also have been adding the prime every couple of days to neutralize the ammonia.  My main question is when I add the Prime,  will it still show up that I have ammonia bc it only detoxifies it?  We lost a fish last week and I worry the others are next although they seem to be fine.  When I do the water changes, should I also vacuum?  I haven't done that yet bc I understand that I am trying to buid up my beneficial bacteria.  Whatever you can tell me would be great!! Thanks..

ANSWER: Hi Stephanie
Has the ammonia level spiked?  And is it going down now?  What about nitrites, any of those showing up yet?

Christy

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: ok...i went to petsmart and had them test everything. ammonia is .5  nitrite is also .5  nitrate is 10.  When I tested my ammonia, is was as high as 2.0 and went down to 1.0 and .5 but I feel like it has been up and down and I haven't written it down to be sure.  It has never been great.  I did add the Prime today and yesterday.  I test the water then add it.  
    If I add Prime and the ammonia levels are really coming down to zero will I still get a false positive?  or will it only register ammonia when there is ammonia or ammonia that has been detoxified?  Am I confusing you?  I hope not bc I really feel like I am lost here!  Please help..

ANSWER: Hi Stephanie
Nope, not confused :)  If the levels are coming down, and now you have nitrites present, it's cycling.  Just keep doing what you're doing, because it's working.  Ammonia will spike, then start to come down, then nitrites will show up, ammonia will go to 0, and nitrites will spike, then they'll come down, and you'll start seeing nitrates present.  When the ammonia and nitrites are at 0, and there's nitrates, it's done cycling.  

According to that website from Prime/Seachem, certain test kits will still show a "false positive".  It's converting the ammonia to a nontoxic form called ammonium, so the test kit is still picking it up as "ammonia" even though it's "ammounium".  

You said the other fish seem fine, are they still?  If so, just keep an eye on them.  Signs of nitrite poisoning are usually gasping at the surface, hanging out near the filter output area.  The Prime should also neutralize the nitrites.  You could also add a little aquarium salt if you want.  I would add 1 tablespoon per 5 US gallons.  They should be able to handle that ok.  Hold off on the gravel vacuums for now, just let the bacteria develop.  

Like I said, keep doing what you're doing, and just hang in there, it's almost done.

Christy

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I am now in a CRISIS!!! My platy has disappeared, I think he went off and died inside our ship!  The others are hanging on the bottom and they have never done this.  I am scared we'll all wake up in the morning and they'll all be dead!  I read the Prime directions and it said to add up to 5x the amount for an emergency, so I did!  My ammonia reading was just 1.0..I am going to do a water change tomm. hopefully they'll live to see it.  Is there anything else I can do in this situation?  When I do my water change, how much should I take out?  Help me please!

Answer
Hi Stephanie
Do a 25% water change.  Are the nitrites rising higher now?  If you feel more comfortable, you can start doing daily water changes, about 20-25%.  It'll prolong the cycle a bit, and I would still use the Prime daily.  Try to find the platy if you can. I'm going to be on vacation setting here for the next 2 days, but as long as the ammonia is dropping and the nitrites are starting to rise, it's actually a good sign that it's cycling on track.  Like I said, go ahead and start doing daily water changes-that's what's recommended usually, but since you're using Prime everyday, I don't think it's necessary.  But it's no problem if you do decide to do that.

Christy