i have recently been using seachem prime as a dechlorinator for my weekly waterchanges ....instead of the aquaplus by hagen ...only because it goes 5 times as far as the hagen stuff that i have always used .......one evening i started thinking ..if the seachem prime detoxifies AMMONIA AND NITRITE ...surely using this on a weekly basis will surely deprive my biofilter of its much needed food supply ???????? causing my ammo and nitrite colonys to diminsh.!!!!!!!!! so the tests started ....and hey presto USING SEACHEM PRIME OVER A PERIOD OF 4-6 WEEKS WEEKLY KILLS YOUR BIOFILTER COMPLETLY !!!!!!!! as the ammo and nitrite are detoxified by the prime the colonys die as their food supply is removed !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Really, where did you obtain this information?

from my own discovery ....on my own tank with my own experience ....it actually happned to me boss !!!!!! i tested all the way through untill my bio filter had completely vanished ..only when i started using the hagen aquaplus again was i aware of it as the liquid test kit (api) was not detecting the ammo and nitrite as the prime had turned them into other chemicals that the test kits wont detect and the biofilter wont survive on !!!!!!!

It was my understanding that prime and also Ammo-lock behaved in a similar way by not actually removing ammonia, but by detoxifying it. The beneficial bacteria treat it exactly the same as if it were toxic. And an important thing to remember is your ammonia test will still register the ammonia. Your ammonia is still present, it's just not toxic

That is how I have always understood how these products work.

I've used prime for long time I can't say I've ever had a problem. Whenever I check my ammonia or nitrite, it is zero, and I always have a nitrate reading.

yes boss you are correct ....but the ammonia becomes the less toxic amonium ...the colony cant survive on low to zero levels of ammonium and so decrease their size ..resulting in a diminished colony my levels were zero with the test kits too ...which in a way is sort of correct as there is no ammonia and nitrate present in the water as the prime has removed/detoxified it it has definately without a doubt 1000% killed /diminished my biofilter boss ...i am now running a new test as we speak with 2x fluval 305 filters on 2x 2ft tanks with 10 convicts in each but one with prime weekly and one with aquaplus weekly ..just to be able to draw a line under it boss but i am certain now ....i do remember you saying something went wrong with your tank a few weeks ago in the post where you said you were getting rid of your O,s ........was it bio problems please boss ??????? also i would love for anyone reading this thread to post problems with prime and their biofilter/or NO problems with prime and biofilter so i can gather as much info as possible

Prime works by removing chlorine from the water and then binds with ammonia until it can be consumed by your biological filtration (chloramine minus chlorine = ammonia). The bond is not reversible and ammonia is still available for your bacteria to consume. Prime will not halt your cycling process.
I am going to assume that you were using a liquid based reagent test kit (Nessler based, silica). Any type of reducing agent or ammonia binder (dechlorinators, etc) will give you a false positive. You can avoid this by using our Multitest Ammonia kit (not affected by reducing agents) or you can wait to test, Prime dissipates from your system within 24 hours.

gotcha boss .........

To check is very easy. Start you convicts in 2 uncylced tanks. Run one with prime and one with a dechlorinator. Do this until the tank without prime has cycled. Then stop using prime, and test both tanks after a few days or a week. If the tank with prime is not cycled (ammonia present) then you are right and prime doesnt help in cycling new tanks, if it is cycled then prime works. Good luck and let us know how you get on.

I have never used prime but i hear that it convert ammonia into a less toxic version. The bacteria that live on ammonia also can live on the less toxic version

amonium ............you mean ..as i say delboy ..i already have 2x identical tanks and filters already running butty ....and a complete cycle from start to finnish is 40 days from your first trace ammonia reading ....but thanks for the input and be sure i will let us all know the results ....thanks again for the input