I added my BIO-Spira a night or two ago and I've been doing tests on the water... I'm getting a reading for ammonia (a spike, at about .25-.50) I'm also getting a reading for NitrAtes... Is that possible?

So, the last time I checked my NitrItes, they were 0, had an ammonia spike and a small reading of NitrAtes.

I just looked at the product information on the marineland website that was posted in the other thread and it says spomething about it being normal to get some readings of Ammonia and NitrAte in the first few days of using.

I can't explain the chemistry of it, by I do know that a lot of biological supplements cause small nitrAte readings when first used in an uncycled tank. This Bio-Spira stuff contains 3 strains of nitrifying bacteria so I suppose it's normal, you'll probably start getting a NitrIte reading very soon if it's kick-started properly. Maybe someone else can explain it better

Yes - it is entirely possible. BioSpira is a semi-dormant slurry of the beneficial bacteria - both Nitrosonomas and Nitrobacter - that are responsible for your nitrogen cycle. If you add enough and do not change out the water, the BioSpira that is floating in the tank's water can and will process ammonia into a final product of nitrate.

It does take a while for the bacteria to settle and attach to your media, however. It also takes a while for the colonies to build and solidify. The begining cycle that you have is a very young, tenuous cycle that needs to be pampered and watched carefully to develop into something that can solidly support your fish.

Okay, great, thanks!!

Is it okay if I do tiny water changes as long as I add more BIO-Spira in the tank when done?

Remember that every time you do a water change, you will be pouring BioSpira down the drain. Each day that goes by means that more of the beneficial bacteria has attached to your biomedia - the better the media platform and the circulation, the better/quicker the attachment. If your tank is cycling - and the ammonia/nitrites need to be controled, tiny water changes may not do the trick. If the tiny water changes do not really do much, they are not worth much. Better to give the BioSpira as long as you can, controlling the ammonia/nitrite with Prime (or equivilant), then, when necessary, doing a large water change and adding more BioSpira to the tank.

BioSpira is an expensive, but very quick way to cycle a tank.