I need advice on using prime I have to go out of town for almost 3 weeks emergency trip

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I have a qt tank setup with copper right now and there is a lot of fish in there it’s been fine so far I’ve been dosing prime every day but I’m gonna be gone and I’m worried about ammonia spikes. It has biological filtration as well I just use prime to help even things out. Could I put prime in the auto top off water as a way to dose the tank to keep the ammonia levels down?

Prime may be helpful to have if the person watching your fish needs to do an emergency water change (Prime does work as a dechlorinator), but beyond that is useless. Even if it worked, you'd still likely need water changes in your situation as the proclaimed "ammonia binding" only lasts about 24 hrs according to the label.

 

[jmoney7]

So...
How many fish in how big a QT?
Are you testing for copper?
Should test all the time when running a QT I'd imagine.
You have to maintain a therapeutic level of copper for a specified time or all is for naught. Gotta test so you know.
If you're worried about ammonia then probably not enough biological filtration?
Is anyone watching them for 3 weeks?
I don't leave my fish unattended relatively EVER. Just me.
Prime does nothing as far as I know.
I'd love to give you a good answer but your post is pretty vague and I don't have much to go off of sorry.

I haven’t had an ammonia spike since the week I put them in it’s been running for 3 weeks. And I tested everyday copper stays at the same level for the entirety of those 3 weeks. I was just concerned ab an ammonia outbreak seeing I will be gone for so long and I had been dosing prime but everyone’s saying it’s not effective. So I assume my biological filtration built up after the first ammonia spike. So I’m not really concerned about that anymore but I don’t see a reason that the copper would drop and if it does it won’t rise back up so I will know if it got below therapeutic level when I got back.

 

[00W]

I haven’t had an ammonia spike since the week I put them in it’s been running for 3 weeks. And I tested everyday copper stays at the same level for the entirety of those 3 weeks. I was just concerned ab an ammonia outbreak seeing I will be gone for so long and I had been dosing prime but everyone’s saying it’s not effective. So I assume my biological filtration built up after the first ammonia spike. So I’m not really concerned about that anymore but I don’t see a reason that the copper would drop and if it does it won’t rise back up so I will know if it got below therapeutic level when I got back.

That all sounds fine but copper can't go below therapeutic level or you may have to start over, as was mentioned earlier.
I would just suggest a babysitter while you are gone, someone competent that you can communicate daily with.
I take the lives of my fish very seriously so it would be nice to have someone to oversee if you know what I mean.

 

[jmoney7]

That all sounds fine but copper can't go below therapeutic level or you may have to start over, as was mentioned earlier.
I would just suggest a babysitter while you are gone, someone competent that you can communicate daily with.
I take the lives of my fish very seriously so it would be nice to have someone to oversee if you know what I mean.

Yeah I just don’t have anyone to do that I’m a college student and I don’t have friends that could watch after it and I don’t know anyone in my area that knows how to look after it that I would trust going in and out of my apartment.

 

[00W]

Yeah I just don’t have anyone to do that I’m a college student and I don’t have friends that could watch after it and I don’t know anyone in my area that knows how to look after it that I would trust going in and out of my apartment.

Bummer.

 

[MnFish1]

Bummer.

Curious - do you have an LFS that could help?

 

[00W]

Curious - do you have an LFS that could help?

That's a very good idea.
Local fish club?
Often times Facebook has local reef clubs, even in my area.
Never know until you look/ask.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I haven’t had an ammonia spike since the week I put them in it’s been running for 3 weeks. And I tested everyday copper stays at the same level for the entirety of those 3 weeks. I was just concerned ab an ammonia outbreak seeing I will be gone for so long and I had been dosing prime but everyone’s saying it’s not effective. So I assume my biological filtration built up after the first ammonia spike. So I’m not really concerned about that anymore but I don’t see a reason that the copper would drop and if it does it won’t rise back up so I will know if it got below therapeutic level when I got back.

Tank size?
Number and type of fish?