Yes...both the ammonia and nitrite came up and then both dropped to 0 and now they are back up again. Would it be because I added more nitrifying bacteria?
the copper you are using is chelated copper and most likely consumed by the sand....
if you have any sign of ammonia or nitrite this is not a good combination with copper..what ever you do do NOT use PRIME..it will make the copper 10X strength that will kill your fish.
most hobbyists used Cupramine..this is safe copper that can be used with just about any fish, even delicate ones like mandarins and gobies.
Did you say you have a hob filter? That should provide some flow and oxygen. With your levels going like that it seems like it is going through another cycle. Do you have any rock from your DT you could part with and move over? That may help get things under control. Do a huge water change and clean it out that way, no chemicals.
As others have said, get a test kit for the copper you are using. Cupramine and a salifert copper test kit work great for me. Cuprisorb if you like to soak up the copper after treatment. Make sure you have stable levels, then start treatment again.
I do have a hob but I didn't know if it was creating enough flow because it's small...sorry I forgot to include that earlier. And I will get the different copper treatment and test kit. I'm going to remove the sand and test and get everything under control this weekend
If you are treating with copper then no. I understood you to be pausing the treatment till parameters were in line. If that is true then the carbon will help pull copper out and clear the tank. Then your water changes to bring everything else in line with possible bacteria added.
For what its worth, I use seachm stability in my QT to help get it going every time. I haven't lost a fish doing it this way yet, no stability then yeah I lost fish. I keep my fish in a QT/ observation tank. You can run seeded rock or whatever you want. Any signs of infection will show, but then they can be treated after everything is removed. This gives you plenty of time to get your filter pads loaded with biological filtration from your DT. Remember that the count down on whatever disease begins when the LAST spot disappears, not when treatment begins.
fishroomlady. pay attention to the section titled, Don't use copper unless...the exceptions are clownfish and tangs since they carry two of the most prevalent parasites.
good article. Even that is the writer's opinion though in terms of treating the tangs. I also read where he says treat the fish if they have the infection.