Thanks for all your input! I have another question. My LFS recommended I use Seachem Prime to jumpstart the cycle, as it had stalled. It says that it neutralizes ammonia/nitrites/nitrates without removing them. This is confirmed by my test kit. My question is this. My nitrites are still sky high and my nitrate readings are fluctuating wildly. I got readings of 160ppm for 3 days after adding the Prime, then this morning the nitrates were 5ppm. After adding more Prime, it jumped up to 160 again. The nitrites remain off the scale, and, needless to say, I'm getting very frustrated with all of this. I did a 4.5 gallon water change and retested the water. .5 ammonia, off-the-chart nitrite (still) and 80ppm of nitrates. The pH is 7.6. Oh, I forgot to tell you the water had become very acidic, 6.0 or less, over the past few days, which is the main reason I did the water change. Does any of this make any sense to you? I've followed directions for fishless cycling to the letter and I've been at it for 7 weeks. It seems that I should be done by now. Any thoughts? Thanks for reading my long-winded reply!

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