Bit odd - was he dosing any ammonia at all while doing the fish less cycle? I quickly found a link as I understand these products don't contain ammonia and nitrifying bacteria - you have to add ammonia solution or fish.
The main one I have used though is API quick start.
http://www.drtimsaquatics.com/resources/fishless-cycling
How did API quick start work for you?
I'm so skeptical of bacteria in a bottle...
How did API quick start work for you?
I'm so skeptical of bacteria in a bottle...
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Thanks for the detailed reply.
I haven't had to cycle a tank in years since I always have at the very least one tank running.
I'm sure all those products have some limited use and can cut back on cycle time but to be fair, I can't really say since I have never used them.
In most cases I read when it doesn't deliver what's expected from these products and the confusion and issues it creates among newcomers when it comes to cycling a tank.
But I'd also like to read from users how it has worked for them.
Just quickly - this was the article I had. As an example of how quick these bacteria types can bounce back.
Still to read Caliban's article I agree on the complexity. It would be interesting to study the bacteria from a new tank to one say 12 months old to see if the bacteria change at all perhaps.
Nitrite as a Stimulus for Ammonia-Starved Nitrosomonas europaea
"Sand cultures of N. europaea that had been starved for 1, 2, and 3 months in their own spent medium (i.e., in the presence of 5 mM nitrite) were decanted, and fresh mineral medium containing 5 mM ammonium was added. The ammonium-starved cells started to produce nitrite immediately (Table (Table1).1)."