Cycling Chemical

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Sberk

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Dec 22, 2009
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OOPS! Sorry for the double post.

I picked up a 3 pack of starter chemicals and one is called "Nutrafin Cycle" that apparently creates benaficial bacteria in 3 days rather than waiting for the tank to cycle for weeks. Meaning you can add fish after only 3 days.

NUTRAFIN

Has anybody used this or heard anything about it?
 
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I have heard that it doesn't work. I have used a product called Bio-Zyme though, and my tank was cycled in a week.
 
I tried a few of those cycle-starter type products in the early days.

You may as well give them a try, but in my opinion only, they are a waste of time and money (mainly money). Bacteria need oxygenated non-stagnant water to survive. Bottle solutions just don't provide the necessaties of life they need.

Better off getting some gravel from an established tank. It will already have bacteria on it and should cut the cycle time dramatically. Otherwise, you just can't rush mother nature's processes (again, my opinion only).

But I totally stand corrected if I see another post in three days with ammonia, nitrite and nitrate reading that prove you have a cycled tank. There is no harm in trying now that you have them already.
 
You may as well give them a try, but in my opinion only, they are a waste of time and money (mainly money). Bacteria need oxygenated non-stagnant water to survive. Bottle solutions just don't provide the necessaties of life they need.
most isnt because of the o2 its more about the lifecycle. for example BioSpira the only cycle product i know to really do what it claimed worked wonders if it was kept refrigerated the whole time. when it wasnt then it would be it or miss. since there was real no way to tell how it was kept. they rebranded it under SafeStart i dont know if it works or not now.

the guy who invented it left the company and now has his own product. out of any of the ones out if i were to trust one it would be his. again never used it so i cant really stand behind it.
One & Only Nitrifying Bacteria

Better off getting some gravel from an established tank. It will already have bacteria on it and should cut the cycle time dramatically.
in the end this is by far the best and cheaper idea. just make sure you are taking from a healthy tank.
 
I tried One & Only this week when I started up my tank and it worked as advertised. I tried one of the others once before and it didn't do anything that I could tell.
 
I used bioshpere and added my fish the day I added water. It worked for me. I have never had any ammonia, nitrates, or nitrites. Always zero. I don't know if its right or wrong. I know most people on this site will say cycle your tank the right way and then it is right. I guess the debate should be is the new tech working as advertised. If you are not in a hurry, I would fishless cycle.
 
"Cycle" never worked for me ... also not read any success story with cycle either.

But if you have it, you may as well try it. There is no harm. <But seeding from an establish tank is still the best way.>
 
I used bioshpere and added my fish the day I added water. It worked for me. I have never had any ammonia, nitrates, or nitrites. Always zero. I don't know if its right or wrong. I know most people on this site will say cycle your tank the right way and then it is right. I guess the debate should be is the new tech working as advertised. If you are not in a hurry, I would fishless cycle.

Something isn't right... you should have nitrates. What are you using to test your water? I highly doubt your tank was cycled the same day you added water and the product. IMO.
 
Is your tank heavily planted? Just fish waste and uneaten food will create enough to show up on a test. My tap water even contains nitrates, ~10ppm actually (seems to vary throughout the year). Just curious more than anything.
 
It is sw. It is the tank in my images. I have 2 clown fish and one shrimp. Lots of coral. Very low bioload. My parameters have always been zero. I had them test at lfs and they came up with same thing. The tank is over a year now and doing well. Since I used the bacteria instead of cycling do you think I am heading for trouble? I have been concerned since I here so much about cycling on this site. Seems to me that by now, everything should be worked out.
 
Well I'm not a saltwater guy but I believe the cycle still goes through the same stages. Did you by chance use live rock or sand? That speeds the cycle up from what I've read on here and in magazines.
 
I used both LS and LR. Does the additve rapidly cycle the tank or just add bacteria generated after a cycle?
 
the live rock and sand is why your tank is cycled... I have to think about the nitrogen cycle and how the bacteria lives off of ammonia which converts it to nitrites, then nitrates. It also has to have oxygen to live. How can "bacteria" in a bottle do that with no source of ammonia or oxygen? Without adding some sort of chemical that would basically "freeze" the bacteria until it is poured in to the tank, it is just not possible in my reasoning. Then again, who knows? I tried it once with no success, never will again. As long as i have a tank set up and running, ill be able to instantly cycle new tanks, so i have no need to use it anyways.
 
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