Cycling Question

[geff.gardner]

Hello,

I have browsed this site for years but finally signed up as I am about to start a new 15 gallon high freshwater aquarium. It's been about 4 years since I've had a tank, but had one for years.

I have a question about cycling that I'm hoping some of you can answer or offer advice on.

I have read a lot about Tetra Safestart & see that people have mixed results. What I have read about it doesn't make me confident enough to use that while cycling with fish, but I'm admittedly a bit inpatient to do a completely fishless cycle. So I'm wondering if this will work -

I want to start a fishless cycle w/ ammonia, then after a few days, I want to add Tetra Safestart, while continuing to add ammonia and testing ammonia, nitrites & nitrate levels. If successful after a few days, I would then stop adding ammonia & add a few fish.

Does this seem like something that would work? To the best of my knowledge, it seems like a way to speed up a fishless cycle.

Thoughts/Comments?

Thanks.

 

[MABJ]

If you're impatient, one thing you can do is take media from an already cycled aquarium, as well as live sand.

That'll cycle you in a few days. The only thing is you need to have someone with an aquarium or a decent local fish store.

I can't comment on the quick starts. I know people have mixed feelings.

I did it the old fashioned way. Fish and water changes :/ I wouldn't recommend it.

 

[CherryBarb123]

Tetra SafeStart seems to be an overall good product - especially compared to others on the market. It cycled my 200L tank in 2 weeks. I used fish from the start - 2 honey gouramis and 4 cherry barbs and then went on to add a shoal of bleeding heart tetras. I had no issues, no deaths and no illness. My readings were all good. I recommend SafeStart. I know a lot of people on AA don't like it though. I would have thought your method would probably work.

Hope this helps - Just my experience of it

 

[geff.gardner]

Thanks for the advice!

 

[Ram8349]

I have used Tetra SafeStart on multiple occasions with good results. Although it can't guarantee you instant cycle, it will speed it up for sure.

 

[librarygirl]

I wouldn't count on it. I tried using it twice on two different fishless cycles and it didn't work either time for me. The product is meant to be used with fish so I'm not sure if using it with high doses of ammonia would even work anyway, not to mention that it's very difficult to keep bacteria viable in a bottle. Could you try it? Sure. But I wouldn't bank that it's going to do much. Seeded media is the best way to go but even then the cycling process will take as long as it takes, you can't rush nature.

 

[MABJ]

I wouldn't count on it. I tried using it twice on two different fishless cycles and it didn't work either time for me. The product is meant to be used with fish so I'm not sure if using it with high doses of ammonia would even work anyway, not to mention that it's very difficult to keep bacteria viable in a bottle. Could you try it? Sure. But I wouldn't bank that it's going to do much. Seeded media is the best way to go but even then the cycling process will take as long as it takes, you can't rush nature.

Just saying, if the goal of the bottle is to aid in the cycle, to help spur it along, wouldn't dosing a reasonable amount of ammonia theoretically be the same as having fish?

 

[Ram8349]

I wouldn't count on it. I tried using it twice on two different fishless cycles and it didn't work either time for me. The product is meant to be used with fish so I'm not sure if using it with high doses of ammonia would even work anyway, not to mention that it's very difficult to keep bacteria viable in a bottle. Could you try it? Sure. But I wouldn't bank that it's going to do much. Seeded media is the best way to go but even then the cycling process will take as long as it takes, you can't rush nature.

I used it for fishless cycle too. You need to dose it way before adding ammonia. Yes, it needs low dosage of ammonia at first. The bacteria hasn't colonized any surface yet the moment you dump the whole bottle into the tank.

Although I admit each time the outcome is a bit different. Once it fully cycled a 10 gallon for me on the very next day. The other time it only speed things up.

Adding a bottle rated 2x of your tank size will help.

 

[geff.gardner]

I'll update my progress & daily readings here using this method. I just started yesterday by adding pure ammonia so my first readings will be tonight.

My plan is to keep adding the pure ammonia every day until 4/21 when I'm leaving for vacation for 5 days. I'll use the shrimp in pantyhose method for that week, then on 4/25 I'll go back to adding ammonia and will also add the Safestart. If that speeds it up like I'm expecting it to, the fish will follow.

 

[geff.gardner]

So my readings have been consistent for the past 7 days as follows

High Range PH - 8.0
Ammonia - 4ppm
Nitrite - 0ppm

But today I have readings of

High Range PH - 7.4
Ammonia - 4ppm
Nitrite - 5.0 ppm

Why would my nitrites jump so high without my ammonia lowering?

 

[Ram8349]

Didn't you say you add ammonia daily? Then the nitrite can raise without the ammonia dropping because you are adding more and more of it.

 

[geff.gardner]

Didn't you say you add ammonia daily? Then the nitrite can raise without the ammonia dropping because you are adding more and more of it.

Yup, I should have clarified, I meant I would add ammonia daily when I got to the point of ammonia drops & nitrite spikes. I haven't actually added any ammonia yet other than the first time 8 days ago.

 

[librarygirl]

Did you add the safe start or something similar? That might have done it.

 

[geff.gardner]

Did you add the safe start or something similar? That might have done it.

Nope, at this point all I have added was ammonia to get to 4ppm.
I also added a very small amount of gravel (a few pieces) from a lfs' established tank to my filter, but that was 6 days ago and last night was the first time I saw any changes to nitrites so I didn't think that worked.

I just thought it was weird that my nitrites jumped so high without any changes to ammonia levels.

 

[geff.gardner]

Last night I added 12 drops of ammonia & now I have nitrates, today was the 1st time I tested for them. Maybe that little bit of gravel I got from my lfs actually helped. Test levels tonight

High Range PH - 7.4
Ammonia - 2 - 4 ppm (somewhere in the middle)
Nitrites - 5 ppm
Nitrates - 20 ppm

I added 20 more drops of ammonia after testing tonight. This is happening quickly.

 

[geff.gardner]

I tested and my PH is still dropping a bit, and my nitrates are much lower than yesterday. I tested twice to make sure. I'm assuming my reading yesterday was incorrect.

PH - 7.2
Ammonia - 2 ppm
Nitrites - 5 ppm
Nitrates - 5 ppm

I added 21 more drops of ammonia.

Would there be any reason for my nitrates to drop like that? Could it have something to do w/ my PH dropping?

 

[geff.gardner]

So now my PH seems to be dropping significantly.


PH - 6.6 - 6.8
Ammonia - 0 ppm
Nitrites - 5 ppm +
Nitrates - 5 ppm
Temperature - 86

So now my ammonia is down to 0 within 24 hours, my nitrites are off the chart, but nitrates are still at 5. I'm concerned about my PH dropping so much.

I added 42 more drops of ammonia.

Should I do a pwc? I'm leaving for vacation in 2 days & was planning on doing the shrimp in pantyhose method while I'm gone for 5 days.

 

[geff.gardner]

Can anyone let me know why my PH would be dropping so dramatically over 2 days & if I need to do a pwc?

 

[MABJ]

I can't exactly say why, but that isn't a bad ph. Your fish should be able to adjust to it.

 

[geff.gardner]

I can't exactly say why, but that isn't a bad ph. Your fish should be able to adjust to it.

Thanks for the reply. I'm doing a fishless cycle so I'm not worried about that, but my pH has dropped from 8 to 6.6 in 5 days so I'm a bit concerned & wonder if I should do a water change so it doesn't stall my cycle.