jetajockey
come get me tang police!
Getting seeded media isn't a terrible idea. There's likely nothing deathly in the gravel, either. The suggestion of getting plants for their bacteria/uptake content is good, but if you aren't treating the plants before sticking them in then its running the same risk you would if you used established media. Gravel media is going to be less effective than filter media, but I don't think there's a 'safe' factor between the two, as in, I don't think that the filter media is going to magically somehow be safer than the gravel, considering they are all part of the same ecosystem.
If you want another route, I've had good results with Tetra safestart, I tested it 4 times and had 75% success rate with it. I've also had 100% success in the 3 tests I did with Angelsplus "active" sponge filter, and the nice thing about that product was at the end of cycling I had a nice sponge filter as well.
I do not recommend seachem stability, stress zyme, hagen cycle, and nearly every other bacteria supplement. Most of them are faulty in principle so do your homework and don't just accept the claims. There are a few that I haven't tested extensively but seem to have the right science behind their product, like fritzzyme and dr tim's , but I've not tested them.
If you want another route, I've had good results with Tetra safestart, I tested it 4 times and had 75% success rate with it. I've also had 100% success in the 3 tests I did with Angelsplus "active" sponge filter, and the nice thing about that product was at the end of cycling I had a nice sponge filter as well.
I do not recommend seachem stability, stress zyme, hagen cycle, and nearly every other bacteria supplement. Most of them are faulty in principle so do your homework and don't just accept the claims. There are a few that I haven't tested extensively but seem to have the right science behind their product, like fritzzyme and dr tim's , but I've not tested them.