The difference between the two products is that API Quick Start can be used in both freshwater and saltwater aquariums whereas Tetra SafeStart can only be used in freshwater systems by design. These aquarium cycle starters also contain slightly different strains of bacteria, which affects how fast each product works.
Both Tetra Safe Start and API Quick Start will work, given that they are applied in a correct manner. The cycling of a new tank will speed up significantly but it won’t happen overnight.
Generally speaking, with proper use you can realistically expect to wait about 14 days to fully cycle a fish tank with API Quick Start. Tetra SafeStart takes about the same time although often it may finish the process in just 10 days. Dosage plays a major role in success.
Unfortunately, following the instructions on the back is not something that will help, as they are pretty vague.
After experimenting hard I’ve managed to highlight what strengthens your chance for success, eventually finding a process that, in my opinion, is foolproof.
I ran two tests on both before actually using them in a real fish tank project.
The only disappointing part is that they will not cycle your fish tank the same day.
Also, by the “add fish instantly” on the label they don’t mean all the fish the tank can hold but rather just a couple, until the beneficial bacteria settle.
Both API Quick Start and Tetra SafeStart can be added with live fish in the tank.
The bottles obviously don’t contain substrances harmful to fish, just the opposite.
How to use them and make them work?
After running a couple of tests I am confident to share my success formula with you.
Going through hundreds of forum threads and speaking with fishkeepers I know, I did find confirmations of my findings.
This means that my logic was correct.
Firstly you’d need to get the right bottle of bacteria.
Safe Start and Quick Start both contain live “inactivated” bacteria. By being inactivated like this the products last longer on the shelf and are easier to store, which makes them more beginner-friendly.
Both brands are claiming no refrigeration is needed.
The perfect temperature for the bacteria’s shelf and in-water life would be between 40°F and 80°F (5°C to 25°C).
Going beneath or above that range may spoil it, by killing the microorganisms and rendering the product useless.
Trusting your local fish store is okay, but I do prefer getting mine over at Amazon (link that will open in a new tab).
Anyway, if you do insist on getting the bottles from your local market make sure that they were safely stored and aim to get the most recently shipped ones (with the farthest expiration date).
Some instructions before you start are:
Get a bottle that has been manufactured as recently as possible – The newer the bottle, the better. Also, get at least two bottles, I will explain why later.
Choose a bottle meant for a larger aquarium than yours – For me, it worked best when I used the 3.38 Oz bottle of Tetra SafeStart Plus for my 20 gallons, and also when I doubled the dose recommended for the API Quick Start.
Make sure the ammonia is not already deadly high – everything above 2.5 ppm of ammonia will be harmful to your fish AND the bacteria. Before you start with the nitrogen cycle you need the ammonia lowered as much as possible.
With that out of the way, you can start cycling your aquarium.
If you’re cycling a 5-gallon tank it’s really best to put a source of ammonia in it and no live fish. Such source could be fish food.
Anyway, it’s technically true that you can stock the tank up, but you’d need very clean fish (ones that do not poop as much) and you’d have to feed them very carefully to either not overfeed (leaving extra ammonia work for your bacteria) or starve them (being too cautious not to overload your tank with ammonia).
Add another bottle of the product if that happens.
This is why I told you to get a second bottle.
However, there’s another solid reason behind this point.
You’re probably using chlorinated tap water for your fish tank. In order to perform a water change you’d need to dechlorinate the water first, right?
Water facilities in the more developed cities use Chloramine instead of Chlorine for disinfection.
Chloramine represents the chemical bond between chlorine + ammonia.
Seachem Prime (a commonly used dechlorinator), for example, breaks down chloramine to chlorine and ammonia, takes care of the chlorine, and detoxifies the released ammonia. Every product that claims to detoxify ammonia likely transforms it into ammoniUum Ammonium is harmless to bacteria and fish alike, but the detoxifying effect only lasts for 24 to 48 hours if your tank’s pH is above 7.0. This does not mean that having more than 7.0 pH is bad, it just means that using ammonia detoxifiers in a non-cycled tank is not a good long-term solution.
Anyway, after that, the ammonium turns back into ammonia, which means you now have more of the latter in the cycling aquarium.
The more Chloramine your water facility uses, the more the released ammonia after the effect of the detoxifier expires. This could consequently harm your bacterial biofilter and fish if the contents turn out to be too high for the bacteria to handle in time.
Author’s note: This only affects new aquariums that do not have an established colony of nitrifying bacteria.
Anyway, another argument for not changing the water in the first 14 days of cycling (unless there’s a dangerous ammonia spike out of nowhere) is that studies suggest that nitrifying bacteria use ammonia instead of ammonium for their source of energy.
Continuously using a dechlorinator that turns ammonia into ammonium could actually slow down the nitrogen cycle in your aquarium even further. The nitrifying bacteria would not be interested in the latter and will not be stimulated to multiply further.
This can easily turn into a vicious circle and a never-ending supply of Prime for a new, non-cycled fish tank…
If you’re using bottled bacteria you’d want your fish tank to cycle as soon as possible, right?
Tip: The best way to avoid all of this is by having a separate batch of dechlorinated water to use for water changes during aquarium cycling. The “emergency batch” should be dechlorinated at least 24 hours before use. Add a little bit of bottled bacteria to it to make up for the residual ammonia and it’s good to go.
Despite the described scenario Seachem’s Prime still remains a fantastic option for water dechlorination in a fully cycled aquarium. I’d recommend it to anyone who is using tap water for their aquarium. The residual ammonia from breaking down the Chloramine would be negligible to the already-established bacterial colony in a mature tank.
Anyway, after 14 days of cycling, you can perform a water change the regular way.
Don’t test the water for the first 2 days.
It’s okay to test it whenever you want but that is something that I stuck with throughout my tests.
Turn the UV lights off for the first day or two.
Ultraviolet light does affect the bacteria in a negative way.
For it to successfully establish I’d strongly recommend not turning those lights on the first day after the application (if you have them).
After the second week you can gradually add fish, but of course, don’t add 10 at a time. This would overwhelm the bacteria.
When doing the first water change the ammonia may go up, as there may be some ammonia in tap water, but I wouldn’t worry about it that much.
The levels should be overall low and should quickly get back to normal within the next 12 hours or so.
Also, don’t freak out if you don’t see your nitrites spike when water testing.
If you’re using Tetra’s SafeStart the process will skip the nitrites building up and will directly build into nitrates.
Don’t worry if your aquarium becomes cloudy at first.
The water will get clear within two to three days or a week at most.
Seeing cloudy water in a new aquarium at the beginning of its Nitrogen cycling is completely normal and it means that different bacteria are establishing their hierarchy.
Visit the link if you’d like to understand the process in depth. Understanding aquarium microfauna is, in my opinion, a core component of long-term success in fish keeping.
And that’s not an overstatement.
Which of the two should you choose? Which one is the best for your?
This is not one of those posts where I discuss the pros and cons of both products and leave the choice to you.
I have a statement:
Both can be (successfully) used for a start but If you’re starting a brand new empty fish tank and want to establish an environment safe from Ammonia, I’d recommend using Tetra SafeStart.
If you’re starting a brand new planted tank, doing huge water changes, or adding a lot of fish at once to an already cycled planted tank I’d go for API Quick Start.
Tetra SafeStart’s better at handling the nitrites (it virtually skips them) and API Quick Start will normalize the ammonia levels in the water quicker. The latter is more important in a mature tank with many live fish in it.
The API Quick Start is more efficient when you have a planted tank as it does not handle the nitrite levels as well as Tetra’s SafeStart. Live aquatic plants prefer ammonia and nitrite over nitrate as their source of nitrogen so, by using API’s product you will both speed up the cycle and let your plants feed on the nitrite.
Note: Between Tetra SafeStart and Tetra SafeStart Plus the difference is only in the concentration of the bacteria. I’m really happy with Using the Plus version, so the instructions will remain the same.
The alternative bottled bacteria for saltwater aquariums is called Bio Spira.
API doesn’t have a saltwater version, you just double the dose.
What’s with the mixed opinions then?
Honestly, it’s probably a human error.
Seeing how (upon proper use) the products kept proving themselves to me and others I spoke to, I can only conclude that.
Then again, the negative reviews pushed me to test them myself, before anything.
Conclusion
Fishkeeping is a hobby that requires some patience.
Momchil Boyanov is the Founder and now Senior Editor of AquAnswers. He has over 13+ years of experience in keeping home aquariums as well as providing professional aquarium services. Momchil has had his fair share of adventures in aquarium care. He has made MANY mistakes throughout his fishkeeping journey and thus learned A LOT. Through Aquanswers, Momchil shares knowledge about freshwater and saltwater aquariums with the people within this community.
390 thoughts on “Do They Work — API Quick Start VS Tetra SafeStart?”
Hi, I started a new tank 10 gallon. I started it about a week and a half ago. All the levels are great and I’m getting fish tomorrow. My question is Should I add the whole bottle of safestart plus or the recommended dosage for adding new fish. When I started the tank I put safestart in, but have since added conditioner. I wanted to add the safestart plus to prevent new tank syndrome and to filter the bacteria. I’m not sure if I should add all or not. Thank you! Anna
Hi Anna!
You can add the whole bottle, provided you have the 3.38 fl Oz one. By the way, did you read the instructions from above? Don’t add a whole lot of fish at once! For a 10 gallon tank, I’d recommend adding 1 small-ish fish every couple of days.
Hope this helps!
I have multiple tanks but my concern is with my small 5 gallon. I have it set up for dwarf seahorses. I waited 6 weeks for it to cycle before ordering my seahorses but after ordering, checked and realized the salinity was too low. I added salt water and was surprised that my tank went up to toxic levels, 0.5. I tried several things in a panic! (water changes ect.) and finally today, I emptied all water, cleaned the filter, and then added cycled water from my 55 gallon tank. Now it’s reading safe but I’m a bit paranoid. The 6 dwarf seahorses will be here in 2 days and they are fed live brine shrimp (more ammonia) so I wondered about using the Quick Start. But I’ve read comments about it not being good to use.
My question is: If I get ammonia spikes after adding my seahorses, any suggestions of what to do to save them?
Hi Mary,
Hope you’re well.
As you’re already experienced I can see that you share my concerns. I find the smaller tank to be more difficult to upkeep than larger tanks. Because of the small volume of water, every change in the water parameters seems violent.
I’ve also read the same about Quick Start, which pushed me to test it with my way of cycling, thus writing this post.
It has worked both times I’ve tried it so there’s that.
IF you dislike API as a brand you can just use the Instant Ocean Bio-Spira. It’s manufactured by the same company as Tetra SafeStart and it’s their SALTWATER tank version. Inspect it by clicking here. I’ve used it and it does a fantastic job, though I never tested it with a fish-in cycle. Dwarf seahorses are not much of a bioload, but your tank is small. I’d recommend not adding all 6 at once (if that’s possible for you). I’d add 2 every couple of days, overdosing with Bio-Spira and monitoring the ammonia carefully in the meanwhile. In about a week and a half, your 5-gallon tank should be housing 6 happy dwarf seahorses.
If adding them in groups of 2 is not really an option then you can always try high doses of the bottled bacteria (significantly exceeding the recommended ones) along with adding the seahorses. You may get some clouding, but that’s fine (it will be free-floating bacteria).
Tell me about your results.
Happy fishkeeping!
Researching the do’s and don’ts of fishkeeping is like trying to figure out which weather man to believe. Very aggravating. :\
I started up my 46gal bow front 4 weeks ago, added fish a week later… four Rosboras (two are very young and small), a small DoJo Loach, and a Rainbow. I only learned of fishless cycling after purchasing my fish and wish I would have went that route as my Rainbow died from the ammonia not even a week after purchase. The ammonia level was at 0.50-1.0. I paniced, did about a 15-20% water change and added some chemical bacteria that smelled like rotten eggs that a guy at Pet Co sold me. (Can’t remember the name of the product, but wasn’t SafeStart or Quick Start. With that said, my Rosboras and Loach seem to thrive with ammonia levels fluctuating between 0.25 and 0.50, but ammonia has been steady 0.50- 1.0 the past few days. However, the nitrite and nitrate levels are reading 0 for about a week now after only slight level readings last week and the week before.
My question, is it ok to add Safe Start or Quick Start to an aquarium that is fairly new, but not brand new? I fear adding any more fish because I don’t want them to suffer the same fate as my Rainbow with ammonia levels still being detected.
PS, I’m not overfeeding, only feeding them a small amount every other day, and since ammonia levels have slowly risen, I haven’t feed them in three days.
Also, as today is Thursday, Jan 31st, the water change I performed was on Friday Jan 18. Was debating on doing a water small change change tomorrow.
Hi, Chris, thanks for reaching out.
Ammonia should be at 0. Even if your fish seem happy, they do suffer from the elevated ammonia levels.
That being said, I’m glad that you’re doing your research and taking action. Better late than never : )
To answer your question – yes, you can definitely add beneficial bacteria to your tank, be it old or new. In fact, it’s recommended to add a little whenever you add fish, just to make sure the bacteria can handle the extra waste.
Analyzing the readings you get (1 ammonia, 0 nitrites, 0 nitrates) I am positive that your tank is not cycled yet.
Add a whole bottle of bacteria (as described in the article) and don’t do water changes in the first 2 weeks, unless the ammonia starts to rise uncontrollably. The thing is that your tank will develop as much bacteria as it needs to handle all the waste. There’s no need to worry – feel free to just pour it in.
I can only vouch for these two brands, so I guess it would be better if you could get your hands on either (ask around in your LFS or look them up on Amazon).
Perhaps, update me with your progress?
Happy fishkeeping, I’m sure you’ll love it!
I am using API Quick Start. All has been well in the tank for almost a week. But the nitrates have spiked. Should I do a water change even though it hasn’t been 2 weeks? And if so, how much water should I replace?
Hello, Amanda.
Are you sure you don’t mean nitrItes and not nitrAtes? If nitrAtes are spiking (though we should probably define a “spike”, 20 ppm is fine) then your nitrogen cycle should be at its end? Still, IMO you should not do a water change just a week after starting the cycle. Wait out the second week.
If nitrItes is what you mean, then (again) do not do a water change yet.
Do you have live fish in the aquarium while cycling?
At the end of the second week, you can perform a 25-30% water change.
Sorry if this wasn’t helpful, give me a little more details perhaps?
Thanks fr your comment!
Thanks for the info. I recently got a 50 gallon aquarium after about 15 years of not having one.
I followed your instructions, used the tetra tap water dechlorinator and tetea plus. Gradually added some tetra and danio glofish. Did a25% water change 3 weeks later. 2 months later I have 6 of each and 2 catfish. They are schooling, happy, and healthy.
Happy to help!
Hey hey, Rachel : )
1) Add double the recommended dosage of API Quick Start. Whatever the instructions – double that.
2) Safe levels of ammonia in an established tank would be… 0 ppm.
3) During the first 14 days of the nitrogen cycle – Anything above 2 ppm of ammonia can be pretty lethal, but that’s not to say you want to wait that long for a water change. I’d say if the ammonia readings show above 1 ppm during the first 2 weeks of the initial cycling you should probably change 25% of the water and pour more from the nitrifying bacteria in the bottle. Bear in mind that the readings will “dance” and you’ll get random readings between 0.25 and 1. Only do a water change if the readings remain between 1 and 1.5
If the readings remain below 1, however, DON’T do water changes for the first 14 days.
4) As you can see dechlorinating is out of the picture so long as your cycle is going according to plan. A dechlorinator should be used no less than 24 hours prior to adding the bottled bacteria. If I were you I’d pour around 3 gallons of water in a separate bowl and dechlorinate it, just in case. If by any chance, you need to make the water change you’ll have your dechlorinated water ready and you won’t have to worry about spoiling the effect of the freshly-introduced nitrifying bacteria.
Hope this helps!
Have us updated in 2 weeks?
Hey there! I got sort of thrown into fishkeeping with a platy brought to a gift exchange (live animals make terrible gifts but try telling that to this guy…). I’ve had the platy in a 10 gallon planted tank for 2-2.5 weeks now. I’ve done a few water changes in that time (about 30%). I’ve been dosing with API QuickStart as the bottle recommends. Just now tested the water for the first time (I didn’t order a test kit until I learned I needed one a week ago—there’s definitely a learning curve in fishkeeping!) and pH is about 7.5, ammonia is about 0.5 ppm, and nitrite and nitrate are at zero.
So I have a couple questions: 1) what is a safe level of ammonia for my fish? (In other words, at what level of ammonia do I need to do a water change?) The other question is, how much QuickStart is ok to add and can I use dechlorinator at the same time?
Thank you so much for this article. There’s a lot of confusing advice out there but I’m pleased to read something that makes a bit of sense!
Hi Gary!
Well, this is exactly how I advice it should be done!
To me, it seems that it’s working incredibly well. Indeed you should monitor your tank for the nitrates building up now.
You’ve been feeding, you have fish in it, there’s definitely ammonia being produced! Means your beneficial bacteria are working their butts off.
Do keep me posted – this way other readers will know it’s being tested by “third parties” as well 🙂
Thanks!
Update: 13 days in and reading 0,0,0.. 6 neon tetras well acclimated, will do a 25 % water change today and will be adding another 6 neon tetras (drip method) day after, lfs has dwarf neon rainbow fish, will be adding 6 of them soon as well (2 male, 4 female) and then wait another 2 weeks. Not that I need to, but should I add anymore safe start or just wait on testing?
Actually I may skip water change since just 6 neon tetras with light feeding and crystal clear 75 gallon tank, and just add a few more fish?
Hi,Gary
I think you have it figured out. With these readings you may as well skip the water change and proceed with your plan.
You can pour in a little bacteria when adding the new fish, just in case. It won’t harm.
Thanks for the valuable update!
Thank you for this post! After reading this I decided I would use safestart to cycle my new 75 gallon aquarium. I followed the directions exactly and (against all advice) started off with 6 Neon Tetras. I tested at 3 days and 5 days just because…. 0,0,0. Been feeding lightly… kind of surprised at 0 readings but I guess if Nitrates slowly build towards the 14 day mark that be good(?) the tank is well filtered, non-planted, fish seem happy (I will update regarding the Neon Tetras as well). I will wait patiently… anything else I should watch for?
Gary
Thank you for testing these products! I got my first Betta (Buddy, and he’s the coolest, spunkiest little thing) almost a year ago. The poor guy has been through a lot, mostly because his mom travels and falls a little behind on water changes. He also went through a significant relocation that sent him into a bit of a depression which I believe led to some fin rot. He’s overcome that, and now I’m worried he has Popeye, or maybe it’s just a weird growth on his face (I have no idea who I can even consult for something like that). I’ve only gotten behind on maybe three or four water changes (and I mean, changed the water after three weeks instead of two), and I like to believe his water is pretty pristine, but I still feel like I’m not doing enough for him. I have API products mostly, but I have the Tetra Safe Start and I’m glad you have this article, however, every article I read is written by someone who has a significant aquarium. I have Buddy in a 3.5 gallon tank (I know, it should be a little bigger) and I can never find info about treating a smaller tank like that. Do you have any suggestions? Your webpage seems to be the ONLY up-to-date webpage out there and I’d love some advice on how to manage Buddy’s tank, or at least see if what I’m doing is okay. Thank you in advance!! -Meg
Hi Meg, thank you for your comment.
Without seeing the poor guy, I can’t really determine what that “growth” could be. You can try Goole-ing “betta popeye” or “betta ich” to see if any fits Buddy’s appearance. If it’s popeye there are a variety of reasons that may be causing it. Generally, a healthy environment will prevent it.
The thing with small tanks is that the volume of water is so little that it can get unhealthy in a pretty short period. With such volumes, it’s way more difficult to maintain stable water parameters. It’s also hard to keep such tanks properly cycled, as you have a very little surface area for your beneficial bacteria to live on. The smaller the bowl the more diligent you have to be with water changes.
Have you tested the water? If not – test it. See if there’s an unusual reading such as ammonia or nitrites. Both indicate that your beneficial bacteria is not fully established. High nitrAtes indicate that you’re behind on the water changes (which I think it’s safe to assume in that case). If any of these is out of the norm it’s time to relocate Buddy in another hospital tank and begin treatment of both your tank’s cycle and your betta’s popeye. If there’s ammonia or nitrites, use your bottled bacteria with double the recommended dose for your tank’s size. If you have the 3.38 Ounce bottle, pour it all in. The water may get cloudy at first but it will be fine. Sprinkle some food in the no-fish tank (but don’t overdo it, just a little!). This is done so there’s something to feed the bacteria, while there’s no fish in it. Don’t do a water change a week and a half after you’ve poured in the bacteria. After 3 days test the water and carefully monitor if the ammonia and nitrites are going away. If after a week there’s no change, pour in some more bottled bacteria.
In the meantime the betta should reside inside your hospital tank. Since the hospital tank will not be cycled you will need to change its water every single day. Perform 15-20 % water change on a daily basis. To subside the liquid that’s filling your betta’s eye you need Epsom salt. Put one teaspoon of that per 5 gallons of water. If the hospital tank is also 3.5 gallons then put half a teaspoon. Add Epsom salt every 3 days and remember to do the water changes. To treat the actual infection behind the symptom you should probably use antibiotics. Go after the ones that are used for treating fin rot – you can get them in your LFS. Make sure to describe the situation to the shop assistant and he can help you with choosing the right antibiotic and the proper dosing.
This whole hospital tank thing should last around 2 weeks, but it’s necessary. The thing is that if you use antibiotics in your main tank, you risk killing off your beneficial bacteria, and starting from 0 again, because it’s a really small bowl. When the water parameters of your main tank are finally stable and your betta has no signs of the disease you can put him back in the main bowl.
Now… Change the water every week if possible for you. Mark it on your calendar if needed, but be consistent. Do 30% water changes. It’s a simple thing that can prevent a plethora of issues, really. Especially in such a small fish tank.
Seachem Prime (a commonly used dechlorinator), for example, breaks down chloramine to chlorine and ammonia, takes care of the chlorine, and detoxifies the released ammonia. Every product that claims to detoxify ammonia likely transforms it into ammoniU
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Hi, I started a new tank 10 gallon. I started it about a week and a half ago. All the levels are great and I’m getting fish tomorrow. My question is Should I add the whole bottle of safestart plus or the recommended dosage for adding new fish. When I started the tank I put safestart in, but have since added conditioner. I wanted to add the safestart plus to prevent new tank syndrome and to filter the bacteria. I’m not sure if I should add all or not. Thank you! Anna
Hi Anna!
You can add the whole bottle, provided you have the 3.38 fl Oz one. By the way, did you read the instructions from above? Don’t add a whole lot of fish at once! For a 10 gallon tank, I’d recommend adding 1 small-ish fish every couple of days.
Hope this helps!
I have multiple tanks but my concern is with my small 5 gallon. I have it set up for dwarf seahorses. I waited 6 weeks for it to cycle before ordering my seahorses but after ordering, checked and realized the salinity was too low. I added salt water and was surprised that my tank went up to toxic levels, 0.5. I tried several things in a panic! (water changes ect.) and finally today, I emptied all water, cleaned the filter, and then added cycled water from my 55 gallon tank. Now it’s reading safe but I’m a bit paranoid. The 6 dwarf seahorses will be here in 2 days and they are fed live brine shrimp (more ammonia) so I wondered about using the Quick Start. But I’ve read comments about it not being good to use.
My question is: If I get ammonia spikes after adding my seahorses, any suggestions of what to do to save them?
Hi Mary,
Hope you’re well.
As you’re already experienced I can see that you share my concerns. I find the smaller tank to be more difficult to upkeep than larger tanks. Because of the small volume of water, every change in the water parameters seems violent.
I’ve also read the same about Quick Start, which pushed me to test it with my way of cycling, thus writing this post.
It has worked both times I’ve tried it so there’s that.
IF you dislike API as a brand you can just use the Instant Ocean Bio-Spira. It’s manufactured by the same company as Tetra SafeStart and it’s their SALTWATER tank version. Inspect it by clicking here. I’ve used it and it does a fantastic job, though I never tested it with a fish-in cycle. Dwarf seahorses are not much of a bioload, but your tank is small. I’d recommend not adding all 6 at once (if that’s possible for you). I’d add 2 every couple of days, overdosing with Bio-Spira and monitoring the ammonia carefully in the meanwhile. In about a week and a half, your 5-gallon tank should be housing 6 happy dwarf seahorses.
If adding them in groups of 2 is not really an option then you can always try high doses of the bottled bacteria (significantly exceeding the recommended ones) along with adding the seahorses. You may get some clouding, but that’s fine (it will be free-floating bacteria).
Tell me about your results.
Happy fishkeeping!
Researching the do’s and don’ts of fishkeeping is like trying to figure out which weather man to believe. Very aggravating. :\
I started up my 46gal bow front 4 weeks ago, added fish a week later… four Rosboras (two are very young and small), a small DoJo Loach, and a Rainbow. I only learned of fishless cycling after purchasing my fish and wish I would have went that route as my Rainbow died from the ammonia not even a week after purchase. The ammonia level was at 0.50-1.0. I paniced, did about a 15-20% water change and added some chemical bacteria that smelled like rotten eggs that a guy at Pet Co sold me. (Can’t remember the name of the product, but wasn’t SafeStart or Quick Start. With that said, my Rosboras and Loach seem to thrive with ammonia levels fluctuating between 0.25 and 0.50, but ammonia has been steady 0.50- 1.0 the past few days. However, the nitrite and nitrate levels are reading 0 for about a week now after only slight level readings last week and the week before.
My question, is it ok to add Safe Start or Quick Start to an aquarium that is fairly new, but not brand new? I fear adding any more fish because I don’t want them to suffer the same fate as my Rainbow with ammonia levels still being detected.
PS, I’m not overfeeding, only feeding them a small amount every other day, and since ammonia levels have slowly risen, I haven’t feed them in three days.
Also, as today is Thursday, Jan 31st, the water change I performed was on Friday Jan 18. Was debating on doing a water small change change tomorrow.
Hi, Chris, thanks for reaching out.
Ammonia should be at 0. Even if your fish seem happy, they do suffer from the elevated ammonia levels.
That being said, I’m glad that you’re doing your research and taking action. Better late than never : )
To answer your question – yes, you can definitely add beneficial bacteria to your tank, be it old or new. In fact, it’s recommended to add a little whenever you add fish, just to make sure the bacteria can handle the extra waste.
Analyzing the readings you get (1 ammonia, 0 nitrites, 0 nitrates) I am positive that your tank is not cycled yet.
Add a whole bottle of bacteria (as described in the article) and don’t do water changes in the first 2 weeks, unless the ammonia starts to rise uncontrollably. The thing is that your tank will develop as much bacteria as it needs to handle all the waste. There’s no need to worry – feel free to just pour it in.
I can only vouch for these two brands, so I guess it would be better if you could get your hands on either (ask around in your LFS or look them up on Amazon).
Perhaps, update me with your progress?
Happy fishkeeping, I’m sure you’ll love it!
I am using API Quick Start. All has been well in the tank for almost a week. But the nitrates have spiked. Should I do a water change even though it hasn’t been 2 weeks? And if so, how much water should I replace?
Hello, Amanda.
Are you sure you don’t mean nitrItes and not nitrAtes? If nitrAtes are spiking (though we should probably define a “spike”, 20 ppm is fine) then your nitrogen cycle should be at its end? Still, IMO you should not do a water change just a week after starting the cycle. Wait out the second week.
If nitrItes is what you mean, then (again) do not do a water change yet.
Do you have live fish in the aquarium while cycling?
At the end of the second week, you can perform a 25-30% water change.
Sorry if this wasn’t helpful, give me a little more details perhaps?
Thanks fr your comment!
Thanks for the info. I recently got a 50 gallon aquarium after about 15 years of not having one.
I followed your instructions, used the tetra tap water dechlorinator and tetea plus. Gradually added some tetra and danio glofish. Did a25% water change 3 weeks later. 2 months later I have 6 of each and 2 catfish. They are schooling, happy, and healthy.
Happy to help!
Hey hey, Rachel : )
1) Add double the recommended dosage of API Quick Start. Whatever the instructions – double that.
2) Safe levels of ammonia in an established tank would be… 0 ppm.
3) During the first 14 days of the nitrogen cycle – Anything above 2 ppm of ammonia can be pretty lethal, but that’s not to say you want to wait that long for a water change. I’d say if the ammonia readings show above 1 ppm during the first 2 weeks of the initial cycling you should probably change 25% of the water and pour more from the nitrifying bacteria in the bottle. Bear in mind that the readings will “dance” and you’ll get random readings between 0.25 and 1. Only do a water change if the readings remain between 1 and 1.5
If the readings remain below 1, however, DON’T do water changes for the first 14 days.
4) As you can see dechlorinating is out of the picture so long as your cycle is going according to plan. A dechlorinator should be used no less than 24 hours prior to adding the bottled bacteria. If I were you I’d pour around 3 gallons of water in a separate bowl and dechlorinate it, just in case. If by any chance, you need to make the water change you’ll have your dechlorinated water ready and you won’t have to worry about spoiling the effect of the freshly-introduced nitrifying bacteria.
Hope this helps!
Have us updated in 2 weeks?
Hey there! I got sort of thrown into fishkeeping with a platy brought to a gift exchange (live animals make terrible gifts but try telling that to this guy…). I’ve had the platy in a 10 gallon planted tank for 2-2.5 weeks now. I’ve done a few water changes in that time (about 30%). I’ve been dosing with API QuickStart as the bottle recommends. Just now tested the water for the first time (I didn’t order a test kit until I learned I needed one a week ago—there’s definitely a learning curve in fishkeeping!) and pH is about 7.5, ammonia is about 0.5 ppm, and nitrite and nitrate are at zero.
So I have a couple questions: 1) what is a safe level of ammonia for my fish? (In other words, at what level of ammonia do I need to do a water change?) The other question is, how much QuickStart is ok to add and can I use dechlorinator at the same time?
Thank you so much for this article. There’s a lot of confusing advice out there but I’m pleased to read something that makes a bit of sense!
Hi Gary!
Well, this is exactly how I advice it should be done!
To me, it seems that it’s working incredibly well. Indeed you should monitor your tank for the nitrates building up now.
You’ve been feeding, you have fish in it, there’s definitely ammonia being produced! Means your beneficial bacteria are working their butts off.
Do keep me posted – this way other readers will know it’s being tested by “third parties” as well 🙂
Thanks!
Update: 13 days in and reading 0,0,0.. 6 neon tetras well acclimated, will do a 25 % water change today and will be adding another 6 neon tetras (drip method) day after, lfs has dwarf neon rainbow fish, will be adding 6 of them soon as well (2 male, 4 female) and then wait another 2 weeks. Not that I need to, but should I add anymore safe start or just wait on testing?
Actually I may skip water change since just 6 neon tetras with light feeding and crystal clear 75 gallon tank, and just add a few more fish?
Hi,Gary
I think you have it figured out. With these readings you may as well skip the water change and proceed with your plan.
You can pour in a little bacteria when adding the new fish, just in case. It won’t harm.
Thanks for the valuable update!
Thank you for this post! After reading this I decided I would use safestart to cycle my new 75 gallon aquarium. I followed the directions exactly and (against all advice) started off with 6 Neon Tetras. I tested at 3 days and 5 days just because…. 0,0,0. Been feeding lightly… kind of surprised at 0 readings but I guess if Nitrates slowly build towards the 14 day mark that be good(?) the tank is well filtered, non-planted, fish seem happy (I will update regarding the Neon Tetras as well). I will wait patiently… anything else I should watch for?
Gary
Thank you for testing these products! I got my first Betta (Buddy, and he’s the coolest, spunkiest little thing) almost a year ago. The poor guy has been through a lot, mostly because his mom travels and falls a little behind on water changes. He also went through a significant relocation that sent him into a bit of a depression which I believe led to some fin rot. He’s overcome that, and now I’m worried he has Popeye, or maybe it’s just a weird growth on his face (I have no idea who I can even consult for something like that). I’ve only gotten behind on maybe three or four water changes (and I mean, changed the water after three weeks instead of two), and I like to believe his water is pretty pristine, but I still feel like I’m not doing enough for him. I have API products mostly, but I have the Tetra Safe Start and I’m glad you have this article, however, every article I read is written by someone who has a significant aquarium. I have Buddy in a 3.5 gallon tank (I know, it should be a little bigger) and I can never find info about treating a smaller tank like that. Do you have any suggestions? Your webpage seems to be the ONLY up-to-date webpage out there and I’d love some advice on how to manage Buddy’s tank, or at least see if what I’m doing is okay. Thank you in advance!! -Meg
Hi Meg, thank you for your comment.
Without seeing the poor guy, I can’t really determine what that “growth” could be. You can try Goole-ing “betta popeye” or “betta ich” to see if any fits Buddy’s appearance. If it’s popeye there are a variety of reasons that may be causing it. Generally, a healthy environment will prevent it.
The thing with small tanks is that the volume of water is so little that it can get unhealthy in a pretty short period. With such volumes, it’s way more difficult to maintain stable water parameters. It’s also hard to keep such tanks properly cycled, as you have a very little surface area for your beneficial bacteria to live on. The smaller the bowl the more diligent you have to be with water changes.
Have you tested the water? If not – test it. See if there’s an unusual reading such as ammonia or nitrites. Both indicate that your beneficial bacteria is not fully established. High nitrAtes indicate that you’re behind on the water changes (which I think it’s safe to assume in that case). If any of these is out of the norm it’s time to relocate Buddy in another hospital tank and begin treatment of both your tank’s cycle and your betta’s popeye. If there’s ammonia or nitrites, use your bottled bacteria with double the recommended dose for your tank’s size. If you have the 3.38 Ounce bottle, pour it all in. The water may get cloudy at first but it will be fine. Sprinkle some food in the no-fish tank (but don’t overdo it, just a little!). This is done so there’s something to feed the bacteria, while there’s no fish in it. Don’t do a water change a week and a half after you’ve poured in the bacteria. After 3 days test the water and carefully monitor if the ammonia and nitrites are going away. If after a week there’s no change, pour in some more bottled bacteria.
In the meantime the betta should reside inside your hospital tank. Since the hospital tank will not be cycled you will need to change its water every single day. Perform 15-20 % water change on a daily basis. To subside the liquid that’s filling your betta’s eye you need Epsom salt. Put one teaspoon of that per 5 gallons of water. If the hospital tank is also 3.5 gallons then put half a teaspoon. Add Epsom salt every 3 days and remember to do the water changes. To treat the actual infection behind the symptom you should probably use antibiotics. Go after the ones that are used for treating fin rot – you can get them in your LFS. Make sure to describe the situation to the shop assistant and he can help you with choosing the right antibiotic and the proper dosing.
This whole hospital tank thing should last around 2 weeks, but it’s necessary. The thing is that if you use antibiotics in your main tank, you risk killing off your beneficial bacteria, and starting from 0 again, because it’s a really small bowl. When the water parameters of your main tank are finally stable and your betta has no signs of the disease you can put him back in the main bowl.
Now… Change the water every week if possible for you. Mark it on your calendar if needed, but be consistent. Do 30% water changes. It’s a simple thing that can prevent a plethora of issues, really. Especially in such a small fish tank.
Hope this helps!
Keep me posted.