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?”
I’m getting 0ammonia 0 nitrite 5 nitrate on my 10 gallon with 3 zebra danios and .5 ammonia 0 nitrites and 15 nitrates on my 20 gallon should I feed them I haven’t fed them in a few days.. I was curious if the ammonia eating bacteria doesn’t have enough ammonia would they die of and then so on and so on? I’m on the 3rd day I’ve followed you’re directions to the t. My 20 gallon started off at .5 ammonia when I added TST plus I have 4 zerbra danios in that tank they are all about an inch or less.
Hi, Cody!
Feed them but, do so without overdoing it. If the ammonia is 0.5 and remains that way it will soon be fine. Have a bottle of TST around just in case though.
Just a quick note: If the acidity (pH) is below 7 then there’s a higher chance that the ammonia reading you’re seeing is actually ammonium, which is harmless to fish. 🙂
Hope this helps!
Keep me posted, Cody.
Seems that the ammonia is still at .5 and nitrates around 20 “maybe” a little higher the test tubes are a little hard for me to read when it comes to the nitrates. when I test ph the color shows 7.6 and when I test high range ph it shows 7.4. My 10 gallon ammonia .25 nitrates 4. When do you think I would need to add more when it gets to 1 or greater? My 20 gallon could be topped off I have declorinated water sitting for a few days would it be okay to top it off? I really appreciate your help through this all it can really be frustrating for people as impatient as me! A
Hi again, Cody,
You are correct – only add more TSS if ammonia starts rising. You can top off the water whenever you want.
I know the anticipation can be a pain… You are at the end of week one in cycling, correct?
🙂
We have a 75gal tank already cycled. Every thing has been going well until all of a sudden, an ammonia spike off the grid. It is really high. Did water changes 7 days straight…still high…added amolock, stress zymes, prime, quick start and stress coat….still high! Help!
Hi, Wanda,
Something is probably rotting inside the tank? I have an article on nitrites around here and there you can read more reasons on why the tank’s cycle may have been hindered.
Keep us posted.
Hi Momchil!
Fantastic article – one of the most helpful I’ve come across for a brand new fish owner. My daughter received a Betta as a gift so I’ve been thrust into this new world of fish keeping. I knew absolutely nothing about it so the poor little guy was put into a 2.5g uncycled tank. My, oh my, have I learned so much. I now think it’s disgusting that she was given a live fish for a present by a fish hobbyist no less! So now I’ve been cycling a 7 gallon tank for over 2 weeks – have planted live plants, used substrate that is supposed to speed up the process and just tonight added an 8.45 oz of Tetra Safe to it. (It’s freezing out so I’m worried that the bacteria died during the 20-30 mins the package was out on my doorstep)
Just prior to adding TTS I tested the parameters and 0.0.0!! How can this be? PH is 7.2. I just read that you should add the fish within 2 hrs but I’m already in bed and just can’t tonight. Is it ok to add my Betta bud tomorrow or should I wait and test the water to make sure it’s safe? TIA for any advice!
Hi, Victoria,
Thank you for your warm words.
You’re on the right track – test again before adding the betta. You need to have at least SOME readings. The safest would be if it reads 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, and ~20 nitrates. Add it and monitor the readings.
Hope this helps!
So this morning I woke up to stringy cobwebs all over the tank! Algae yes? What do I do? How did this happen?
Thank you for your response and advice! Now I have a new issue :-(. I’ve awoken to the tank being filled with stringy cobweb looking things. A preliminary search suggests it’s algae. How did this happen? And what do I do? I assume the betta definitely shouldn’t go in the tank now, right? Thanks again for all your help! 🙂
Hi Tori,
It’s caused by nutrient imbalance. And also (perhaps) direct sunlight to the tank. I have an article on algae (use the search bar in the top right corner). It’s on black algae, but there you can see the main reasons for algae blooms explained in detail.
Algae is not harmful to fish, by the way. It’s just (rather) ugly 🙂
Thanks for the detailed guide. I used Tetra Safestart recently in my 15 gallon freshwater tank, but have been doing a fishless cycle by dosing ammonia whenever it drops below .5 ppm. Yesterday, I dosed 3 ppm of ammonia, and tested today after 24 hours. A good sign: my ammonia dropped to 0, but my nitrites are seemingly off the charts (5ppm or even higher)! I have a lot of nitrates as well (40 ppm). I don’t know if you have an answer for me, but my question is: Shouldn’t I have no nitrites because Tetra Safestart practically skips that step in the nitrogen cycle?
Hi, Victor,
That’s a really good question!
It has been my experience that it virtually skips them but that’s with a fish-in cycle (where the ammonia is dosed by 1 small fish per 10 gallons of water).
This is precisely the reason why I don’t recommend doing it with a fishless cycle. You essentially need to overdose, just to be sure your fish will do well afterward. Supposedly the beneficial bacteria in the bottle wasn’t enough to handle that instantly. And this results in longer time for cycling. It’s my understanding that by using bottled nitrifying bacteria a fishkeeper wants the cycling done as soon as possible, correct? With 1 small fish per 10 gallons of water, it’s a rather gradual build-up of ammonia and nitrites, which is way easier for the bacteria colony to handle.
Makes sense?
Hope I was of help!
Thanks! I only used Tetra Safestart (and not plus), and unfortunately did not dose for twice my tank size. I should have read this guide beforehand! I’m guessing what I should do now is wait for the nitrifying bacteria to develop and “catch up” to the ammonia-consuming bacteria?
Yeah! You’re already in the middle of the process, so simply wait it out. 🙂
This is a great article.
Thanks, Rachel!
Glad to see I was of help to someone! : )
I started a brand new 10 Gallon Tank with Conditioned water and rinsed all pieces with cool Tap water on Thursday the 21st. On Saturday the 23rd, a Local Pet store told me to help speed up my cycle I should add 6 Goldfish to the tank and leave it alone. Every Day since then I have lost a fish. On Tuesday the 26th, when I was down to only 2 gold fish I bought 3 Guppies (2 Tequila Sunrise Deltas & 1 Green Fancy) and 2 mystery Snails. Since then the 2 gold fish have died as well leaving just the guppies and 2 snails.
Last night, 2/28 before reading this I bought the API quick start and water testers. 1 is a 5 in 1 and the other is a liquid Ammonia. I tested prior to adding quick start and my ammonia was off the charts way darker than the #8 dark green color. The PH was around a 7.5 / 8 and the NO2 and NO3 was at 0. Then I found this article and added a double dose of Quick Start and waited an hour.
After an hour I went ahead and tested again. (Not sure if too soon or not) My ammonia had dropped to a 4.5 and the NO2 & NO3 were beginning to show up on the color charts.
My question is, When do I really need to test again and if still High do I add another dose, double dose.
Also, My water level has dropped, do I go ahead and top off the water level? I have a 5 gallon bucket with conditioner hanging out in my bathroom since 9pm last night.
Hi Renee,
Don’t add more bacteria.
Now you want to let it sit for a bit. Test again tomorrow (seeing that my reply is 2 days late…).
On the water level… I’m assuming it’s only through evaporation? If that’s the case you can top it off with distilled water, but JUST THIS TIME. I have an article around here that explains when you should and when you shouldn’t use distilled water in the aquarium.
Hope this helps!
Get back to me with your results if you can.
I ended up adding conditioned water prior to your reply, but yes it was mostly from evaporation. I did take half a cup to local pet store for testing as I hadnt purchased my own test kit yet. Today my test results are NO2 are 3 and NO3 is between 40 and 80 color so I’m guessing like a 60. Ammonia is down to like a 2.0
Yes, your tank is definitely cycling right now. 2 ppm is a lot of ammonia and 3 ppm of nitrites is very high. The tank is currently deadly to fish ( you added too many fish at once and the bacteria can’t handle it in such a small space yet). How many fish do you have inside? At this point it’s more of a gamble for you, I’m afraid…
3 guppies and 2 mystery snails.
Hi, again Renee,
The way I see it, all you can do now is wait. Adding some more bacteria won’t hurt and may prove beneficial for your current situation, but it’s still too difficult to make a prediction if it will save the current inhabitants or not (given your current ammonia and nitrite levels).
You can do a partial (30%) water change to ease the work of the bacteria and then add another 2x dose of API.
I really hope this works out for your guppy friends…
Keep me posted.
Hello! I came across this article after I added the API Quick Start to my (currently fishless) 20 Gallon tank. I added the amount it said on the bottle (20ml) and the dechlorinator at the same time. I see now that I did that wrong. My question is, should I wait 24 hours and add another dose to double it then add a couple of small fish, or I’d there a better way to do it?
Thank you for all your advice
Brynn
Hi Brynn
Apologies for the late reply.
Dechlorinators such as Prime convert ammonia into (perhaps) ammonium which is not harmful to fish AND beneficial bacteria. The ammonia is less toxic (which in advertising is labeled as “detoxified”) and is still available as bacteria food.
However, if the biofilter fails to convert all of it in the next 24 hours it will become toxic again. Unless you want to constantly dose dechlorinator while cycling I do not recommend using them both at the same time.
Another thing I’m considering here is that your tap water (I’m assuming it’s what you use) is probably being treated with ChloraMINE instead of ChlorINE. Chloramine is the chemical bond of Chlorine and ammonia. If you use Prime it will take care of the chlorine and detoxify the ammonia, but now you have MORE ammonia for your bacteria to handle. Though it will be detoxified for the first 24 hours after the effect of the dechlorinator expires you’ll be left with overwhelmed bacteria and it will actually take LONGER for your tank to cycle.
My assumption is that if you invest time and energy in using bottled bacteria to cycle a new tank, then you’d want that to happen as soon as possible.
Makes sense?
I have an article around here on Chlorine and Chloramine if you want to learn more about how to remove them (use the search bar).
For your particular case, I’d say that you have it figured out. Wait 24 hours and then add more beneficial bacteria + small fish as per my guide above.
Hope this helps!
Looking forward to hearing about your experience.
Hello! I’m about to start a new 6.8-gallon tank for a betta, and I was hoping the Quick Start product might help shorten the cycling time. It looks like it may well do that! My question is this: Can I use fish food as the ammonia source instead of a fish? That was my plan when I was looking at natural cycling, and I’m wondering if it might still work with the added product. Thanks for this great info!
Hi, Cat!
Yes, any source of ammonia would work. It’s just that with fish you control the amount, compared to the bioload.
By just dosing ammonia you don’t control the bacteria numbers (who will rise to match the ammonia and nitrite waste). This would demand that you overdose ammonia, just to make sure there’s “more bacteria than needed” for when you add fish. This approach, however, would take longer, and to my understanding, if someone reverts to bottled bacteria then they want to speed the process of cycling as much as possible.
Regards
Hi there!
I’m newly getting back into the fish world and just got myself a 2.5 gal tank. I bought a bottle of the tetra safestart, and wasnt sure if I should use the whole thing in it. Feedback would be greatly appreciated!
Hello Alexis,
Thank you for your question!
You probably can, the unemployed bacteria will die off. BUT know that a 2.5-gallon tank is way too small for a betta. He/she will feel confined. 5 gallons would be okay-ish if there are not many decors (which bettas don’t like). 10 is better. Do upgrade to a larger tank when you can afford it, please. 🙂
Hope everything’s okay.
Found your article and thought it was well written. Thanks for sharing your experience with the two products. I got the TSS+ 3oz bottle and emptied it into my 32G tank. The bottle said can use whole bottle up to 40g tank. Per your recommendation, I doubled it by adding another bottle the next day (yesterday).
Prior to this, I had used Seachem Stability (which worked well in my other smaller tanks), and the LFS recommended using Nitromax so I did that too. The levels haven’t shifted from pH @ 8.0, ammonia @1.0, and nitrites and nitrates are still @0. Prior to the products, I did do a 20% water change with RO water to lower pH and ammonia.
It is a (not heavily) planted tank, and I do have 3 little zebra danios in there which haven’t been fed since Wednesday.
Help!!!!
Also, should mention we have the white film / on the spider wood in the tank but from what everyone has told me, that’s normal, harmless and should go away by itself in a couple of weeks. But not sure if it affects the tank cycling.
Hi, Yaz,
Thank you for sharing your experience with me.
1. So it has only been 2 days since you added the 1st bottle (today, Friday, being the third) ? Then it’s two early for a result. Perhaps, I should edit the article and mention to add the double dose at once (as it’s what I did).
2.Feed your danios again, today, but don’t overdo it. Just a tiny bit of food, danios are small.
3. Be absolutely sure there’s no rotting plant parts in your aquarium. If you find such – cut them immediately (look for yellowing, etc.) !
4. Don’t do a water change unless the ammonia starts rising. If it starts rising do a 25%.
5. Wait it out patiently
Leave a comment in a week time and tell me if there’s progress.
Stay well!
Yes, two days since bottle one, one day since bottle two. I missed that part of your post as I scanned it in a hurry to decide which of the two products to get. Got home, read it thoroughly and then got another bottle the next day.
Please note that the tank has been cycling for almost two weeks now with Stability added daily and Nitromax for a week (added every other day). We have had no change in the readings.
Could the pH of 8.0 affect the cycling? Temperature is at 79°.
It’s a 32gallon tank. Should I add more TSS+? Or add the QS instead?
I haven’t really tested Seachem’s Stability so I won’t comment on a product I don’t have experience with. Nitromax is also a mystery to me…
Generally speaking, 8 pH is fine. If there are pH swings, however, that’s dangerous to fish. pH should be stable at all times! If an adjustment is required it should be a GRADUAL one.
Now, about the nitrogen cycle.
Again, generally, the higher the pH – the more toxic ammonia in the tank. If it remains at the lower end (around 6) the waste will degrade to ammoniUM (which is safe for aquatic life). However, if it drops below 6, then the nitrogen cycle may be altogether hindered.
Beneficial bacteria like to hang around in levels of 7 to 8, so you are doing fine. Still, the maintained pH value of an aquarium should be dictated by its inhabitants (fish, shrimp, snails, turtles…)
79 degrees is fine, keep it there if possible.
To be honest, it won’t hurt to add more TTS+, but you can’t realistically expect a tank to fully cycle in 3 days (given the other products have been in work for 2 weeks, and there’s still ammonia around).
Hope this helps!
Leave me a comment if you have more questions, I’m here, as I’m currently rolling another post out. 🙂
We did some plant cleaning / trimming and got rid of some dying leaves etc. Also cleaned off the white film off the spider wood. I was worried that hubby overdid it because after scooping everything out, the water got a little cloudy. Waited several hours, kept an eye on water and fish, all ok. Don’t know why but at 2am, I decided to do a quick test using a strip. Couldn’t believe it, pH 7.5, ammonia 0.5, nitrite 0, nitrate 20. 😯
I needed accurate numbers so did the master test kit. Numbers close pH 7.5ish, ammonia still 1.0, nitrite 0, nitrate 10. 😃 Yay for progress!!!! Can’t wait to show hubby in the morning.
Thank you for this blog.
I find your enthusiasm fascinating, and so will your fish pets, I’m sure!
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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I’m getting 0ammonia 0 nitrite 5 nitrate on my 10 gallon with 3 zebra danios and .5 ammonia 0 nitrites and 15 nitrates on my 20 gallon should I feed them I haven’t fed them in a few days.. I was curious if the ammonia eating bacteria doesn’t have enough ammonia would they die of and then so on and so on? I’m on the 3rd day I’ve followed you’re directions to the t. My 20 gallon started off at .5 ammonia when I added TST plus I have 4 zerbra danios in that tank they are all about an inch or less.
Hi, Cody!
Feed them but, do so without overdoing it. If the ammonia is 0.5 and remains that way it will soon be fine. Have a bottle of TST around just in case though.
Just a quick note: If the acidity (pH) is below 7 then there’s a higher chance that the ammonia reading you’re seeing is actually ammonium, which is harmless to fish. 🙂
Hope this helps!
Keep me posted, Cody.
Seems that the ammonia is still at .5 and nitrates around 20 “maybe” a little higher the test tubes are a little hard for me to read when it comes to the nitrates. when I test ph the color shows 7.6 and when I test high range ph it shows 7.4. My 10 gallon ammonia .25 nitrates 4. When do you think I would need to add more when it gets to 1 or greater? My 20 gallon could be topped off I have declorinated water sitting for a few days would it be okay to top it off? I really appreciate your help through this all it can really be frustrating for people as impatient as me! A
Hi again, Cody,
You are correct – only add more TSS if ammonia starts rising. You can top off the water whenever you want.
I know the anticipation can be a pain… You are at the end of week one in cycling, correct?
🙂
We have a 75gal tank already cycled. Every thing has been going well until all of a sudden, an ammonia spike off the grid. It is really high. Did water changes 7 days straight…still high…added amolock, stress zymes, prime, quick start and stress coat….still high! Help!
Hi, Wanda,
Something is probably rotting inside the tank? I have an article on nitrites around here and there you can read more reasons on why the tank’s cycle may have been hindered.
Keep us posted.
Hi Momchil!
Fantastic article – one of the most helpful I’ve come across for a brand new fish owner. My daughter received a Betta as a gift so I’ve been thrust into this new world of fish keeping. I knew absolutely nothing about it so the poor little guy was put into a 2.5g uncycled tank. My, oh my, have I learned so much. I now think it’s disgusting that she was given a live fish for a present by a fish hobbyist no less! So now I’ve been cycling a 7 gallon tank for over 2 weeks – have planted live plants, used substrate that is supposed to speed up the process and just tonight added an 8.45 oz of Tetra Safe to it. (It’s freezing out so I’m worried that the bacteria died during the 20-30 mins the package was out on my doorstep)
Just prior to adding TTS I tested the parameters and 0.0.0!! How can this be? PH is 7.2. I just read that you should add the fish within 2 hrs but I’m already in bed and just can’t tonight. Is it ok to add my Betta bud tomorrow or should I wait and test the water to make sure it’s safe? TIA for any advice!
Hi, Victoria,
Thank you for your warm words.
You’re on the right track – test again before adding the betta. You need to have at least SOME readings. The safest would be if it reads 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, and ~20 nitrates. Add it and monitor the readings.
Hope this helps!
So this morning I woke up to stringy cobwebs all over the tank! Algae yes? What do I do? How did this happen?
Thank you for your response and advice! Now I have a new issue :-(. I’ve awoken to the tank being filled with stringy cobweb looking things. A preliminary search suggests it’s algae. How did this happen? And what do I do? I assume the betta definitely shouldn’t go in the tank now, right? Thanks again for all your help! 🙂
Hi Tori,
It’s caused by nutrient imbalance. And also (perhaps) direct sunlight to the tank. I have an article on algae (use the search bar in the top right corner). It’s on black algae, but there you can see the main reasons for algae blooms explained in detail.
Algae is not harmful to fish, by the way. It’s just (rather) ugly 🙂
Thanks for the detailed guide. I used Tetra Safestart recently in my 15 gallon freshwater tank, but have been doing a fishless cycle by dosing ammonia whenever it drops below .5 ppm. Yesterday, I dosed 3 ppm of ammonia, and tested today after 24 hours. A good sign: my ammonia dropped to 0, but my nitrites are seemingly off the charts (5ppm or even higher)! I have a lot of nitrates as well (40 ppm). I don’t know if you have an answer for me, but my question is: Shouldn’t I have no nitrites because Tetra Safestart practically skips that step in the nitrogen cycle?
Hi, Victor,
That’s a really good question!
It has been my experience that it virtually skips them but that’s with a fish-in cycle (where the ammonia is dosed by 1 small fish per 10 gallons of water).
This is precisely the reason why I don’t recommend doing it with a fishless cycle. You essentially need to overdose, just to be sure your fish will do well afterward. Supposedly the beneficial bacteria in the bottle wasn’t enough to handle that instantly. And this results in longer time for cycling. It’s my understanding that by using bottled nitrifying bacteria a fishkeeper wants the cycling done as soon as possible, correct? With 1 small fish per 10 gallons of water, it’s a rather gradual build-up of ammonia and nitrites, which is way easier for the bacteria colony to handle.
Makes sense?
Hope I was of help!
Thanks! I only used Tetra Safestart (and not plus), and unfortunately did not dose for twice my tank size. I should have read this guide beforehand! I’m guessing what I should do now is wait for the nitrifying bacteria to develop and “catch up” to the ammonia-consuming bacteria?
Yeah! You’re already in the middle of the process, so simply wait it out. 🙂
This is a great article.
Thanks, Rachel!
Glad to see I was of help to someone! : )
I started a brand new 10 Gallon Tank with Conditioned water and rinsed all pieces with cool Tap water on Thursday the 21st. On Saturday the 23rd, a Local Pet store told me to help speed up my cycle I should add 6 Goldfish to the tank and leave it alone. Every Day since then I have lost a fish. On Tuesday the 26th, when I was down to only 2 gold fish I bought 3 Guppies (2 Tequila Sunrise Deltas & 1 Green Fancy) and 2 mystery Snails. Since then the 2 gold fish have died as well leaving just the guppies and 2 snails.
Last night, 2/28 before reading this I bought the API quick start and water testers. 1 is a 5 in 1 and the other is a liquid Ammonia. I tested prior to adding quick start and my ammonia was off the charts way darker than the #8 dark green color. The PH was around a 7.5 / 8 and the NO2 and NO3 was at 0. Then I found this article and added a double dose of Quick Start and waited an hour.
After an hour I went ahead and tested again. (Not sure if too soon or not) My ammonia had dropped to a 4.5 and the NO2 & NO3 were beginning to show up on the color charts.
My question is, When do I really need to test again and if still High do I add another dose, double dose.
Also, My water level has dropped, do I go ahead and top off the water level? I have a 5 gallon bucket with conditioner hanging out in my bathroom since 9pm last night.
Hi Renee,
Don’t add more bacteria.
Now you want to let it sit for a bit. Test again tomorrow (seeing that my reply is 2 days late…).
On the water level… I’m assuming it’s only through evaporation? If that’s the case you can top it off with distilled water, but JUST THIS TIME. I have an article around here that explains when you should and when you shouldn’t use distilled water in the aquarium.
Hope this helps!
Get back to me with your results if you can.
I ended up adding conditioned water prior to your reply, but yes it was mostly from evaporation. I did take half a cup to local pet store for testing as I hadnt purchased my own test kit yet. Today my test results are NO2 are 3 and NO3 is between 40 and 80 color so I’m guessing like a 60. Ammonia is down to like a 2.0
Yes, your tank is definitely cycling right now. 2 ppm is a lot of ammonia and 3 ppm of nitrites is very high. The tank is currently deadly to fish ( you added too many fish at once and the bacteria can’t handle it in such a small space yet). How many fish do you have inside? At this point it’s more of a gamble for you, I’m afraid…
3 guppies and 2 mystery snails.
Hi, again Renee,
The way I see it, all you can do now is wait. Adding some more bacteria won’t hurt and may prove beneficial for your current situation, but it’s still too difficult to make a prediction if it will save the current inhabitants or not (given your current ammonia and nitrite levels).
You can do a partial (30%) water change to ease the work of the bacteria and then add another 2x dose of API.
I really hope this works out for your guppy friends…
Keep me posted.
Hello! I came across this article after I added the API Quick Start to my (currently fishless) 20 Gallon tank. I added the amount it said on the bottle (20ml) and the dechlorinator at the same time. I see now that I did that wrong. My question is, should I wait 24 hours and add another dose to double it then add a couple of small fish, or I’d there a better way to do it?
Thank you for all your advice
Brynn
Hi Brynn
Apologies for the late reply.
Dechlorinators such as Prime convert ammonia into (perhaps) ammonium which is not harmful to fish AND beneficial bacteria. The ammonia is less toxic (which in advertising is labeled as “detoxified”) and is still available as bacteria food.
However, if the biofilter fails to convert all of it in the next 24 hours it will become toxic again. Unless you want to constantly dose dechlorinator while cycling I do not recommend using them both at the same time.
Another thing I’m considering here is that your tap water (I’m assuming it’s what you use) is probably being treated with ChloraMINE instead of ChlorINE. Chloramine is the chemical bond of Chlorine and ammonia. If you use Prime it will take care of the chlorine and detoxify the ammonia, but now you have MORE ammonia for your bacteria to handle. Though it will be detoxified for the first 24 hours after the effect of the dechlorinator expires you’ll be left with overwhelmed bacteria and it will actually take LONGER for your tank to cycle.
My assumption is that if you invest time and energy in using bottled bacteria to cycle a new tank, then you’d want that to happen as soon as possible.
Makes sense?
I have an article around here on Chlorine and Chloramine if you want to learn more about how to remove them (use the search bar).
For your particular case, I’d say that you have it figured out. Wait 24 hours and then add more beneficial bacteria + small fish as per my guide above.
Hope this helps!
Looking forward to hearing about your experience.
Hello! I’m about to start a new 6.8-gallon tank for a betta, and I was hoping the Quick Start product might help shorten the cycling time. It looks like it may well do that! My question is this: Can I use fish food as the ammonia source instead of a fish? That was my plan when I was looking at natural cycling, and I’m wondering if it might still work with the added product. Thanks for this great info!
Hi, Cat!
Yes, any source of ammonia would work. It’s just that with fish you control the amount, compared to the bioload.
By just dosing ammonia you don’t control the bacteria numbers (who will rise to match the ammonia and nitrite waste). This would demand that you overdose ammonia, just to make sure there’s “more bacteria than needed” for when you add fish. This approach, however, would take longer, and to my understanding, if someone reverts to bottled bacteria then they want to speed the process of cycling as much as possible.
Regards
Hi there!
I’m newly getting back into the fish world and just got myself a 2.5 gal tank. I bought a bottle of the tetra safestart, and wasnt sure if I should use the whole thing in it. Feedback would be greatly appreciated!
Hello Alexis,
Thank you for your question!
You probably can, the unemployed bacteria will die off. BUT know that a 2.5-gallon tank is way too small for a betta. He/she will feel confined. 5 gallons would be okay-ish if there are not many decors (which bettas don’t like). 10 is better. Do upgrade to a larger tank when you can afford it, please. 🙂
Hope everything’s okay.
Found your article and thought it was well written. Thanks for sharing your experience with the two products. I got the TSS+ 3oz bottle and emptied it into my 32G tank. The bottle said can use whole bottle up to 40g tank. Per your recommendation, I doubled it by adding another bottle the next day (yesterday).
Prior to this, I had used Seachem Stability (which worked well in my other smaller tanks), and the LFS recommended using Nitromax so I did that too. The levels haven’t shifted from pH @ 8.0, ammonia @1.0, and nitrites and nitrates are still @0. Prior to the products, I did do a 20% water change with RO water to lower pH and ammonia.
It is a (not heavily) planted tank, and I do have 3 little zebra danios in there which haven’t been fed since Wednesday.
Help!!!!
Also, should mention we have the white film / on the spider wood in the tank but from what everyone has told me, that’s normal, harmless and should go away by itself in a couple of weeks. But not sure if it affects the tank cycling.
Hi, Yaz,
Thank you for sharing your experience with me.
1. So it has only been 2 days since you added the 1st bottle (today, Friday, being the third) ? Then it’s two early for a result. Perhaps, I should edit the article and mention to add the double dose at once (as it’s what I did).
2.Feed your danios again, today, but don’t overdo it. Just a tiny bit of food, danios are small.
3. Be absolutely sure there’s no rotting plant parts in your aquarium. If you find such – cut them immediately (look for yellowing, etc.) !
4. Don’t do a water change unless the ammonia starts rising. If it starts rising do a 25%.
5. Wait it out patiently
Leave a comment in a week time and tell me if there’s progress.
Stay well!
Yes, two days since bottle one, one day since bottle two. I missed that part of your post as I scanned it in a hurry to decide which of the two products to get. Got home, read it thoroughly and then got another bottle the next day.
Please note that the tank has been cycling for almost two weeks now with Stability added daily and Nitromax for a week (added every other day). We have had no change in the readings.
Could the pH of 8.0 affect the cycling? Temperature is at 79°.
It’s a 32gallon tank. Should I add more TSS+? Or add the QS instead?
I haven’t really tested Seachem’s Stability so I won’t comment on a product I don’t have experience with. Nitromax is also a mystery to me…
Generally speaking, 8 pH is fine. If there are pH swings, however, that’s dangerous to fish. pH should be stable at all times! If an adjustment is required it should be a GRADUAL one.
Now, about the nitrogen cycle.
Again, generally, the higher the pH – the more toxic ammonia in the tank. If it remains at the lower end (around 6) the waste will degrade to ammoniUM (which is safe for aquatic life). However, if it drops below 6, then the nitrogen cycle may be altogether hindered.
Beneficial bacteria like to hang around in levels of 7 to 8, so you are doing fine. Still, the maintained pH value of an aquarium should be dictated by its inhabitants (fish, shrimp, snails, turtles…)
79 degrees is fine, keep it there if possible.
To be honest, it won’t hurt to add more TTS+, but you can’t realistically expect a tank to fully cycle in 3 days (given the other products have been in work for 2 weeks, and there’s still ammonia around).
Hope this helps!
Leave me a comment if you have more questions, I’m here, as I’m currently rolling another post out. 🙂
We did some plant cleaning / trimming and got rid of some dying leaves etc. Also cleaned off the white film off the spider wood. I was worried that hubby overdid it because after scooping everything out, the water got a little cloudy. Waited several hours, kept an eye on water and fish, all ok. Don’t know why but at 2am, I decided to do a quick test using a strip. Couldn’t believe it, pH 7.5, ammonia 0.5, nitrite 0, nitrate 20. 😯
I needed accurate numbers so did the master test kit. Numbers close pH 7.5ish, ammonia still 1.0, nitrite 0, nitrate 10. 😃 Yay for progress!!!! Can’t wait to show hubby in the morning.
Thank you for this blog.
I find your enthusiasm fascinating, and so will your fish pets, I’m sure!
Happy I could help!
Stay in touch. 🙂