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?”
Moving over to this post now. 🙂
Day 4 of following the above instructions with Quick Start in a planted 6.8g tank with one zebra danio added on Day 2.
I tested the water this morning and got between 0-0.25ppm ammonia, 0 nitrite, and ~2-3ppm nitrate. However the pH has jumped from ~7.4 on day 2 to ~8. Should I correct it or wait it out since so much is changing right now? Do you have a preferred product to bring it down to a more acceptable level?
On another note, my plants are thriving. I have new growth from the base of my Argentinian sword and my amazon sword has budded a new plant! (I bought this one in particular because I thought the shoot was going to be a flower but it now has little leaves growing out of it.)
Thank you for any insight you can provide!
Hi, again Leigh,
I never recommend pH buffers as these have too many side effects that could cause some other sort of imbalance.
This is not so weird, though pH tends to drop during nitrogen cycles.
It will certainly have some fluctuations right now, but I’d expect it to go down.
CO2 can be directly related to pH. Perhaps, your plants use up the CO2, which brings the pH up. However, it should not be that volatile.
Still, funky bounces are completely normal during a nitrogen cycle.
Just monitor it, for now. If it goes beyond 9 then something’s wrong, but I doubt that will happen.
Thank you so much! (Again! I swear you’re keeping me sane during this process.)
I will keep an eye on it and try not to panic. Truly appreciate all of your help. Have a great weekend. 🙂
I currently have a new 10 gallon tank that I’m trying to cycle (loved the article by the way). About 3 days ago I added a dwarf powder blue gourami, 3 blood fin tetras, and 2 small guppy fry that found their way into the bag. I had my water tested at the pet store and they assured me it was fine.My Ammonia levels have stayed between 0.5 and 1.0 ppm since adding my fish, no nitrite or nitrate have been detected. I added the API QUICK START yesterday per the articles instruction and haven’t noticed a change. All fish seem okay, they aren’t acting strange and are eating. I’ve been testing my water with the API LIQUID MASTER TEST KIT and haven’t seen significant change. Should I add any more QUICK START, are the bacteria doing anything? Thanks for all your great advice! Tank is freshwater and lightly planted btw.
Hi Breanna,
You definitely can’t see a change in just 1 day.
If you’ve followed the instructions to double the recommended dose then you can be sure that the tank is cycling FASTER than it normally would. 🙂
The tank seems a bit overcrowded though, so do monitor the ammonia levels and feed sparingly.
Friendly hint: The lower the pH of the aquarium – the less harmful the ammonia would be (as it gets transformed into ammonium).
Hope this helps!
Hi Gary!
Very helpful article!
Would the same instructions apply to keeping a turtle?
Also how soon can I use the UV light that comes with the turtle aquarium?
Thanks,
Ravi
Hi. Have a cold water tank 40 gallons. Ammonia levels are 2ppm as I previously added ammonia to kick start. I’ve double dosed as recommended into the water and filter.. Will the ammonia keep dropping now while the bacteria takes over. Not be adding any fish as it will be for an axolotl and will wait till what ever is expected to happen in tank. I have a test kit so will keep an eye on readings. Anything I need to know please
Hi Paula,
Yes, the amount of ammonia will drop even further, and ideally, reach 0. When this happens is when you should add the axolotl.
After adding the little critter monitor the readings closely and be prepared with another bottle of bacteria just in case the ammonia starts rising.
Hope this helps!
Thank you for reply. I’ve read and been told so many methods that I’ve been confused. I have as of yet no nitrite readings. Does this matter? Been told by many that I will need to see a nitrite reading and keeping ammonia to 2ppm to 4ppm till nitrites show and there fourth. But decided to use api now. Would I see nitrite reading doing this way while ammonia levels drop down. My nitrate reads 5ppm. I do have plants in my tank as well. If they taught me this in school I might have paid attention in science class lol.
Haha!
If you’re using API and you see some nitrates then it’s working fine so far. How long since you started the whole nitrogen cycle thing?
Ideally, you should see a spike in nitrites while the ammonia goes down.
If 2 weeks pass and there are no nitrites but say, 0ppm ammonia, 0ppm nitrItes, and 15-25ppm nitrAtes then your tank is stable. This is how the readings of a cycled tank look like.
Plants will prefer to feed on ammonia as a source of nitrogen, over nitrites and nitrates.
Makes sense?
Hope this clears things for you.
Leave me a comment if there’s anything else.
Perhaps if I become less ocd and testing everyday lol and test every few days instead. Originally I started tank up say a month ago. I added bacteria from a mature tank to the water and some flakes. Anyway I started to read into testing the levels via the test kit which I never bothered with before. But since I never owned an axol before I thought I better follow what most of people are doing and using so bought pure ammonia and treat my tank as if it was day one third week into tank being set up and running lol. I’ve never monitored a tank before and have been very lucky. Perhaps I should have stuck to the way I know. But now I’m doing it this way iv never been so confused. I’m hoping that now the whole bottle is in the tank of quick start I am hoping that at the end of the two weeks all be completed I hope. Why do some people add more quick start during the process. Does that help or not. Thank you for responding by the way
Hi,
It may help because it’s bottled bacteria and is not harmful. Just the opposite the greater number of bacteria in the colony – the better.
So it’s been 11 days and my ammonia is 2ppm and nitrate is 5ppm and nitrite might just be 0.25. Today is the first day of any sign of change in readings. Ammonia was only showing until today. Do I add anymore bacteria to tank. What’s next please. Remember I don’t have any fish at all in tank only plants. I did add heater to help multiply in the tank. I will be removing heater once the tank is cycled as it for a axolotl so will require cold water. please tell me what it is I should or shouldn’t do. Thank you as well
Hi Paula,
So you’re after fishless cycling? In that case, have you been adding ammonia? Bacterial colonies need food to multiply, survive and establish. You need to add either fish food and let it decompose or pure ammonia (I’d recommend the former).
I need more info to help you.
Hi I have a 20 gal long tank nitrites and nitrates off the charts added quick starts when I started the tank a week ago no fish been feeding tank I have plants in it I have a sponge filter a rock bubbler stone thing and a regular filter and heater set to 76 should I add more starter bacteria?
Hi, Nichole,
1 week is too early to tell. If at the end of week 2 the water does not read 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, and some nitrates then, perhaps, you should add more bacteria.
Makes sense?
Hi, I politely disagree with you on point#9- adding declorinator like Prime. That is like saying every time you do a water change and add Prime you are killing the beneficial bacteria. Or did I misunderstand?
Hi Don,
You have the right to be confused as I did not phrase it well (which is my bad, and I will soon edit the article).
You can read my reasoning in my comment reply to BRYNN which you can find above in the comment section. 🙂
Hope this helps!
Join the discussion…Wish I would have found this site three weeks ago. I have enjoyed reading all the information and now know where I messed up. I believe my 10 gallon tank may be through the cycle now but I killed four mystery snails in the process. I didn’t know that a tank had to be cycled when it was new. The pet shop which is privately owned told me to add water to the tank, make sure there wasn’t any chlorine in the water and add the snails. That didn’t work out very well.
Sorry to hear about your experience, Gary.
The salesperson should’ve told you about cycling the tank…
Now that you know what’s going on you have a foundation for starting over and eliminating this mistake.
Good luck!
Do you know much about Mystery snails. In so far as what is the best thing to feed them. I read somewhere that feeding them too much protein will cause the snail to grow faster than his shell. Do you know if that is true? I have been feeding mine zucchini and carrots but those two things aren’t loaded with calcium which I have read they need. I feed them shrimp pellets a couple times a week but apparently they are high in protein so I kind of worry about that.
Great article! I just got back into fishkeeping, last tank was 5 years ago.. I’ve always done a fish-in cycle with different products/chemicals, but I really appreciate the research and intruction layed out here.
I started a 40g long, used Tetra SS+ also added some API Stress Zyme+ for good measure. Added 4 rummynose tetras to start. I’m a little concerned as they aren’t the hardiest of fish, but looking forward to seeing the initial results over the next few weeks.
Hey, Kyle,
I hear you there, there’s no permanent break from fishkeeping!
It’s true what you’re saying about the rummy nose tetras, but with this size of a tank, I don’t think there will be an issue.
Anyway, I’ll be waiting for you to post your results here.
Good luck!
I recently bought a 220 gallon aquarium. I had searched to find someone to help with the tank maintenance. I did find a company in the area. They had me do a water test. Since it is a new tank (just setup on 3/15/19)…nitrates, nitrites, and ammonia were all 0. PH was 6.5. The guy had me buy live bacteria. He didn’t specify what kind, but I got API Quick Start. I read the dosage, and put that in. However, after I read the dosage…I saw the “shake well” on the bottle. I asked the guy if this will hurt anything since I didn’t “shake well.” He just asked what brand of bacteria I bought. But he hasn’t gotten back to me. So…I get to ask you if this will be harmful and/or should I add more since I didn’t “shake well.”
Hi there Brian,
220 gallons is quite the responsibility, especially for a new fishkeeper!
Anyway, the “shake well” part is so that you use up most of the bacteria in the bottle. You definitely “lost” some of it in the form of bottle residue. Truth is, it won’t harm to buy another set and do the same, but this time shake, shake, shake. If you can afford it – go for it. Also, double the recommended dose if you want to speed up the nitrogen cycle (it’s the way I do it and it seems to work like a charm).
Hope this makes sense!
Stay in touch!
I am pretty sure I followed all set up instructions last night for the 2 new goldfish my grandbaby won at the fair. However, sadly, we found both goldfish dead when we woke up this morning. What would’ve caused this? Our tank is the 5gallon rectangular.
Hi, Kimberly
Really sorry to hear about that! However, unless the goldfish were 0.5 inches long each then there’s no way this setup could’ve worked… Here’s why it did not work:
In the article, I explicitly emphasize adding ONE small fish per 10 gallons of water.
Moreover, goldfish are notoriously dirty – they produce way more waste than other fish of their size…
For housing 2 SMALL goldfish you’d definitely want to buy a 15-gallon tank (absolute minimum) and provide them with a filter.
Hope this helps.
Good luck next time, Kimberly!
I read this back when I started my first aquarium in January. The tank was cycled in 2 weeks, ammonia never went above .25 and my betta seemed to do perfect. Thank you so much for this advice!
Hi Macy,
Thank you so much for getting back to me. I’m happy I was of help to someone! This is the first comment that does not include a question haha!
Thanks again, and happy fishkeeping!
Can you add this after you’ve already put a fish in?
You definitely can, Nick!
What about shrimp?
Hi Steven,
Ammonia is toxic to shrimp as well. A shrimp tank should be cycled.
…Or are you asking if you could use shrimp-in cycling?
If that’s the case then no. Shrimp produce too little waste to get the cycle going and are too fragile to survive an unstable 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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Moving over to this post now. 🙂
Day 4 of following the above instructions with Quick Start in a planted 6.8g tank with one zebra danio added on Day 2.
I tested the water this morning and got between 0-0.25ppm ammonia, 0 nitrite, and ~2-3ppm nitrate. However the pH has jumped from ~7.4 on day 2 to ~8. Should I correct it or wait it out since so much is changing right now? Do you have a preferred product to bring it down to a more acceptable level?
On another note, my plants are thriving. I have new growth from the base of my Argentinian sword and my amazon sword has budded a new plant! (I bought this one in particular because I thought the shoot was going to be a flower but it now has little leaves growing out of it.)
Thank you for any insight you can provide!
Hi, again Leigh,
I never recommend pH buffers as these have too many side effects that could cause some other sort of imbalance.
This is not so weird, though pH tends to drop during nitrogen cycles.
It will certainly have some fluctuations right now, but I’d expect it to go down.
CO2 can be directly related to pH. Perhaps, your plants use up the CO2, which brings the pH up. However, it should not be that volatile.
Still, funky bounces are completely normal during a nitrogen cycle.
Just monitor it, for now. If it goes beyond 9 then something’s wrong, but I doubt that will happen.
Thank you so much! (Again! I swear you’re keeping me sane during this process.)
I will keep an eye on it and try not to panic. Truly appreciate all of your help. Have a great weekend. 🙂
I currently have a new 10 gallon tank that I’m trying to cycle (loved the article by the way). About 3 days ago I added a dwarf powder blue gourami, 3 blood fin tetras, and 2 small guppy fry that found their way into the bag. I had my water tested at the pet store and they assured me it was fine.My Ammonia levels have stayed between 0.5 and 1.0 ppm since adding my fish, no nitrite or nitrate have been detected. I added the API QUICK START yesterday per the articles instruction and haven’t noticed a change. All fish seem okay, they aren’t acting strange and are eating. I’ve been testing my water with the API LIQUID MASTER TEST KIT and haven’t seen significant change. Should I add any more QUICK START, are the bacteria doing anything? Thanks for all your great advice! Tank is freshwater and lightly planted btw.
Hi Breanna,
You definitely can’t see a change in just 1 day.
If you’ve followed the instructions to double the recommended dose then you can be sure that the tank is cycling FASTER than it normally would. 🙂
The tank seems a bit overcrowded though, so do monitor the ammonia levels and feed sparingly.
Friendly hint: The lower the pH of the aquarium – the less harmful the ammonia would be (as it gets transformed into ammonium).
Hope this helps!
Hi Gary!
Very helpful article!
Would the same instructions apply to keeping a turtle?
Also how soon can I use the UV light that comes with the turtle aquarium?
Thanks,
Ravi
Hi. Have a cold water tank 40 gallons. Ammonia levels are 2ppm as I previously added ammonia to kick start. I’ve double dosed as recommended into the water and filter.. Will the ammonia keep dropping now while the bacteria takes over. Not be adding any fish as it will be for an axolotl and will wait till what ever is expected to happen in tank. I have a test kit so will keep an eye on readings. Anything I need to know please
Hi Paula,
Yes, the amount of ammonia will drop even further, and ideally, reach 0. When this happens is when you should add the axolotl.
After adding the little critter monitor the readings closely and be prepared with another bottle of bacteria just in case the ammonia starts rising.
Hope this helps!
Thank you for reply. I’ve read and been told so many methods that I’ve been confused. I have as of yet no nitrite readings. Does this matter? Been told by many that I will need to see a nitrite reading and keeping ammonia to 2ppm to 4ppm till nitrites show and there fourth. But decided to use api now. Would I see nitrite reading doing this way while ammonia levels drop down. My nitrate reads 5ppm. I do have plants in my tank as well. If they taught me this in school I might have paid attention in science class lol.
Haha!
If you’re using API and you see some nitrates then it’s working fine so far. How long since you started the whole nitrogen cycle thing?
Ideally, you should see a spike in nitrites while the ammonia goes down.
If 2 weeks pass and there are no nitrites but say, 0ppm ammonia, 0ppm nitrItes, and 15-25ppm nitrAtes then your tank is stable. This is how the readings of a cycled tank look like.
Plants will prefer to feed on ammonia as a source of nitrogen, over nitrites and nitrates.
Makes sense?
Hope this clears things for you.
Leave me a comment if there’s anything else.
Perhaps if I become less ocd and testing everyday lol and test every few days instead. Originally I started tank up say a month ago. I added bacteria from a mature tank to the water and some flakes. Anyway I started to read into testing the levels via the test kit which I never bothered with before. But since I never owned an axol before I thought I better follow what most of people are doing and using so bought pure ammonia and treat my tank as if it was day one third week into tank being set up and running lol. I’ve never monitored a tank before and have been very lucky. Perhaps I should have stuck to the way I know. But now I’m doing it this way iv never been so confused. I’m hoping that now the whole bottle is in the tank of quick start I am hoping that at the end of the two weeks all be completed I hope. Why do some people add more quick start during the process. Does that help or not. Thank you for responding by the way
Hi,
It may help because it’s bottled bacteria and is not harmful. Just the opposite the greater number of bacteria in the colony – the better.
So it’s been 11 days and my ammonia is 2ppm and nitrate is 5ppm and nitrite might just be 0.25. Today is the first day of any sign of change in readings. Ammonia was only showing until today. Do I add anymore bacteria to tank. What’s next please. Remember I don’t have any fish at all in tank only plants. I did add heater to help multiply in the tank. I will be removing heater once the tank is cycled as it for a axolotl so will require cold water. please tell me what it is I should or shouldn’t do. Thank you as well
Hi Paula,
So you’re after fishless cycling? In that case, have you been adding ammonia? Bacterial colonies need food to multiply, survive and establish. You need to add either fish food and let it decompose or pure ammonia (I’d recommend the former).
I need more info to help you.
Hi I have a 20 gal long tank nitrites and nitrates off the charts added quick starts when I started the tank a week ago no fish been feeding tank I have plants in it I have a sponge filter a rock bubbler stone thing and a regular filter and heater set to 76 should I add more starter bacteria?
Hi, Nichole,
1 week is too early to tell. If at the end of week 2 the water does not read 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, and some nitrates then, perhaps, you should add more bacteria.
Makes sense?
Hi, I politely disagree with you on point#9- adding declorinator like Prime. That is like saying every time you do a water change and add Prime you are killing the beneficial bacteria. Or did I misunderstand?
Hi Don,
You have the right to be confused as I did not phrase it well (which is my bad, and I will soon edit the article).
You can read my reasoning in my comment reply to BRYNN which you can find above in the comment section. 🙂
Hope this helps!
Join the discussion…Wish I would have found this site three weeks ago. I have enjoyed reading all the information and now know where I messed up. I believe my 10 gallon tank may be through the cycle now but I killed four mystery snails in the process. I didn’t know that a tank had to be cycled when it was new. The pet shop which is privately owned told me to add water to the tank, make sure there wasn’t any chlorine in the water and add the snails. That didn’t work out very well.
Sorry to hear about your experience, Gary.
The salesperson should’ve told you about cycling the tank…
Now that you know what’s going on you have a foundation for starting over and eliminating this mistake.
Good luck!
Do you know much about Mystery snails. In so far as what is the best thing to feed them. I read somewhere that feeding them too much protein will cause the snail to grow faster than his shell. Do you know if that is true? I have been feeding mine zucchini and carrots but those two things aren’t loaded with calcium which I have read they need. I feed them shrimp pellets a couple times a week but apparently they are high in protein so I kind of worry about that.
Great article! I just got back into fishkeeping, last tank was 5 years ago.. I’ve always done a fish-in cycle with different products/chemicals, but I really appreciate the research and intruction layed out here.
I started a 40g long, used Tetra SS+ also added some API Stress Zyme+ for good measure. Added 4 rummynose tetras to start. I’m a little concerned as they aren’t the hardiest of fish, but looking forward to seeing the initial results over the next few weeks.
Hey, Kyle,
I hear you there, there’s no permanent break from fishkeeping!
It’s true what you’re saying about the rummy nose tetras, but with this size of a tank, I don’t think there will be an issue.
Anyway, I’ll be waiting for you to post your results here.
Good luck!
I recently bought a 220 gallon aquarium. I had searched to find someone to help with the tank maintenance. I did find a company in the area. They had me do a water test. Since it is a new tank (just setup on 3/15/19)…nitrates, nitrites, and ammonia were all 0. PH was 6.5. The guy had me buy live bacteria. He didn’t specify what kind, but I got API Quick Start. I read the dosage, and put that in. However, after I read the dosage…I saw the “shake well” on the bottle. I asked the guy if this will hurt anything since I didn’t “shake well.” He just asked what brand of bacteria I bought. But he hasn’t gotten back to me. So…I get to ask you if this will be harmful and/or should I add more since I didn’t “shake well.”
Hi there Brian,
220 gallons is quite the responsibility, especially for a new fishkeeper!
Anyway, the “shake well” part is so that you use up most of the bacteria in the bottle. You definitely “lost” some of it in the form of bottle residue. Truth is, it won’t harm to buy another set and do the same, but this time shake, shake, shake. If you can afford it – go for it. Also, double the recommended dose if you want to speed up the nitrogen cycle (it’s the way I do it and it seems to work like a charm).
Hope this makes sense!
Stay in touch!
I am pretty sure I followed all set up instructions last night for the 2 new goldfish my grandbaby won at the fair. However, sadly, we found both goldfish dead when we woke up this morning. What would’ve caused this? Our tank is the 5gallon rectangular.
Hi, Kimberly
Really sorry to hear about that! However, unless the goldfish were 0.5 inches long each then there’s no way this setup could’ve worked… Here’s why it did not work:
In the article, I explicitly emphasize adding ONE small fish per 10 gallons of water.
Moreover, goldfish are notoriously dirty – they produce way more waste than other fish of their size…
For housing 2 SMALL goldfish you’d definitely want to buy a 15-gallon tank (absolute minimum) and provide them with a filter.
Hope this helps.
Good luck next time, Kimberly!
I read this back when I started my first aquarium in January. The tank was cycled in 2 weeks, ammonia never went above .25 and my betta seemed to do perfect. Thank you so much for this advice!
Hi Macy,
Thank you so much for getting back to me. I’m happy I was of help to someone! This is the first comment that does not include a question haha!
Thanks again, and happy fishkeeping!
Can you add this after you’ve already put a fish in?
You definitely can, Nick!
What about shrimp?
Hi Steven,
Ammonia is toxic to shrimp as well. A shrimp tank should be cycled.
…Or are you asking if you could use shrimp-in cycling?
If that’s the case then no. Shrimp produce too little waste to get the cycle going and are too fragile to survive an unstable tank.
Makes sense?
Hope this was of help!