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, so I want to start using TSS+ after making a mistake of listening to the pet store workers with the Top Fin Bacteria Supplement. Because I currently have water in the tank, should I do a water change now to start over (empty the tank)? In addition, for TSS+ 3.38 fl oz. bottle, do I add the entire thing to my 10 gallon tank? Would a neon tetra be good and if so, can I feed it on the same day I put it in the tank? Finally, would I need to buy a second TSS+ bottle?
Hi Matthew and so sorry for the late reply.
A single bottle would be enough. The second one is just in case ammonia starts rising uncontrollably for some unholy reason.
I am not familiar with the Top Fin Supplement. The bacteria in it could be land-based and kill the one in TSS+. Perhaps, it’d be better to just start over. Hope you did not wait too long?
Yes, feed your fish from day 1, but make sure you throw in just about enough for the tetra to eat it all (don’t overfeed).
Helpful?
Thank you very much for the information and no worries! I started over completely by doing a 100% water change and washed everything again (gravel, deco, etc.). I am currently in the process of the cycle as I just poured my TSS+ bottle in last night. In addition, I decided to use a Cory catfish because my neon tetra appeared to be sick already.
Sounds good!
It makes me happy that you do your research and are willing to put in the effort.
You’ll be great at fishkeeping (y).
Best of luck!
Hi great article!!!
I have a 50 gallon tank and I used a aqua start filter gel 3 days after running the tank fishless with a pinch of food. After adding the bacteria gel into the filter, my tank was cloudy for about 5 days and when it cleared I saw your article and i added some 180ml of tetra safestart and I moved over my 6 harliquinn rasporas.
My readings after 2 days were ammonia .05 nitrite 1 and nitrate 100
After 3 days my ammonia was 0 nitrite 0 but nitrate was still 100… I did a small water change and a few days later I moved over my golden gourami and have tested every other day since the move and the nitrates still read between 50-100 on the colour chart… is this normal? Any advice on how to lower the nitrate levels? When would it be safe to move my 4 small angel fish over? Does this mean my tank has cycled?
Thanks in advance!!!
Hey, Cherry 🙂
That’s a lot of nitrates! Keep up with the water changes for now…
At this level, nitrates may leave your fish prone to disease (from my experience high nitrates are correlated with swim bladder disorders).
Do you have any plants in there? Plants feed on nitrates!
Also, I’d recommend a quick solution as you’ve already badded fish in there – nitrogen removing filter media! Fet one of those ASAP if you can’t relocate your fishes.
Hope this was helpful and so sorry for the delated reply.
Hiya, thanks for the reply!
I’ve been doing daily 30% water changes and my nitrate remover filter sponge has arrived this morning, so I’ll be putting it in later during my daily water change. I’ve been testing the water every day since Sunday and still no difference in the readings, around 80 on the nitrate chart. I can’t move the fish out, so I haven’t feed them for the last 2 days and will hold out on the feeding for a couple more days.
Anymore tips are welcome
Thanks
Hi, again Cherry,
Fish could safely go without food for 5 days.
Unfortunately, I don’t have any more tips. Plants are super-effective at controlling nitrates, where water changes just physically remove them.
Good luck, keep me posted, please!
Hi aquamin,
I just checked my water quality for my area and it’s regulatory limit for nitrate is 50 mg per litre. Could this have anything to do with it?
Hi,
Yes, definitely.
There are regions where 50 ppm of nitrate is the norm for tap water…
If this is the case for you I’m afraid that you’d need to use purified water that’s remineralized for your tank. I have an article on that. Just type “distilled water” in the search bar. There’s plenty of info there.
Hope this helps!
Hi, I forgot to turn off the LED light for 8hs…..will it still work? I have a 35galloon tank and I bought the large bottle of TSS.
Hi Tiffany,
I’d say it’s more unlikely now. I haven’t been in a similar situation though.
Sorry!
Thank you for the article. Came across your article as I am starting a new tank for my Fly River turtle (previous one leaked). Do I follow the same steps? Of course with no fish added. When exactly should I put in my turtle?
Hi, I love this article. First up to date one I’ve found!
I am a beginner (of hopefully successful aquariums, anyway. Previously didn’t even know cycling a tank was a thing!). I had listened to the advice that a fishless cycle was the best way and not to use Quick Start (this is the one I’d already bought).
But I’m now excited to see that I can indeed use it and it will (hopefully) speed up the process. I was going to stick to the fishless part as we are only going to be getting one Betta. Would you recommend that I ignore my previous plans and add some hardy fish throughout the process to ensure the safety of my tank or will I be ok to cycle it using Quick Start anyway? I have Kleen-Off as an ammonia source- what are your thoughts on this?
Hi! Wondering if u can help me with my issue. So i used AFI quick start and had some plecos, corys, guppies and snails in after about a week. All was well till i did a 20% water change on the 12th day. Lost my plecos and guppies the day after 🙁 Corys and snails are fine though. Wondering what’s happening and how I can fix this 😐 I don’t have a water tested kit at the moment but just wondering if u have any ideas on how to improve things?
Hi Merissa,
Did you follow the instructions?
Are you sure your tank wasn’t overstocked?
How big is your tank in gallons?
Thank you so much for this guide, I’ve had my planted tank for year with no fish inside because of a nonexistant fishless cycling process that just refused to move!
Yesterday I started the cycle for my 10 gallon with Tetra SafeStart Plus and one endler guppy. I also have Quickstart so I added some of that as well because we had a cold rainy day when my TSS+ showed up and I got paranoid that the bacteria got too cold in the mailbox.
Fingers crossed everything goes well! My new friend seems very lively and healthy so far 🙂
Good luck, Sara!
Report back in a few days, I’ve never mixed the two 😛
Hi Momchil, I’m maybe three days into my cycle and I’m not getting any ammonia readings but my fish is pooping and is very lively 🙂 however I’ve run into an issue because today he has two white spots on his dorsal fin that I suspect is ich. I have a 3w mini green killing machine that I bought after reading your article on them, and I was wondering if I can install it now to try and eradicate the ich. Please advise :’) thank you!
Hi, again Sara!
It is not advisable to use the UV sterilizer, during cycling. In that same article (under the section “Will it make the water completely sterile?”), I mention that if ich is already ON your fish a UV sterilizer won’t help. Definitely read that in case it turns out to be ich.
However…
The white stuff could also be mucus (google it to see how it looks and compare) as with one other person that commented here. This is caused by stress and it usually appears after introducing the little buddy in a new tank.
Make sure it’s not ich. If it is ich, however, you should transfer the little guy in a quarantine tank and treat his condition there, because the meds (yes, you should use meds) may interfere with the nitrogen cycle.
Hope this helps!
Hi there. I’ve been doing a fish less cycle and followed what you told me to do. I’ve added ammonia to feed the b. Bacteria to keep levels. Anyways I had a break through almost two weeks into it I had nitrites readings for a few days and ammonia levels were fine to maintain. Today no nitrite to show but still 1ppm to 2ppm ammonia and nitrates are 40ppm. I thought ammonia would be zero when nitrites drop. Do I do a water change or. Guessing the bacteria hit a peak and then dropped but left some levels of ammonia behind. Confused
Hi Paula,
Stop dosing ammonia and wait until the bacteria converts most of it. At around 0.25 ppm or below start adding small hardy fish (1 per 10 gallons).
How big is the aquarium?
It seems to me that the cycle is at its end, and you should now just give it some time.
It will normalize, no worries.
Good luck!
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Thanks for this great information! I also have a 3.5 gallon aquarium with 1 Betta that just turned one year old. During that year I never checked the stuff I need to check. It has a filter, I don’t over-feed, no food gets to the bottom. I do a 1 gallon water change every 2 weeks. He has a heater. I ONLY use gallon Spring water. Now, I have just set up the exact same aquarium. Nervous this time because I found the most beautiful blue Betta! I used Kenji’s filter in the new tank. I bought the Safe Start and added about a third of the bottle. My API test kit won’t be in until next Wednesday (5 days). Now, I wait. Any important info would be appreciated, thank you!!
Hi Jimmy,
Seems like you’re going by the book. Just for the sake of your betta and controlling excess nitrates, make sure he has some live plants in there.
Until the test kit comes you should monitor him very closely and if there are ANY signs of ill behavior – add some more bacteria immediately.
Starting a smaller tank properly is harder than a larger one, because of how quick a chemical imbalance can occur.
Hope this helps!
Good luck, Jimmy.
Hello!
I know this post is quite old, but the topic is still useful and need for new tank owners like me.
I set up my new 5.5. Gallon tank 3 days ago, let the heater and filter run for 24h. Then added a small but whole bottle of tetra safe PLUS and slowly introduced my betta to it who was living in a 1.1 gallon bowl before. He seems fine. He swims, discovered his new home and also eats without problem. There has been no behavior change that I can see. However this morning I did see some light white flakes on his body and fin ends. I believe it to be mucus. I have read that stress symptoms in new tanks can be mucus hyper production. My question is now. Its only day 2 after putting in tetra and fish. Should I put certain medication into the water or wait and see if the mucus goes away? Do i need to put him back into the bowl to recover?
Thank you for your help.
Hi Susi,
Medication could harm beneficial bacteria as the colony is still fragile. If the readings in your tank are sable and not dangerously high or fluctuating above a certain point (say, 1 ppm of ammonia) then you should probably wait it out.
Another question though – are you sure the white flakes are not ick?
Thank you for the answer. I just did the testing of all 4. These are my readings: oh at 6.8 ammonia .25 Nitrires at 0 (used tetra safe) and nitrates at 10.
I’m pretty sure its not ick, there are no spots and its so light I could not see it through the glass, only saw it as I fed him and took a close look from above with light direct on. Actually I cannot even see it right now. It might have gone already. I never done water test before. But i kept to all instructions. Do my readings make sense? Its has only been 1.5 days since I put in tts and my drake.
Thank for your answer. I just tested all 4. PH at 6.8, ammonia at .25, NI at 0 and NA AT 10. I’m pretty sure its not ick, there are no spots and you can barely see it. I only noticed it when I was real close from above and right under the light. Right now I actually don’t see it anymore. It might have been gone already. It was first time testing the water for me and I stayed strict to the instruction. I hope these readings make sense after 1.5 days?
These are very very promising readings indeed, Susi.
It seems like your tank is cycling by the book. If the white stuff is gone then I think that you should not worry. Perhaps it really was mucus caused by stress.
In my opinion, you now have to just patiently wait and monitor your readings.
Good luck, Susi, and sorry for the late approval of your comments.
I’ve been trying to post an reply but after sending and then updating the website it doesn’t show up. 😕
That’s because I have to approve them first, Susi. You know… spammers…
Thanks. I’m happy it works out so well. Day 3 and my betta is already building a bubble nest! Thank you so much for this post! Without it I would have not known how. I’m happy when my Drake is happy. 🙂
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, so I want to start using TSS+ after making a mistake of listening to the pet store workers with the Top Fin Bacteria Supplement. Because I currently have water in the tank, should I do a water change now to start over (empty the tank)? In addition, for TSS+ 3.38 fl oz. bottle, do I add the entire thing to my 10 gallon tank? Would a neon tetra be good and if so, can I feed it on the same day I put it in the tank? Finally, would I need to buy a second TSS+ bottle?
Hi Matthew and so sorry for the late reply.
A single bottle would be enough. The second one is just in case ammonia starts rising uncontrollably for some unholy reason.
I am not familiar with the Top Fin Supplement. The bacteria in it could be land-based and kill the one in TSS+. Perhaps, it’d be better to just start over. Hope you did not wait too long?
Yes, feed your fish from day 1, but make sure you throw in just about enough for the tetra to eat it all (don’t overfeed).
Helpful?
Thank you very much for the information and no worries! I started over completely by doing a 100% water change and washed everything again (gravel, deco, etc.). I am currently in the process of the cycle as I just poured my TSS+ bottle in last night. In addition, I decided to use a Cory catfish because my neon tetra appeared to be sick already.
Sounds good!
It makes me happy that you do your research and are willing to put in the effort.
You’ll be great at fishkeeping (y).
Best of luck!
Hi great article!!!
I have a 50 gallon tank and I used a aqua start filter gel 3 days after running the tank fishless with a pinch of food. After adding the bacteria gel into the filter, my tank was cloudy for about 5 days and when it cleared I saw your article and i added some 180ml of tetra safestart and I moved over my 6 harliquinn rasporas.
My readings after 2 days were ammonia .05 nitrite 1 and nitrate 100
After 3 days my ammonia was 0 nitrite 0 but nitrate was still 100… I did a small water change and a few days later I moved over my golden gourami and have tested every other day since the move and the nitrates still read between 50-100 on the colour chart… is this normal? Any advice on how to lower the nitrate levels? When would it be safe to move my 4 small angel fish over? Does this mean my tank has cycled?
Thanks in advance!!!
Hey, Cherry 🙂
That’s a lot of nitrates! Keep up with the water changes for now…
At this level, nitrates may leave your fish prone to disease (from my experience high nitrates are correlated with swim bladder disorders).
Do you have any plants in there? Plants feed on nitrates!
Also, I’d recommend a quick solution as you’ve already badded fish in there – nitrogen removing filter media! Fet one of those ASAP if you can’t relocate your fishes.
Hope this was helpful and so sorry for the delated reply.
Hiya, thanks for the reply!
I’ve been doing daily 30% water changes and my nitrate remover filter sponge has arrived this morning, so I’ll be putting it in later during my daily water change. I’ve been testing the water every day since Sunday and still no difference in the readings, around 80 on the nitrate chart. I can’t move the fish out, so I haven’t feed them for the last 2 days and will hold out on the feeding for a couple more days.
Anymore tips are welcome
Thanks
Hi, again Cherry,
Fish could safely go without food for 5 days.
Unfortunately, I don’t have any more tips. Plants are super-effective at controlling nitrates, where water changes just physically remove them.
Good luck, keep me posted, please!
Hi aquamin,
I just checked my water quality for my area and it’s regulatory limit for nitrate is 50 mg per litre. Could this have anything to do with it?
Hi,
Yes, definitely.
There are regions where 50 ppm of nitrate is the norm for tap water…
If this is the case for you I’m afraid that you’d need to use purified water that’s remineralized for your tank. I have an article on that. Just type “distilled water” in the search bar. There’s plenty of info there.
Hope this helps!
Hi, I forgot to turn off the LED light for 8hs…..will it still work? I have a 35galloon tank and I bought the large bottle of TSS.
Hi Tiffany,
I’d say it’s more unlikely now. I haven’t been in a similar situation though.
Sorry!
Thank you for the article. Came across your article as I am starting a new tank for my Fly River turtle (previous one leaked). Do I follow the same steps? Of course with no fish added. When exactly should I put in my turtle?
Hi, I love this article. First up to date one I’ve found!
I am a beginner (of hopefully successful aquariums, anyway. Previously didn’t even know cycling a tank was a thing!). I had listened to the advice that a fishless cycle was the best way and not to use Quick Start (this is the one I’d already bought).
But I’m now excited to see that I can indeed use it and it will (hopefully) speed up the process. I was going to stick to the fishless part as we are only going to be getting one Betta. Would you recommend that I ignore my previous plans and add some hardy fish throughout the process to ensure the safety of my tank or will I be ok to cycle it using Quick Start anyway? I have Kleen-Off as an ammonia source- what are your thoughts on this?
Hi! Wondering if u can help me with my issue. So i used AFI quick start and had some plecos, corys, guppies and snails in after about a week. All was well till i did a 20% water change on the 12th day. Lost my plecos and guppies the day after 🙁 Corys and snails are fine though. Wondering what’s happening and how I can fix this 😐 I don’t have a water tested kit at the moment but just wondering if u have any ideas on how to improve things?
Hi Merissa,
Did you follow the instructions?
Are you sure your tank wasn’t overstocked?
How big is your tank in gallons?
Thank you so much for this guide, I’ve had my planted tank for year with no fish inside because of a nonexistant fishless cycling process that just refused to move!
Yesterday I started the cycle for my 10 gallon with Tetra SafeStart Plus and one endler guppy. I also have Quickstart so I added some of that as well because we had a cold rainy day when my TSS+ showed up and I got paranoid that the bacteria got too cold in the mailbox.
Fingers crossed everything goes well! My new friend seems very lively and healthy so far 🙂
Good luck, Sara!
Report back in a few days, I’ve never mixed the two 😛
Hi Momchil, I’m maybe three days into my cycle and I’m not getting any ammonia readings but my fish is pooping and is very lively 🙂 however I’ve run into an issue because today he has two white spots on his dorsal fin that I suspect is ich. I have a 3w mini green killing machine that I bought after reading your article on them, and I was wondering if I can install it now to try and eradicate the ich. Please advise :’) thank you!
Hi, again Sara!
It is not advisable to use the UV sterilizer, during cycling. In that same article (under the section “Will it make the water completely sterile?”), I mention that if ich is already ON your fish a UV sterilizer won’t help. Definitely read that in case it turns out to be ich.
However…
The white stuff could also be mucus (google it to see how it looks and compare) as with one other person that commented here. This is caused by stress and it usually appears after introducing the little buddy in a new tank.
Make sure it’s not ich. If it is ich, however, you should transfer the little guy in a quarantine tank and treat his condition there, because the meds (yes, you should use meds) may interfere with the nitrogen cycle.
Hope this helps!
Hi there. I’ve been doing a fish less cycle and followed what you told me to do. I’ve added ammonia to feed the b. Bacteria to keep levels. Anyways I had a break through almost two weeks into it I had nitrites readings for a few days and ammonia levels were fine to maintain. Today no nitrite to show but still 1ppm to 2ppm ammonia and nitrates are 40ppm. I thought ammonia would be zero when nitrites drop. Do I do a water change or. Guessing the bacteria hit a peak and then dropped but left some levels of ammonia behind. Confused
Hi Paula,
Stop dosing ammonia and wait until the bacteria converts most of it. At around 0.25 ppm or below start adding small hardy fish (1 per 10 gallons).
How big is the aquarium?
It seems to me that the cycle is at its end, and you should now just give it some time.
It will normalize, no worries.
Good luck!
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Thanks for this great information! I also have a 3.5 gallon aquarium with 1 Betta that just turned one year old. During that year I never checked the stuff I need to check. It has a filter, I don’t over-feed, no food gets to the bottom. I do a 1 gallon water change every 2 weeks. He has a heater. I ONLY use gallon Spring water. Now, I have just set up the exact same aquarium. Nervous this time because I found the most beautiful blue Betta! I used Kenji’s filter in the new tank. I bought the Safe Start and added about a third of the bottle. My API test kit won’t be in until next Wednesday (5 days). Now, I wait. Any important info would be appreciated, thank you!!
Hi Jimmy,
Seems like you’re going by the book. Just for the sake of your betta and controlling excess nitrates, make sure he has some live plants in there.
Until the test kit comes you should monitor him very closely and if there are ANY signs of ill behavior – add some more bacteria immediately.
Starting a smaller tank properly is harder than a larger one, because of how quick a chemical imbalance can occur.
Hope this helps!
Good luck, Jimmy.
Hello!
I know this post is quite old, but the topic is still useful and need for new tank owners like me.
I set up my new 5.5. Gallon tank 3 days ago, let the heater and filter run for 24h. Then added a small but whole bottle of tetra safe PLUS and slowly introduced my betta to it who was living in a 1.1 gallon bowl before. He seems fine. He swims, discovered his new home and also eats without problem. There has been no behavior change that I can see. However this morning I did see some light white flakes on his body and fin ends. I believe it to be mucus. I have read that stress symptoms in new tanks can be mucus hyper production. My question is now. Its only day 2 after putting in tetra and fish. Should I put certain medication into the water or wait and see if the mucus goes away? Do i need to put him back into the bowl to recover?
Thank you for your help.
Hi Susi,
Medication could harm beneficial bacteria as the colony is still fragile. If the readings in your tank are sable and not dangerously high or fluctuating above a certain point (say, 1 ppm of ammonia) then you should probably wait it out.
Another question though – are you sure the white flakes are not ick?
Thank you for the answer. I just did the testing of all 4. These are my readings: oh at 6.8 ammonia .25 Nitrires at 0 (used tetra safe) and nitrates at 10.
I’m pretty sure its not ick, there are no spots and its so light I could not see it through the glass, only saw it as I fed him and took a close look from above with light direct on. Actually I cannot even see it right now. It might have gone already. I never done water test before. But i kept to all instructions. Do my readings make sense? Its has only been 1.5 days since I put in tts and my drake.
Thank for your answer. I just tested all 4. PH at 6.8, ammonia at .25, NI at 0 and NA AT 10. I’m pretty sure its not ick, there are no spots and you can barely see it. I only noticed it when I was real close from above and right under the light. Right now I actually don’t see it anymore. It might have been gone already. It was first time testing the water for me and I stayed strict to the instruction. I hope these readings make sense after 1.5 days?
These are very very promising readings indeed, Susi.
It seems like your tank is cycling by the book. If the white stuff is gone then I think that you should not worry. Perhaps it really was mucus caused by stress.
In my opinion, you now have to just patiently wait and monitor your readings.
Good luck, Susi, and sorry for the late approval of your comments.
I’ve been trying to post an reply but after sending and then updating the website it doesn’t show up. 😕
That’s because I have to approve them first, Susi. You know… spammers…
Thanks. I’m happy it works out so well. Day 3 and my betta is already building a bubble nest! Thank you so much for this post! Without it I would have not known how. I’m happy when my Drake is happy. 🙂