ahiggins

I finally received Safestart in the mail and i am ready to put it in my tank and stop using Cycle, which I now know to be the wrong kind of bacteria and not a stable way to maintain the tank.

I am going to do a 50% water change then add the Safestart, but it says to add the whole bottle (I have the 250 ml bottle). Is that right, or should I just add enough for 10 gallons?

After the Safestart is in, when should I start doing water changes and how large?

Thanks !

Shawnie

hi ahiggins...if at all possible, get all the water out if you have been using cycle all along..you dont want to mix any of the cycle with the safestart...I would only add what it says in the directions for 10 gals...and then if you read the directions, and its like bio spira, you do nothing for 7-10 days ..then test the water and go from there ...goodluck!

ahiggins

Thanks for your reply, but how can I get all of the water out if I currently have fish in there?

Shawnie

the 3 cherry barbs can be taken out and put into a bowl for the few it will take you to empty the tank..then just remove most of the water from the bowl before you put them back in

ahiggins

oh wow, i didn't think of that. I hope this works, thanks for your help.

I have another question, when should I change the filter media, or should I just rinse it (with tank water) until it's cycled completely?

Shawnie

dont bother with the media until its totally shredded...you can rinse in used tank water if it gets too much buildup..but if you arent overfeeding, or totally overstocked, that shouldnt happen often ..goodluck!

ahiggins

great, thanks again !