2lucky

I'm cycling a tank with Stability at the moment and have just been told that it is no good. So I've been recommended Tetra Safe Start.
I'd love to cycle the good ol' fasion way but I have to have this tank ready by a deadline.

Has anyone used this product? I want some info before I go ahead with it.

Thanks! M

Minnow

I haven't used it myself, but I know other members have had success with it. From what I hear, you add it at the same time as your fish, and don't test the water for a week, or the results will freak you out. After the week is over, your tank is fully cycled.

Good luck with your tank, I hope all goes well

GouramiGirl1221

It's a great product! I used it to cycle a 10, 29, and 55 gal. Do you have fish in the aquarium yet? It works better if there isn't already ammonia in the tank. I wouldn't recommend actually adding your fish at the same time, but if you use it in conjunction with adding ammonia yourself you should be cycled in a week or so. I did add fish with my doses of safe start, but you do see some ammonia and nitrite, but it's not enough to cause any major issues. Best of luck!

Dozey

Tetra SafeStart will introduce beneficial bacteria into your tank. However unlike the label claims it will not “instantly” cycle your tank. Tetra’s data sheet on SafeStart states that it will reduce ammonia by 10% and nitrites by 14%.

Using SafeStart could certainly complete a fishless cycle in 1 to 2 weeks. If you are thinking about cycling your tank with fish and SafeStart please be aware that your fish will still be subjected to toxins. Although greatly reduced as compared to a complete cycle they will still experience exposure that will effect their sort term and long term health.

Dozey

And you are exactly right that you don’t test your water for a week because the readings are all over the place. And that is just what’s going on. It’s not known if these rapid changes in parameters are any safer or more dangerous to a fish’s health.

We know that taking a fish from an 82F tank and dropping him into 72F water wouldn't do well by a fish. So what happens to a fish that has ammonia spikes and falls multiple time in a one week period? This would also be in conjunction with nitrites and nitrates yo-yoing as well.

2lucky

Thankyou for the info guys! It's great to hear some good news.

"GouramiGirl"- I do have fish in my tank (as shown in my signature) but I'm guessing the amount of ammonia produced by the fish compared to the tank size wouldnt have too much of an effect. The minnows are very small.


This is going to sound vain but the minnows were actually labelled as feeder fish so I don't expect them to survive much longer anyway.


Thanks again!

Mike19

Feeder fish might actually surprise you

FishJones

Dozey, I'm going to seek your advice in a week or so, I'm going to fishless cycle with ammonia and the Safe Start a 120 gallon tank so I'm glad you are our "wiz" with Safe Start!!!

jdhef

I used the old version of SafeStart (BioSpira) to cycle a tank. I just poured it in and added my fish. At the end of one week, my nitrites were slightly elevated so I did partial water changes for a couple of days

Dozey

Don't know about being a wiz but the word "instantly" sounded like snake oil to me so I did a lot of research on the product. It is most definatley a great product. But IMHO it should only be used to very quickly cycle a fishless tank.

I will be glad to offer you my advice when you need it, as will all the members here on FishLore will as well.

FishJones

Thanks Dozey. Ordered it from thatpetplace.com (hard to find for me) and ordered my filter from ebay (saved $125 from Petsmart) so will hopefully start end of the week. Dozey, doing the ammonia method, should I put Safe Start in first and then when should I start adding the ammonia to get to 5.0? Thanks, this forum is great, so active!!

Dozey

FishJones, you should likely start a new thread as this is a hi-jack.

But to answer your question. TSS is bacteria in a dormant state and will only activate when exposed to ammonia and explains why it does not need to be kept refrigerated. And in the beginning set your goal for 4ppm of ammonia.

There is more to this answer but I’ll finish when you start a new thread.

FishJones

Ok cool, thanks Dozey, didn't mean to hijack it. I'll start a thread when I get my stuff all ready to go in a few days. Appreciate your help. I'm just so happy this Safe Start can cycle your tank in 24 hours, lol, jk of course.

2lucky

It's all right, Fishjones, hijack my thread all you want! lol

I'm having a mental breakdown because Tetra Safe Start isn't supplied in any of my LFSs (i've checked all 5!). They have all the other Tetra water conditioners etc but none of this. Does anyone know of a website that sells it to Australia?

So my question is: is there any product that works just as well? I saw a product called 'Cycle' does anyone know about this?

Thankyou!

GouramiGirl1221

DON'T USE CYCLE!!! It contains the wrong kind of bacteria, and you will have to continue adding the product for the lifetime of your tank. If you google it, it should bring up several sites you can order it from.

Dozey

TSS has a short shelf life and can be difficult to find. Cycle adds a non-sustainable bacteria to the tank. This means that the bacteria dies off quickly and you will have to continue adding Cycle for the life of your tank. This is not a preferred option as it is for one expensive and also your tank will never actually settle down.

So you add Cycle every Saturday during your water change. Come Wednesday the bacteria begins to die off and toxin level begin to increase and continue to increase until you add more Cycle on the following Saturday.

I do know members here from Australia have managed to purchase TSS. But I’m sorry I don’t know where they purchased it from.

FishJones

Hey 2lucky, check this out, I bought my TSS from www.thatpet place.com and they say in the shipping info to contact them for international quotes. I'd give them a try!!