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January 28th, 2009
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| | Fish Helper
| The Tetra SafeStart Experience
To begin with, I'm a total newb to this whole aquarium fish thing. Like alot of people who decided to finally get into it, I'm quite impatient, and want to see as many fishies swimming around my tanks as possible - and I want them there yesterday. Unfortunately, nature (or rather man's immitation thereof) isn't so kind, and the viscious Nitrogen Cycle must be taken into account.
In the last year or so, a product called Tetra SafeStart has hit the market, claiming to speed your tank through the nitro cycle in less than two weeks. I did some searching on it, and enough people either believed in it or had had personal success with it for me to buy the stuff. At that point, I had already stocked my very uncycled tank with four fish, one of which was clearly suffering from ammonia poisoning. If you really care to know my trials before I used SafeStart, you can search around the forum for some of my other posts.
One thing I would have loved to have seen while I was doing research on the product was a day-to-day account of the water readings of a tank that SafeStart had been added to. Since the stuff is still fairly new, I figure I'll go ahead and put down my own experience with it, in hopes of educating those who might be having thoughts about it themselves.
As for the details of my setups...
My first tank is a 10gal, and it's a little more than two weeks old now. It currently has two "blue moon" (some people call them blue Mickey Mouse) platys, two neon tetras, and four cherry shrimp - my only casualty since using SafeStart has been a cherry shrimp. The neons were there before I added SafeStart, the platys I put in the same day I added it, and the shrimp I put in a couple days after. The tank has small gravel substrate, a single piece of small driftwood, a couple plastic decorations, fake plants, and has two 15W incandescent bulbs for illumination.
My second tank is 29gal, and has only been going since last weekend. It has three red wag swordtails, all of which were added the same day as the SafeStart. The tank has small gravel substrate, several small pieces of driftwood, plastic decorations, several low-light plants, and has an 18W flourescent tube for illumination.
Both tanks are freshwater, heated to around 77F, have a healthy amount of aeration, and are filtered with over-the-side type power filters. I used a 100mL bottle of SafeStart in the 10gal, and a 250mL bottle in the 29gal. The label actually says that a 100mL bottle is enough for a 30gal, but I wasn't aware of that when I bought them...
Other things I can think to mention... I feed my buddies twice a day - once in the morning after I take a shower, once in the evening after I get back from classes/work. I just use standard tropical flakes for the fish, but I put a blanched cucumber slice in for the shrimp today - they ate about half of it, and I took the rest out before I checked the water parameters. I use the API liquid master test kit, but I've only had it since the weekend - before that I was using strips, which I've since been informed are rather inaccurate.
I keep all my data in a simple little Excel document, and I'll just be posting the graphs on here, keeping them updated as much as possible. I'm doing pretty much daily tests at the moment, but I haven't done a water change on either tank since I added the SafeStart. I have data on the 10gal prior to adding SafeStart and to me having the API test kit - pretty much everything before the rise in nitrate levels. The actual data points are days that I took readings.
I think the 10gal is just about cycled, since the ammonia and nitrite dropped from yesterday. Not totally sure yet, though, since I don't have a trend to prove it (tomorrow will tell). The levels in the 29gal are still on the rise...
If you've got any questions about anything, feel free to ask. I'm still learning alot, so my advice is basically what I've heard or been told by others. I'll just keep the images themselves updated, so you should be able to refresh this page everyday and see the most current graphs.  
Last edited by cg49me; January 30th, 2009 at 09:42 PM.
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January 28th, 2009
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| | Fish Keeper
| Thanks for your efforts. Your results will be great to see. | |
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January 29th, 2009
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| | Fish Keeper
| Thanks it would be good to see if this product is successful as people usually cant be patient enough to wait 6-9 weeks for a cycle  | |
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January 29th, 2009
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| | Fish Helper
| Lost another one of the shrimp (from the 10gal) this morning. Nitrate in the 29gal went up, but ammonia and nitrite haven't changed... No change in the 10gal.
I was planning on adding tetras and more shrimp to the 10gal tomorrow, and either danios or barbs to the 29gal. I'm most definitely NOT adding anything to the 29gal yet, and I'll wait for the ammonia to drop in the 10gal before adding anything else.
I'll probably do a gravel vac and water change to both tanks either tomorrow or Saturday. | |
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January 30th, 2009
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| | Fish Keeper
| If safestart is the same as biospira completely, then doing water changes will hinder the bacteria growth from the products. This is what I was told when I spoke with a rep for biospira last year when I used it on 3 tanks. They recommend a full solid week of no changes to the water in the way of water changes or chemicals being added. It takes a bit for the bacteria to find a good spot to claim and begin to multiply.
I didn't do this with me 29gallon and I messed up bad. I did do it with my 10 and 55g and things worked out well. | |
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January 30th, 2009
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| | Fish Helper
| Well, today is one week since I added the stuff to both tanks...
Lost another shrimp this morning - for the record, shrimp are a BAD idea unless your tank is FULLY cycled... Yeesh. | |
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January 30th, 2009
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| | Fish Master
| most inverts dont deal to well with the cycle process  im sorry you lost them! | |
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January 30th, 2009
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| | Fish Helper
| I thought at the time that the tank was far enough along the cycle they'd be okay. Guess that's why I'm a "beginner"... (And now of course I know how far it wasn't.)
The only changes in the levels from yesterday were in the 10gal - the nitrites went up and the nitrates went down...  Whatev~ I guess I did a smidge of a water change this morning when I removed the dead shrimpy and topped off the tank.
I was at the LFS today to get a new plant-friendly(er) bulb for my 29gal, and I really had to talk myself out of getting any more fish. Those zebra danios were BEGGING me to take them home... I did buy a clump of java moss, however, which I swear is already taking a hold on my driftwood.
Last edited by cg49me; January 30th, 2009 at 09:46 PM.
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January 31st, 2009
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| | Fish Helper
| I did some caving today...
First off, I did small water changes in both tanks. The gravel in the 10gal was getting very... Soiled... So I decided to do a gravel vac and in the process changed about 25% of the water. The filter intake to the 29gal was getting littered with foilage, so I cleaned it up some, and did about a 10% water change there.
Neither of those items is too bad, but then I went to the fish store... Well, my 10gal now has a total of 5 neons, and my 29gal has 6 new zebra danios...
A bit of good news... I had figured the last two of my cherry shrimp for dead, but they're both alive and well. Between the two of them (and perhaps with some help from my platys) they devoured an entire algae disc!
The level readings for today are from this morning, BEFORE the water changes. | |
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January 31st, 2009
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| | Fish Keeper
| so far do you find this product to be living up to its name? | |
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February 1st, 2009
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| | Fish Helper
| I suppose so... Neither tank has completed the cycle yet, though it's only been one week. It's definitely helped the 29gal get started, due to the increasing nitrites and nitrates. I'm not quite sure what's going on in the 10gal... Maybe I read some of the test results wrong or too soon? *shrug* It was already 2 weeks into cycling when I added the SafeStart, however, so that may have something to do with the odd results.
I'm doing the readings for today right now, so we'll see what's new...
*edit*
Nitrite was up and ammonia was down in the 29gal - the new danios probably had something to do with that, but it's a pretty clear indication of nitrifying bacteria. The nitrates still haven't gone anywhere, but I think the plants might have something to do with that.
The 10gal still isn't really going anywhere... I changed the filter for the first time, not sure if that will have any effect or not.
Last edited by cg49me; February 1st, 2009 at 12:57 PM.
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February 2nd, 2009
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| | Fish Helper
| Did ~25% water changes to both tanks yesterday night. The gravel in the 10gal was still pretty nasty, and the nitrite level in the 29gal had me worried. Did some "pruning" in the 29gal as well - removed several dead anacharis and hornwort sections.
Ammonia is a ways down in the 29gal, probably due to the combined efforts of the water change plus a surge of nitrifying bacteria. By the numbers here, the nitrates haven't gone up, but the actual level the past few days has probably been more like 8ppm instead of 10, I just put down the closest color/number. Today it was a definite 10ppm.
The ammonia is down in the 10gal, probably due to the water change. Still nothing on the nitrites... The SafeStart bottle I added to this tank was one that I ordered online - I'm beginning to think that the nitrifying bacteria might not have made the trip, and I may hit the fish store to buy another bottle. Either that, or the nitrafying bacteria is doing a really good job of keeping up. No change in nitrates. | |
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February 2nd, 2009
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| | Fish Master
| IMO, you wasted you money on the TSS because you need to go at least 7-10 days without a water change so at this point, dont rely on the safestart to do as its suppose to...continue doing a fish cycle at this point...but im glad your shrimp are alive! | |
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February 2nd, 2009
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| | Fish Helper
| I did go a week without changing the water... *shrug* I'd gotten both nitrite and nitrate readings from the 29gal, so I know that one's at least into the cycle - the high nitrite reading is what prompted the change. In the 10gal, the nitrite never really went anywhere... Not sure what's going on there.
I'm actually down to one shrimp. | |
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February 2nd, 2009
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| | Fish Keeper
| Although I do have to agree with Shawnie that you have likely interfered with TSS by doing water changes, and that is most likely why TSS suggest not even testing your water for 7 to 10 days. But I do certainly appreciate you having taken the time to keep your charts updated and sharing your experience. Over all your results have reassured me that TSS is not all it claims to be and has strengthened my resolve that the only good cycle is a fishless cycle.
I base this on…
1. Although TSS did keep your toxins low it certainly did not eliminate exposure to your fish.
2. TSS doesn’t allow for tank maintenance. If cycling with a high output fish such as goldfish what mess might a person face at the end of 10 days having not performed any maintenance?
3. What would the outcome be if someone added TSS and diseased or injured fish that required treatment and/or frequent water changes?
4. If a person were to over feed (a typical newbie mistake) during the cycle period what would the resulting ammonia spike be shortly after everything seemed OK? How many gravel vacs would be required to correct the problem?
Yes, maybe TSS would help the newbie that follows many LFS’ advice to set up a tank and add fish 24 hours later. However, IMO TSS is not an alternative cycle choice compared to a fishless cycle.
Again, thank you very much for sharing your experience. | |
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February 3rd, 2009
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| | Fish Helper
| Quote:
Originally Posted by Dozey  Although I do have to agree with Shawnie that you have likely interfered with TSS by doing water changes, and that is most likely why TSS suggest not even testing your water for 7 to 10 days. But I do certainly appreciate you having taken the time to keep your charts updated and sharing your experience. Over all your results have reassured me that TSS is not all it claims to be and has strengthened my resolve that the only good cycle is a fishless cycle.
I base this on…
1. Although TSS did keep your toxins low it certainly did not eliminate exposure to your fish.
2. TSS doesn’t allow for tank maintenance. If cycling with a high output fish such as goldfish what mess might a person face at the end of 10 days having not performed any maintenance?
3. What would the outcome be if someone added TSS and diseased or injured fish that required treatment and/or frequent water changes?
4. If a person were to over feed (a typical newbie mistake) during the cycle period what would the resulting ammonia spike be shortly after everything seemed OK? How many gravel vacs would be required to correct the problem?
Yes, maybe TSS would help the newbie that follows many LFS’ advice to set up a tank and add fish 24 hours later. However, IMO TSS is not an alternative cycle choice compared to a fishless cycle.
Again, thank you very much for sharing your experience. | You raised some good questions, and your conclusion makes sense. I wonder, though, if adding one of these bacteria containing additives would speed up a fish-less cycle? I may try it when I set up my q-tank just to see... | |
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February 3rd, 2009
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| | Fish Helper
| I think it does exactly what it claims to do - it says it will speed up the cycle, and for me, it's done just that. Yes, it may not allow much room for mistakes, but in the scheme of getting a faster cycle, that's something you have to accept the risk for anyway. | |
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February 3rd, 2009
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| | Fish Keeper
| Quote:
Originally Posted by docjr03 You raised some good questions, and your conclusion makes sense. I wonder, though, if adding one of these bacteria containing additives would speed up a fish-less cycle? I may try it when I set up my q-tank just to see... | This is also something I've wondered about but I haven't yet had the oportunity to test the theory yet. As you would still need a source of ammonia I would suggest using a piece of shrimp as the source. Quote:
Originally Posted by cg49me I think it does exactly what it claims to do - it says it will speed up the cycle, and for me, it's done just that. Yes, it may not allow much room for mistakes, but in the scheme of getting a faster cycle, that's something you have to accept the risk for anyway. | Perhaps, but you accept the risk and the fish risk their lives. I see this a bit like your boss excepting the risk of you working a roof without a safety harness. Sure he accepts the risk but how do you feel about it?  | |
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February 3rd, 2009
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| | Fish Helper
| Clarification: ...that's something you have to accept the risk for anyway if doing a fish-included cycle. SafeStart is not intended for a fish-less cycle, it simply speeds-up a fish-included one.
*edit*
If my boss is going to accept the risk of me working on a roof without a harness, I'd rather it be a 2 week project instead of a 2 month one. | |
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February 3rd, 2009
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| | Fish Helper
| I did not mean to say that Dozey raised some interesting questions about your methods, CG49me, just about the tetra safe start. when I say that, I mean it more in a scientific way, like, "how/why does this thing work like this or that, etc." I certainly did not mean to portray any judgements. In fact, I am glad you posted your process and struggles, it should be/ is a great learning tool for us beginners! Good Luck! | |
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February 4th, 2009
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| | Fish Helper
| Well, still no great change in the 10gal...
However, in the 29gal, ammonia is still down (in fact, it's below 0.25ppm, but it still had a twinge of green to it, so I didn't want to call it 0), and nitrite is at a definite zero... I'm pretty sure this means the tank is effectively CYCLED!! Tomorrow will say for sure if the ammonia is truly down to zero. For the record, today is the 10th day since I added SafeStart.
I'm pretty sure I'm going to get another bottle of SafeStart for the 10gal. Somehow I messed things up there, but it obviously worked in the larger tank, so I'll give it another crack in the small one. | |
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February 4th, 2009
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| | Fish Helper
| very nicely done. oh and BTW i believe as you already know biospira and SafeStart are one and the same product. | |
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February 4th, 2009
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| | Fish Helper
| Yep, I'd read that somewhere. I think Biospira is only available in the UK though?
Well, did a nice big gravel vac and water change in the 10gal, and giving SafeStart another crack at that one. I won't take readings for a couple days anyway, and I won't even think about a water change until the Saturday after this coming one. | |
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February 4th, 2009
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| | Fish Master
| I believe that BioSpira for saltwater is still available. From what I understand, MarineLand (the makers of BioSpira) developed a new version of BioSpira for Freshwater that didn't require refridgeration. MarineLand sold the rights to this new version of BioSpira for Freshwater to Tetra, who markets it as SafeStart. | |
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February 4th, 2009
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| | Fish Helper
| It's official - my 29gal tank is cycled! Ammonia and nitrite were straight-up 0 today! For the record, it took 11 days. To celebrate, I added 6 cherry barbs!
Now, fingers crossed for the 10gal... | |
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February 7th, 2009
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| | Fish Helper
| Well, ammonia is quite a bit down in the 10gal, and nitrate is about 20, so it might finally be cycled. There's been ammonia readings in the 29gal the past few days as well, but just barely - probably due to the fish I added. I changed one of the carbon filters today (the filter unit holds two), so that might help.
Side note - I was doing a gravel vac in my 29gal and found two really tiny snails. That of course means there's about 20 of them in there... Great. | |
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February 10th, 2009
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| | Fish Helper
| Well, I'm calling the 10gal cycled. The ammonia wasn't truly at 0, but just barely. It's been below 0.25ppm since the beginning of the weekend, and it'll go down with a water change. | |
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February 10th, 2009
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| | Fish Keeper
| I thought this product was suppose to instantly cycle your tank did it work? | |
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February 11th, 2009
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| | Fish Helper
| "Instant" isn't on the label, but it does take care of things quickly for you.
It worked great on my 29gal - took 11 days to completely get through the cycle.
Had trouble with it in my 10gal. I dunno if it's because it had been running for a couple weeks before I added it, because it was a smaller tank, or what. All things said and done, it's been about three weeks since I first added SafeStart to the 10gal, and it's now at a place I'm comfortable calling cycled.
In summary, yes, it worked, but results may vary. | |
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