Add fish before adding Tetra safe start?

I just set up a 20 gallon marineland tank yesterday, let it run for a day so the temperature stabilizes. I added the declorinator about 3:00pm yesterday. From my research on here it says to wait at least 24 hours AFTER using a declorinator to add the safe start. I am going not add some fish today. I am thinking of waiting a little extra to be safe before adding the safe start. Can I add the fish this afternoon and then tonight add the safe start?

I am probably going to get a few tetra glofish (the tank is for my 2 year old daughter) and she likes the colors. Thanks

 

I just set up a 20 gallon marineland tank yesterday, let it run for a day so the temperature stabilizes. I added the declorinator about 3:00pm yesterday. From my research on here it says to wait at least 24 hours AFTER using a declorinator to add the safe start. I am going not add some fish today. I am thinking of waiting a little extra to be safe before adding the safe start. Can I add the fish this afternoon and then tonight add the safe start?

I am probably going to get a few tetra glofish (the tank is for my 2 year old daughter) and she likes the colors. Thanks

Welcome to Fishlore!

Yes, the rule is to wait 24 hours after adding your conditioner/dechlorinator before you add the SafeStart. I will caution you though...it's questionable whether SafeStart and all the other "bacteria in a bottle" products are really effective. The reason is that the bacteria will die if the product sits on the shelf too long or if it's exposed to temperatures that are too hot or too cold, which is very common because of shipping.

I know pet stores will tell you that you can add SafeStart, wait 24 hours and then add fish... I wouldn't recommend it. In my experience, waiting really pays off. I would recommend a fishless cycle over a fish-in cycle if you can stand to wait a few weeks. Going through the cycling process is stressful for fish and it can kill them. You will have a much better chance of success if you cycle your tank before adding fish. Let me know if you are interested in doing this. It's really not difficult, but it's definitely a process and you'll want to read up on it before starting.

I would not add the fish before you've added the SafeStart, regardless. Have you purchased a chemical test kit for your tank? If not, you definitely need to do that ASAP. The most widely recommended kit is the API Freshwater Master Test Kit which is available on Amazon for about $25. It is usually available at local fish stores but I've seen it as high as $40 locally. Depends on where you live.

If you have not yet purchased the fish, I highly recommend holding off on purchasing them until you get the test kit and fully understand the nitrogen cycle.

Good luck!

 

Thanks for the response. I have the apI master kit. I am going to follow the instruction on this link here https://www.fishlore.com/aquariumfishforum/resources/tetra-safestart-q-a.29/ It was recommended to add the fish then up to 12 hours later add the safe start plus. It's been 24 hours since using a water conditioner but I am going to play it safe and wait longer before adding the safe start plus.

 

Thanks for the response. I have the apI master kit. I am going to follow the instruction on this link here It was recommended to add the fish then up to 12 hours later add the safe start plus. It's been 24 hours since using a water conditioner but I am going to play it safe and wait longer before adding the safe start plus.

Fair enough. That would make sense since without the fish there wouldn't be any ammonia for the bacteria to feed on.

 

Yeah that seems to be the idea, let the fish add the ammonia naturally and then add the safe start. The fish we ended up with are 4 globefish tetra's, 2 albino cory catfish and 1 mickey mouse platy. Tank temperature is around 77-78* and i'm using the marine land penguin 150 bio filter.

Petsmart had a killer deal so when I bought this 20 gal I also bought myself a 55 gal marineland kit for $67 which was a steal. Not setting it up yet though.

 

Welcome to FishLore!

While your plan should work fine, keep in mind TSS was designed to be added the same time the fish are added. The reason I believe is because too high of an ammonia level can kill off the TSS bacteria. So by adding fish and TSS at the same time you don't have to worry about the ammonia level getting to high before the bacteria starts converting it. (The TSS bacteria doesn't start to convert ammonia immediately).

 

Yeah that seems to be the idea, let the fish add the ammonia naturally and then add the safe start. The fish we ended up with are 4 globefish tetra's, 2 albino cory catfish and 1 mickey mouse platy. Tank temperature is around 77-78* and i'm using the marine land penguin 150 bio filter.

Petsmart had a killer deal so when I bought this 20 gal I also bought myself a 55 gal marineland kit for $67 which was a steal. Not setting it up yet though.

I know you didn't ask, but you'll want to add more corys. They don't do well in groups of less than 6. They will get stressed with only 2 of them.

 

Congratulations on your new hobby! And welcome to the forum. I just wanted to suggest that you return the two cory's rather than getting 4 more because I think having 6 cory's would overstock your 20 gal tank. That's why I don't have any. They are a schooling fish and have to be kept in groups. Tetras are also schooling fish, so maybe you could trade in the cory's for another Glofish tetra or two. Whatever you decide, good luck!

 

Congratulations on your new hobby! And welcome to the forum. I just wanted to suggest that you return the two cory's rather than getting 4 more because I think having 6 cory's would overstock your 20 gal tank. That's why I don't have any. They are a schooling fish and have to be kept in groups. Tetras are also schooling fish, so maybe you could trade in the cory's for another Glofish tetra or two. Whatever you decide, good luck!

Good point, I hadn't thought too much about the bioload since I don't have corys. I just know they won't be happy with only 2. But it would be better to return them rather than overstock and have bad water quality.

 

Have fun with the MTS (multiple tank syndrome). It's a wonderful disease to have. I just started a second tank this week myself. You've done the right thing by starting with a 20+ gallon tank. Larger tanks are actually easier to take care of since the water parameters stay a little more stable.

 

I just set up a 20 gallon marineland tank yesterday, let it run for a day so the temperature stabilizes. I added the declorinator about 3:00pm yesterday. From my research on here it says to wait at least 24 hours AFTER using a declorinator to add the safe start. I am going not add some fish today. I am thinking of waiting a little extra to be safe before adding the safe start. Can I add the fish this afternoon and then tonight add the safe start?

I am probably going to get a few tetra glofish (the tank is for my 2 year old daughter) and she likes the colors. Thanks

I would recommend finding a friend that will give you some media from their aquarium or filter to help start your cycle. Tropical fish stores will often give you some if you ask as well. I always keep a bunch of lava rock in my aquarium and canisters just for that. Good luck with your new tank!

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Have fun with the MTS (multiple tank syndrome). It's a wonderful disease to have. I just started a second tank this week myself. You've done the right thing by starting with a 20+ gallon tank. Larger tanks are actually easier to take care of since the water parameters stay a little more stable.

Thanks. It started off last month, we won a goldfish at a carnival. Next day bought a 5.5 gal kit for it (didn't know anything then) and had that for a month. After doing some research found out it's way too small a tank and they get big. I was doing 50% water changes everyday to keep it clean. Ammonia levels were around .50. Ended up finding a local pet store and gave the 2 goldfish to them. They were actually fine for a month.

Decided I wanted a bigger tank for my 2 year old and petsmart was having a 50% off sale. Got her marineland 20 gal kit for $60 and a 55 gal marineland kit for myself for $67 (originally $230), could not pass that up! Gonna research what I wanna do with it.

Anyhow, I added the tetra safe start plus last night and hopefully I have good results within a few weeks. Once the tank cycles I'll do weekly water changes of 10-20%.

 

So it's been almost 48 hours since adding the tetra safe start plus and I did a test. 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite and 0 nitrate. I wasn't expecting much right away but I am glad to see 0 ammonia.