# Monitoring Tetra Safestart



## mjbn (Jun 22, 2010)

I added a bottle for up to 30 gallons to my 10 gallon last night around 8PM. It is not 7:45AM and i tested the water. Ammonia is from .5-1ppm, no nitrite reading, nitrate is between 10-20 ppm. i will be posting my results as i test my water for those of you who kinda wanna try, but aren't sure if it'll work. We'll see if im one of the lucky ones whos bacteria actually did work.


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## kitten_penang (Mar 26, 2008)

good luck with it


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## bones14 (Mar 19, 2010)

I used Nutrafin Cycle when I set up my 37g tank.I wouldn't have except I was breaking down an old tank to start a new one and had to move my fish quickly.I'm glad to say I didn't loose any fish in the move but I also did water changes religiously and still do.I think the biological supplements work if you do it correctly and don't rely on them to do all the work for you.


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## kitten_penang (Mar 26, 2008)

nutrafin is wonderful btw.i love it.pure herbal and safe =)


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

I have many years ago used Cycle. With so many plants, I may or may not have needed it anyway, but it was something of a "cushion" just to be safe.

I now recommend two products that are 100% bacteria, no chemicals or stuff. Seachem's Stability is one, and Tetra's Safe Start is the other. I have used the former.

Several years ago, Dr. Timothy Hovanec, a biologist, discovered the process for bottling live bacteria, and he had his own business. He sold the patent rights to Tetra, and SafeStart is that formula. Seachem's may not be identical, but it is bacteria and that is what matters.

Dr. Hovanec also discovered that the second bacterium in the nitrification cycle is not nitrobacter but nitrospira. There may be some other bacteria involved as well, but the main ones according to Dr. Hovanec's findings are nitrosomonas and nitrospira.

For those interested, here is a link to his papers on the bacteria:
http://www.drtimsaquatics.com/Library_Presentations/SciencePapers/SciencePapers.html
The second, third and fourth abstract deal with the nitrifying bacteria discoveries, and there are links to the full scientific papers. The second tab from the left in the purple bar across the top, headed H2O Pure-Freshwater, takes you to his bacteria bottling info.

Byron.


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## mjbn (Jun 22, 2010)

since I ant seem to edit my first post (?), heres my 1st&2nd day results

day 1: 
ammonia: .5-1 ppm
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 10-20 ppm

day 2: no changes at all, yet. Hoping the ammonia will go down soon.. 
ammonia: .5-1 ppm
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 10-20 ppm


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## mjbn (Jun 22, 2010)

day 3: slight drop in ammonia. Remember, 3 fish in tank (2male guppies, 1male betta) 
ammonia: .25-.5
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 20-40 (the api nitrate test is hard to read cuz 10&20 as well as 40&80 are so similar in color it's nearly impossible to tell the difference..)


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## mjbn (Jun 22, 2010)

day 4: slight drop in ammonia.
ammonia: a little higher than .25
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 40(i then did a 10% water change)

once ammonia hits zero I will be adding 4 white clouds, remove the betta, and then if everything is stable, I'll add 2 more +8;;, then a week after, I'll add my last guppy.


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## mjbn (Jun 22, 2010)

today(day 4) I have decided to remove the betta early and replace him with 4 white clouds. Prior to removing/adding, the ammonia level was under .25. I took my heater out but temps still seem to be hovering around 78 degrees.. Trying to get it around 75 degrees.


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## mjbn (Jun 22, 2010)

day 5: slight drop in ammonia
ammonia: <<.25
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 30

day 6: added in 2 more white clouds & some amazon sword the night before today
ammonia: >.25 (not surprised)
nitrite: 0
nitrate: did not test


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## 1077 (Apr 16, 2008)

mjbn said:


> day 5: slight drop in ammonia
> ammonia: <<.25
> nitrite: 0
> nitrate: 30
> ...


 
Normally it's a good idea not to add fish to tanks with ammonia present. It can cause damage to fishes that may affect their survival and these effects can be slow in presenting syptoms ,or it can happen quite quickly.
Is why I am not a fan of so called cycle in a bottle products. Too many folks think that it is a miracle tonic that allows stocking the tank before it has developed a sufficient bacterial colony to consume ammonia produced by the fish.
These products do not work well across all tanks due to things like pH,temp, available oxygen,and or surface area available. Add to this overfeeding and or over stocking ,and you more often as not wind up with a cycling tank full of sick fish.


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