Cycling Question

[bexhed]

Hi all!

Just posted the below in the newbie's section before I saw this bit! We're getting back into tropical fish after a couple of years out and I've got a cycling question:

When we dismantled our tanks a couple of years ago, there was some new stuff about for cycling. Kept in fridges, advertised as live bacteria to 'instantly' cycle your tank. Is it any good do you know? How instant is it and can anyone tell me the name of it?

I was hoping this stuff might be up to the job, otherwise I'm on the scrounge for a bit of filter media from someone's tank who won't mind swapping a bit of old for a bit of new if you get what I mean!!! (just seen the list of possible swapees above so that's good news!)

 

[Aqua Tom]

Reading the opinions from the more experianced guys on here I think that stuff is just a gimmick.

 

[drobbyb]

Actually, Bio-Spira (which is out of production now, unfortunately) worked quite well as long as you got it not too long after it was shipped to your LFS. Sadly the products marketed now as "shelf stable" really aren't and they are just a waste of money. Fishless cycling is the way to go

 

[waterdrop]

Agree with Robby (he's a fishkeeper with some really good experience going for him!) WD

 

[Geoff-]

I'll preface by saying I'm a complete newbie to tropicals and I'm still on my first tank cycle BUT I have read a reasonable amount of reports regarding bacteria and therefore profess myself to be a consummate expert on the matter

There are 2 types of bacteria - live types which are most likely bottled with their own food source and need to be kept refrigerated. Secondly there's the bacterial spore type (Seachem Stability) which is in a dormant state and ready to come alive when conditions are right (ie when they get let out of the bottle).

With live bacteria you are dosing the tank with the bacteria's food source as well which is effectively fish waste (ammonia). The bacteria should start munching it once they warm up to 20C+ but you might have a spike for a few hours. Overdosing the tank with the "food" (waste) is a risk to fish if you've got them in there, but since the bacteria are already live they should start working immediately.

Stability is just bacterial spores, which should start dividing once they get into the water where the conditions are suitable. It's not a once-off dose, they say continue to dose for 7 days and you can't overdose - this is because it's just spores.. there is no waste included in the bottle or the spores would start their work before you put it in the tank. If you overdose with spores they just die off.. doesn't matter.

I got impatient with waiting for a natural fish-in cycle to take place (daily water changes blah) and dosed with Stability last night. I'll update later on whether the water parameters have changed.

 

[Squidward]

Hi All,

I used Tetra Safestart. It was brilliant. There are people on this Forum who think it is a gimmick. But I have found it to be really good. Cycled my 55gal Malawi tank with it, and fully stocked in a very short time thereafter and never had an Ammonia or Nitrite spike.

Thanks
Squidward

 

[Gvilleguy]

Squidward - now that is a good fish forum name! Wish I had thought of it before you nabbed it!

What would be interesting is if someone with enough time on their hands (hah!) could take two identical tanks, with identical setup conditions, and fishless cycle one with an additive and one without. Or if anyone has already done that, let us know.

 

[bexhed]

Thanks everyone! Still early days but will give it some thought and some more research. I will probably go with the borrowed media as the first option but if that's a no go will perhaps try the Safestart or Stability.

Geoff - please let us know how the Stability goes and if you have a spike at all?