Theres only one word for Tetra Safestart............Useless!
Nonstickron, my advice to you is don't waste your money! If you are in the UK, try Bactinnettes, if you are in the US, try Bio-Spira (if its still available). Elsewhere, i'm not sure.
There is a way to instantly cycle a tank, and all it requires is some simple maths.
You get mature media from a mature tank which houses (as an example) 10 guppies. If you take 1/3 of the media, the media you have taken should safely take care of the waste produced by 3 guppies (10/3). In this instance you can safely add 3 guppies straight away. Instantly cycled tank.
As another example, if the mature tank contains 6 oscars and you take 1/2 the mature media, you could safely add 3 oscars of the same size straight away (6/2).
If you go down this route, there are a few things to consider
1. Filter bacteria in a mature filter can double in around 24 hours, so never remove more than 50% of the media at any time. 1/3 is best in my experience.
2. Even a mature filter can have blips, so make sure to closely monitor both the mature set-up and the new tank for ammonia and nitrite for at least a week after transferring the media. If either ammonia or nitrite appear in any quantity, no matter how small, large water changes should be performed to counter it.
3. It is best to add the mature media and the fish to the new tank at the same time. If the media is added first, the bacteria will start to die off due to the lack of a food source (ammonia). If the fish are added first, an ammonia build up may occur and kill the fish.
4. If you start the tank with say 3 guppies (depending on the media as described above), bear in mind that the bacteria will take around 24 hours to double, so it would be stupid to then add 10 more guppies the next week as this would overload the filter. When using this method, additional stocking must be slow to allow the filter to catch up, never adding more than the equivalent of what is already in the tank at any one time. Adding the equivalent of 1/2 of the current stocking each time is a good regime (e.g. if there are 6 guppies in the tank already, add no more than 3 guppies).
5. Always test for ammonia and nitrite for at least 1 week after additional stocking, and if they appear in any quantity whatsoever, water changes as necessary. You should only consider adding more fish after 1 week has passed where ammonia and nitrite have both consistently been nil. This rule applies for each additional stocking.
Hope this helps.
BTT
