Best bottled bacteria/instant cycle product?

[crenicichla444]

LOL, like a broken record .......


David, check out these 2 past discussions. To cut to the chase read post #22 in the first link.

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/f...achem-Stability-Really-Work-or-just-Temporary


http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/f...T-TO-THE-TEST-blank-slate-(daily-perams-pics)

Here's a portion of my comment from the second link, then please someone tell me exactly how that could all be true, if none of these products work.




That tank went from a single 7" cichlid (that's all that was in that 125 for several months) to dropping two 12" snakeheads, and five 5" clown loaches. Bamb! And not a single hiccup in ammonia when using Seachem Stability.


Some of today's bacteria in a bottle definitely work.

Found this thread interesting and I just had to add that I had a 75/80 gallon with 6 1-2 inchrosy red minnows for 5-6
Months then added a 8 inch brycon, 12 inch bichir,
Pair of convicts and a pictus catfish and all did great not a hiccup in ammonia WITHOUT the use of anything. However this was years ago and now I know better not to do anything foolish like this haha idk how I got away with this and the convicts bred a few days after introduction.


Sent from my iPod touch using MonsterAquariaNetwork app

 

[Jag586]

I filled my tank up and had fish in it in 2 hours as a emergency hospital tank (50gallon) I filled it with tank water from my main 220 so the temp was just right and I didn't have to worry about chemicals in the tap, I took a cpl rocks out my main tank too and just did daily w/c it was a brand new filter pad too just had to watch everything it worked I wasn't happy with doing it but I saved my little fish


Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app

 

[David R]

Now I'm not on my phone, I'll try explain the situation a bit better...

I have a ~100L tank I use as a quarantine tank every time I buy new fish for the 2000L tank. I don't keep it running in between uses, waste of power and nothing to keep it cycled anyway. I have a sponge filter I leave running in the sump of the big tank to help kick-start the quarantine tank, but the big tank is only moderately stocked and with the pothos plants I'm lucky to test over 5ppm Nitrate, so I'm a bit sceptical as to how well "cycled" the sponge filter will be.

When I need to set up the quarantine tank (this is only the second time I've set it up) about a week before collecting the new fish I take the sponge filter from the sump and put it in the quarantine tank along with an uncycled Eheim 2224 canister, add some food to keep the bacteria fed (and hopefully grow the colony) and add some Stability to try build up the bio filter in anticipation of the new fish. Obviously it depends on how many new fish I'm bring in as to how well established the filter needs to be (in this case it's six juvi gold nuggets and six young Geophagus altifrons), but what I'm thinking is that if the Stability type products are reliable, all I really need to do is fill the quarantine tank the night before, transfer over the sponge and give it a good dose of Stability over the next week or so. Certainly seems to be the case!

 

[pops]

there aint none, allot of folks say it helps, but naa, no short cut to cycling a tank properly.

 

[ragin_cajun]

I've used Tetra SafeStart and had very good results with it. Problem is, I did it once.....with some comets....I wouldn't try it with nice Pleco's I really want to live. And when I did it, I added fish 1 or 2 at a time for a couple months after I started getting nitrate readings. So I don't really know how well it actually seeded bacteria, how big the bacteria colony in the bottle was, etc. It is very possible that all it did was neutralize ammonia some kinda way and the bacteria just came on naturally. It took 3 weeks to get nitrate readings, and I never saw any nitrite at all.

 

[Jc1119]

there aint none, allot of folks say it helps, but naa, no short cut to cycling a tank properly.

So I imagined my results lol. 10x?

Uhh....


Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app

 

[RD.]

That's right John, it was a figment of your ignoration!

 

[Dieselhybrid]

I've used stability, safe start, etc. But I think squeezing out existing seeded media into new media works best. Or putting a piece of seeded media in with your new media.

Sent from my SM-N900T using MonsterAquariaNetwork App

 

[David R]

Imagined or not, I'm about to drop over $900 worth of fish into this little tank so I think I'll be safe rather than sorry and use the Stability.

Pops, I agree that for cycling a tank "properly" there is no substitute for time. But I don't want to cycle this tank properly, I want it to sustain my new fish for a week or three while I make sure they're not bringing home any nasty extras from the LFS and then it will be emptied again til next time. The wasted electricity and hassle of running it for a month or two dosing daily with ammonia every time I want to buy a new fish is too much...

 

[Jc1119]

I've used stability, safe start, etc. But I think squeezing out existing seeded media into new media works best. Or putting a piece of seeded media in with your new media.

Sent from my SM-N900T using MonsterAquariaNetwork App

I agree. It's like having insurance to do both IMO.


Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app