Cycle With Tetra Safestart

[elena15]

Hello everyone,
at the end of august i bought a 65 liter tank and i tried to cycle without any fish in it, but something went wrong and i had to start again. 
So i thought to try Tetra Safe start and i bought 3 male platies to start cycling,
Now after a week i tested the water and i read 0.25 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 5 nitrate. Is this mean it's been cycled?
I've also checked my tap water and it has 0.25 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 40 nitrate.
 
Before, when i still didn't put anything in the tank my water was: 0.25/0.5 ammonia, 0 nitrite and 0 nitrate.
 
The day before putting Tetra Safestart i made a 15% water change.
 
 
 
Thanks,
Elena
 

 

[daizeUK]

 
Is this mean it's been cycled?

 
No, it means that your fish-in cycle has not yet started.
What is the pH of your tank water?

 

[elena15]

it's 8.2 

 

[Ch4rlie]

Ok, your tank is definitely not cycled by the sound of it and you are now doing a fish in cycle which is that much harder as you need to do water changes of at least 50% every day maybe several times a day and more stressful to you and the fish and also not to mention more expensive since you need to buy much more dechlorintaor to add to the tap water on each water change.
 
I'd recommend you return or re-home these platies as its not fair on them to go through a fish in cycle.
 
And start with a fishless cycle, here is the link for 'Cycling a Tank' from this forum. It is excellent and tells you pretty much everything you need to know.
 
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/421488-cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first/
 
So, you will need ammonia which you can buy online or from a store like Homebase.
 
A liquid test kit if you do not already have one, tests for ph, ammonia, nitrite and nitrates. API Master Freshwater Test Kit is a popular brand and is a fairly decent test kit for beginners.
 
That will give you a decent start for your fishless cycling a tank.

 

[daizeUK]

Ammonia is more toxic at higher pH so that's not good news.  Adding Tetra Safestart was a good move but if your ammonia is above zero and nitrite is still zero after a week then it doesn't seem to be doing much.

 

[Meeresstille]

What are you using to test your water? It sounds strange to me that you have either 0 (before you bought the fish) and now 5 in Nitrates, when your tap water has 40 Nitrates! Nitrates don't disappear on their own, the only way to reduce them is through water changes, and in your case you would just add more.

 

[elena15]

What are you using to test your water? It sounds strange to me that you have either 0 (before you bought the fish) and now 5 in Nitrates, when your tap water has 40 Nitrates! Nitrates don't disappear on their own, the only way to reduce them is through water changes, and in your case you would just add more.

 
I use Api liquid Master test kit.  
I remember when i first started the fishless cycle in August the first few days i read Nitrate as well, and then they disappeared.. and i've never done water changes during the fishless cycle. 

 maybe i'm doing something wrong 

 

[daizeUK]

Unless there is a nitrate sponge in your filter?  Otherwise your nitrate test doesn't sound right.  Nitrates are not really important to you at this stage though.
 
Whereabouts are you?  Out of interest because my pH is the same as yours.

 

[elena15]

Unless there is a nitrate sponge in your filter?  Otherwise your nitrate test doesn't sound right.  Nitrates are not really important to you at this stage though.
 
Whereabouts are you?  Out of interest because my pH is the same as yours.

 
Mm i'm pretty sure i don't have a nitrate sponge! tomorrow i'll try again and see if something more proper come out.
i live in London  

 

[Ch4rlie]

Could it be the actual nitrate test itself?
 
API nitrate test is known to be unreliable due to the 2nd reagent solution bottle.

 

[Sarette]

I recently cycled my new tank in just 2 weeks using tetra safe start. Was yours in date?

 

[elena15]

I recently cycled my new tank in just 2 weeks using tetra safe start. Was yours in date?

Yes it was.. Maybe it's because i bought the bottle for the exact amount of water and not more?!

 

[Ch4rlie]

Can you cycle a tank in just 2 weeks using Tetra Safe Start?
 
Just curious really. Took me just under 3 weeks to do a fully fishless cycle my other tank with mature media from my main tank.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

if I remember correctly, tetra has some specific directions about not doing any water changes right before and for some time agfter adding Safe Start. They also do not want it anywhere near dechlor as well.
 
If one fails to follow the directions, they can not complain the product doesn't work.
 
Using the better bottled bacteria should get most tanks cycled in a week.

 

[daizeUK]

I found this from Tetra about dechlorinator (This was in response to someone complaining that the directions with the bottle are not clear):
  

In regards to ammonia products, yes, they kill TSS. Any type, whether a
chloramines remover or detoxifier, etc, anything that says it locks up
ammonia or removes ammonia. Do not add TSS for 24 hours after using
such a product, and do not add such a product for at least 7 days after
using TSS. The bacteria is housed in a special stabilized solution of
ammonia, so if you remove/lock up the ammonia, you remove all of the
food the bacteria require to live.

 
However I notice that Tetra say it 'removes the food the bacteria require to live'.  TTA we've discussed many times that bacteria can live for long periods of time without food and at worst this would send them into dormancy rather than kill them.  Since there is a positive ammonia reading in the tank I cannot imagine how ammonia removal would completely incapacitate the bacteria for any length of time.