Nutrafin Cycle

[Efren]

i set up a new tank just a while ago.
and i'm new to this hobby...

i put nutrafin aqua plus as per instructed...
and now i've got stucked. i'm wondering
when to put the Nutrafin Cycle...

can i put it staight away?
or should i put it right before adding a fish?

 

[alysonpeaches]

i set up a new tank just a while ago.
and i'm new to this hobby...

i put nutrafin aqua plus as per instructed...
and now i've got stucked. i'm wondering
when to put the Nutrafin Cycle...

can i put it staight away?
or should i put it right before adding a fish?

Straight away. But Ive been told it doesnt work. Its supposed to colonise your filter with beneficial bacteria but apparently they cant stay alive in a little bottle like that. I used it though as it came with my set up. Didnt do any harm.
http/www.fishforums.net/content/New-to-t...shless-Cycling/

Read the articles above on fishless cycling and there is also an article about fish in cycling somewhere.

 

[Esfa]

Hey .

The simple answer: Never. This stuff is useless.

Read these threads about how to really cycle your tank, and what it's all about

http/www.fishforums.net/content/New-to-t...eady-have-fish/

http/www.fishforums.net/content/New-to-t...shless-Cycling/

 

[Efren]

thanks alysonpeaches and esfa...

yup, it comes with the package so the only thing i know about them are the things
stated in the bottle which is quite nice..

thanks for the links---
i'll read them straight away.

 

[jumblepod]

I have used cycle and its a waste of time. However tetra safe start really does help with the cycle. i got my tank cycled in 3 weeks using that stuff.

 

[Efren]

TEtra Safe Start is the recommendation of an Aquatic-shop in Kilburn London too.
however i'm still doubtful about it - -it's not even refrigerated
so how come live bacterias gonna survive in that nice lookin' bottle.
if it works in your tank - then well done -
but in my case i don't think i'm ready to gamble...

I'm tryin' to get hold of Bactinettes though -
Maidenhead Aquatics sell it - -
Axleuk (member here) have a convincing statement about it.

and fishless cycling is the best - although it takes a long time....
very LONG - -

 

[SJ2K]

4/5 weeks of fishless cycling is nothing compared to weeks and weeks of daily water changes and non stop water testing, just do it, trying to cop out on a quik fix solution is always a risk, fishless cycling isnt.

 

[gaz gun man]

4/5 weeks of fishless cycling is nothing compared to weeks and weeks of daily water changes and non stop water testing, just do it, trying to cop out on a quik fix solution is always a risk, fishless cycling isnt.

would agree with that. plus the 4 or so weeks of fishless cycling gives you an established bacterial load in your filter.

 

[waterdrop]

I agree with SJ2K! --Just Do It!-- One of the great pleasures at the end of fishless cycling is the feeling of confidence you have in your new knowledge of what the heck the whole tank "system" is all about. By the time its over, if you've been interacting about it here on the forum, you're likely to understand a lot more about what to watch for in your tank and how to interpret the symptoms you will see. At the end, when you bring home fish, it can almost seem like they are racing around with joy to have found water that is wonderful, water that is better than what they had at the LFS and a new environment that they really want to establish as their own.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Corleone]

If Tetra Safe Start can be counted on for a 3 week cycle, it's just as useless as Cycle, IMO. I've had a fishless cycle finish in 3 weeks with no additives, and typical is around 4 weeks. If it could knock it down to 2 weeks, maybe, but considering the claims all of them make, even that's nowhere near as advertised.

Fishless cycling is the fastest and safest way to go. You can try any bottled bacteria you want during the cycle - with most brands you can just upend the whole bottle in instead of going with the capful a day as directed method. If they fail, you've lost nothing but your money.

 

[vinylman]

If the LFS will let you have a little mature filter media, that'd be several light years better than the bottled miracles some shops would like you to buy.

 

[Efren]

hi guys -
thanks for your replies

i manage to get the ammonia today -
i'm still into fishless cycling -
i'll start later though cause there's been a delay with my
API master test kit -

i ordered it from seapets.com and suppose to arrive within this week
but nothing yet - -da*n online transactions - - - -
so need to phone them tomorrow to follow it up - -

and regarding about the bactinettes - just want to see if it really works - -
so if i plan of getting a few more tanks - i've got several options to choose from -

i will not use fish in my tests - i would simulate it by adding 5ppm ammonia - just like in fishless cycling - -
and check if bactinettes gonna do its part - - so it's more like fishless cycle nonetheless...

 

[Jazee B]

Hi, I got my first tank in May and did a fishless cycle like everyone recommends. it took 4 weeks which felt like forever but it was definately worth it. i now have pristilla and blood fin tetras and a pair of blue rams. you'll always get lots of good advice here, i asked loads and loads of questions in the early stages you ask miss wiggle, waterdrop and rabbut!! Good luck with the fishless cycle.

 

[Corleone]

and regarding about the bactinettes - just want to see if it really works - -
so if i plan of getting a few more tanks - i've got several options to choose from -

Bactinettes has the potential to work. It's worked for some people, failed for others, and been somewhat successful for some. If you're going to try a bacteria product, that's one of the few to go with. Do it as part of a fishless cycle (which you're preparing to do, so no problem) as a safety net. If it works, good job and you can start getting fish. If the worst case comes and it fails entirely, you're not getting dumped into a fish-in cycle.

If you do plan on getting a few more tanks, you'll be growing the good stuff for free, though. Running a new filter on a mature tank for a month can colonize it, and taking a third of the media from a tank that's been running for 6+ months can usually allow moderate stocking in a similar sized tank right out of the box.

 

[Efren]

and regarding about the bactinettes - just want to see if it really works - -
so if i plan of getting a few more tanks - i've got several options to choose from -

Bactinettes has the potential to work. It's worked for some people, failed for others, and been somewhat successful for some. If you're going to try a bacteria product, that's one of the few to go with. Do it as part of a fishless cycle (which you're preparing to do, so no problem) as a safety net. If it works, good job and you can start getting fish. If the worst case comes and it fails entirely, you're not getting dumped into a fish-in cycle.

If you do plan on getting a few more tanks, you'll be growing the good stuff for free, though. Running a new filter on a mature tank for a month can colonize it, and taking a third of the media from a tank that's been running for 6+ months can usually allow moderate stocking in a similar sized tank right out of the box.

thanks for the reminder carleone -
that's what i'm about to do...
got the ammonia - and the bactinette ready -
but i can't start yet - -

the API test kit hasn't arrive yet -
i'm getting disappointed with them(seapets.com) to be honest..



they told me the KIT should be with me on thursday (last week)
but it's Monday now - and still no sign of it....