Stress Zyme To Start Nitrogen Cycle? Can I Add Fish Soon?

[xoxfletchxox]

I was told by pet shop to add stress zyme and wait 2 days then add some hardy fish. I have also added some ph down to make my ph lower. In 2 3 days shall i add some hardy fish?

 

[SexyFishKeeper]

I've never used stress zyme to kick start the cycle, but have heard the benefits of it are close to zero as possible.

Best get adding a source of ammonia and read the topics on fishless cycling.

 

[Matt_northants]

Sorry but 2 days is too short a period for the cycling of the tank to be complete, its probably closer to 2 weeks using stress zyme. Test your water every day for ammonia and nitrite, when these have peaked and returned to 0, then its safe to add your first fish. Then just add a few at a time to allow the filter to catch up with the extra bioload.

 

[SXI - Matt]

Would you recommened using stress zyme, i used this in my old tank added it and waited 2 weeks before ading fish and had no problems this time around on my new tank i tried another brand waited the recommended time and put the fish in and had no end of problems so have empted the tank re-filled and going to use this again as had no problems befor, how ever do i put one dossage in and then wait two weeks or do i keep adding it? Doesnt say on the back only has directions once fish are in?

 

[Matt_northants]

Would you recommened using stress zyme, i used this in my old tank added it and waited 2 weeks before ading fish and had no problems this time around on my new tank i tried another brand waited the recommended time and put the fish in and had no end of problems so have empted the tank re-filled and going to use this again as had no problems befor, how ever do i put one dossage in and then wait two weeks or do i keep adding it? Doesnt say on the back only has directions once fish are in?

I've used both Stress Zyme and Nutrafin Cycle to cycle new tanks and not had any problems with either. Do you add a food source to you tank for the bacteria during cycling? I normally add 1 flake a day. You put one dosage in on day1 then another on day7 for most of them, just remember to test for ammonia and nitrite every day so you can make sure that the levels peak and then return to 0

 

[SXI - Matt]

Excellent im going to stick with the stress zyme then add the first dose in the morning then the secound in a week. No iv never thought of doing that adding a flake aday would that help then? Oh and ill definatly check every day so with one dose itl make the cycle peak and lower then? sorry its been a while since iv done this? And on the back of the stress zyme bottle it only says dosage once the fish are in? so deffinatly do one dosage then a week time secound then a week and 1st fish?

 

[rabbut]

[topic="224306"]Here is a link to fish-in cycling[/topic], and I strongly advise you to read it and if you haven't already, [topic="113861"]this thread on fishless cycling[/topic]. In my experience, stress zyme does speed the cycle, but not to a point where it is safe to add more than about 1 fish per 20 gallons, as a start. Even then, levels of ammonia and nitrite have the potential to peak outside the "safe" range. What I would strongly recomend you do, is a fishless cycle with the stress zyme to speed things along. Inpatience killed my first round of fish, and I would hate the same to happen to you. Loosing all the fish the night after adding them is a real demoralising hit to take at any point during your time in the hobby, and is the caurse of many tanks being sold second hand.

All the best, and good luck with what ever methord of cycling you choose

Rabbut

 

[SXI - Matt]

Im not tyring to speed my cycle up im quite happy waiting a couple of weeks just trying to find out what i have to do now i have filled it up and let the temprature settle so far i havent added any think to it not even my plants yet whats my next step?

 

[Matt_northants]

Excellent im going to stick with the stress zyme then add the first dose in the morning then the secound in a week. No iv never thought of doing that adding a flake aday would that help then? Oh and ill definatly check every day so with one dose itl make the cycle peak and lower then? sorry its been a while since iv done this? And on the back of the stress zyme bottle it only says dosage once the fish are in? so deffinatly do one dosage then a week time secound then a week and 1st fish?

I think thats what it is for Stress Zyme but for my last tank I used Nutrafin Cycle as I couldnt get hold of Stress Zyme. As the flake decomposes it releases ammonia which is then converted to nitrite which in turn is converted to nitrate. A different strain of bacteria is used in each conversion. Once the ammonia and nitrite have reached their highest level and dropped to zero it should be safe to add a small few fish. When I used Stress Zyme I added a few small tetras on day 28.

 

[SXI - Matt]

So you waited a month befor adding any fish, is stress zyme used instead of say adding pure ammonia iv just read up on it "the non fish cycles" and it seems very diffrent to what some fish shops are saying, im getting very confused on how to start my tank now?

 

[Matt_northants]

Stress zyme is a concentrated source of baceteria ammonia is a food source for the bacteria. When I did it I added flake as an ammonia source but this is a case of personal preference. Pretty sure it was either week 4 or week 3 for Stress Zyme, using Nutrafin Cycle it took about 18days but added fish on day21, that was for my newest FW tank.

 

[Mikaila31]

The fastest way to cycle a tank properly is by doing a fishless cycle. Adding stress zyme, Cycle, or similar products is going to have no effect on the tank unless you also add a source of ammonia. ( Even then these products are going to have little effect on speeding up the cycle IMO, they are just a waste of money. You can add pure ammonia or fish food which will break down into ammonia. A fishless cycle can take from 3-6 weeks when properly done. You can dramatically speed up the process by adding some "mature filter media" from a tank that has already cycled. You can sometimes get this media from LFS or family and friends, and there are members on here that are willing to donate some. If you get enough you can sometimes skip the cycle completely . Also my best advice is don't listen to the fish shops, cuz they most often give bad advice. Also a good thing to get would be liquid test kits to monitor ammonia, nitrite, ph, and nitrate. Don't get the test strips, cuz they don't work very good.

 

[rabbut]

As above, relaly. Bactiria need ammonia to survie, and in the type of cycle that your fish shops are advising you to do, fish provide the ammonia. Ammonia is toxic, and at best will shorten the lives of your fish. A fishless cycle will be kinder on your fish, as an artificial source of ammonia is used, thus fish are at no risk of being poisoned. The second link in my previous post goes to the pinned topic on fishless cycling, and is well worth the read. It should make the process simpler to understang. Fish feed can be used instead of ammonia, if you cannot get the correct stuff, but bottled ammonia IMO gives more control over the cycle. As explained in the linked thread, if ammonia gets too high, bactiria production slows past 8ppm, and it can easily go beond this using food, thus stalling the cycle. If using food, you need to ba adding the ammount of food you expect to feed you fish dayly, for the fish you which to add at the end of the cycle.

HTH
Rabbut

 

[rdd1952]

Im not tyring to speed my cycle up im quite happy waiting a couple of weeks just trying to find out what i have to do now i have filled it up and let the temprature settle so far i havent added any think to it not even my plants yet whats my next step?

Stress Zyme is not a bacteria starter. Quote from their Tech Sheet on their website:

"Stress Zyme is a biological filter additive containing live bacteria that improves the development of the biological filter and helps clean a dirty aquarium. The build-up of organic pollution in the aquarium inhibits the growth of nitrifying bacteria. The bacteria in Stress-Zyme keep conditions in the aquarium right for the development of the biological filter by consuming harmful organic pollutants. This speeds the development of the biological filter in newly set up aquariums. A build-up of organic compounds also promotes the growth of disease-causing organisms in the aquarium. Stress Zyme keeps the biological filter working properly by keeping the aquarium gravel and filter clean. Water quality and living conditions are improved when Stress Zyme is used on a regular basis."

It doesn't say that it contains nitrifying bacteria. I love API test kits and use Stress Coat as a dechlorinator but think Stress Zyme is a total waste of money. It won't hurt but I seriously doubt that it will help. I tried it one and could not tell that it did anything.

As has already been mentioned, you need a food source (ammonia) to build the bacteria colony. You can use botted ammonia in a fishless cycle as well as fish flakes (put them in something and hang in the tank rather than just dumping them in - makes a mess) or prawns. Basically anything that decays will create ammonia. It's just a lot harder to regulate how much you have put in with items that will decay. Of course, if you cycle with fish, they are the ammonia source with their waste.

Back to the original question. If you want to do a fishless cycle, you can't add fish until you have added ammonia long enough for the bacteria clony to develop (see fishless cycling thread in my signature). If you cycle with fish, just make sure you go very slowly (no more than 3 hardy fish to start), test daily to make sure ammonia and nitrite aren't getting high and do water changes as needed. You goal in cycling with fish is to make sure the ammonia and nitrite levels stay at .25 ppm or below. That may require water changes every day or even a couple times a day.