Tetra Safe Start for a Planted Cycle?

[Derigriff]

Hello, and apologies once again for more questions! My tank should be arriving on Monday (after chasing it up for 2 weeks), and the plants a few days after. I was wondering, if planning to do a planted cycle using live, fast growing plants, is it useful/necessary to use a product such as Tetra Safe Start to 'help it along', and if so, is the Tetra product the best one of its type to use? Thanks

Also if that's the case, would it be best to put it in at the same time as the plants, or let the tank run empty for a few days with only the safe start before adding the plants. Sorry if these seem like stupid questions, I've only just encountered these 'safe start' bacterial sources, and am not sure if they are necessary/how to use them.

One last unrelated question: when setting up the tank, is it easier to wash and set up the hardscape first, before putting any water in? Or is it harder to position the various pieces.

 

[Derigriff]

I'll take the lack of response as evidence that I need to stop with all the questions then

 

[HoldenOn]

Sorry, been a little busy. Yes it is safe. The plants are going to melt a little when you first put them in, but after 3ish weeks, they will perk up.

 

[HoldenOn]

You don't actually need to use it though. It's up to you though. There is no negative connotations, but it won't be doing much if you are doing a planted cycle.

 

[Derigriff]

I'll probably go without then, thanks for the reply. Also, apologies for the double post, been a bit of a stressful day and I got overly paranoid

 

[HoldenOn]

I'll probably go without then, thanks for the reply. Also, apologies for the double post, been a bit of a stressful day and I got overly paranoid

Its alright. Sometimes if you post during a big wave you might get overlooked.

 

[Retired Viking]

I agree with @HoldenOn you should not need it if your doing a planted cycle, I have done several planted cycles. Just make sure you have some fast growing floating plants like anacharis, hornwort or water sprite to soak up the ammonia and that your plants are showing signs of growth. Tetra Safe Start Plus is a very good product. Sorry for not responding sooner

 

[mbsqw1d]

Can I assume you have some fish in the tank then?
Or are you adding ammonia?

 

[madmark285]

No experience but concerns I read about, how do you know the bacteria in the bottle is still alive? There no way to directly test.

You can also seed your aquarium with ammonia (Dr. Tim's) to prove food for the bacteria colonies to speed the cycling process up. Here you can test ammonia and nitrite levels to confirm you have cycled your tank.

Or you can use both.

 

[Ch4rlie]

Can I assume you have some fish in the tank then?
Or are you adding ammonia?

Op does not have the tank yet, just asking advice in advance.

Well a planted cycle means using LOTS of fast growing plants then you won’t really need the Tetra Safe Start but certainly won’t do any harm at all, in fact may be beneficial as it would boost bacteria numbers, but not essential for planted silent cycling.

If only putting in a few plants or normal amount of plants then this won’t cycle as quick if at all.

If you’re just a few bunches of plants then I’d suggest to use Tetra Safe Start as this will help push the cycle on a bit quicker and continue to do a fishless cycle as per the forum article.

Cycling Your New Fresh Water Tank: Read This First!

Cycling Your First Fresh Water Tank What is Cycling and Why is it Important? Fish waste, and especially fish breathing, plus uneaten food and other organic matter breaking down in a tank all produce Ammonia. This can quickly become toxic to fish if it is allowed to build up to any measurable...

www.fishforums.net

And as someone already mentioned, you’ll need some ammonia for dosing to feed the bb, Dr Tim’s Ammonium Chloride is fine to use as long as you follow instructions on bottle and article.

 

[Derigriff]

Thank you all for the responses! I've got a great deal of fast growing plants on the way, so i think i should be alright with just the silent cycle, based on what's been said. Apologies again for the questions, as i mentioned earlier i've been constantly having to try and get a hold of the supplier for about 2 weeks to get any concrete information on the order confirmation or shipping date, so i've been stuck with nothing but over-planning and over-thinking to do!

 

[seangee]

If you have the safe start add it when you add the fish. If you don't already have it then don't worry about it.