Using Stress Coat and Stress Zyme

5g - 3 x 1" orandas 3x White Clouds.

Cycling for 6 days so far - unfiltered.

(to read how I got to here see my other posts - etc etc.)

About to add a small internal filter - and have just posted a question about it as well.

I now have some Stress Coat 'water treatment' and some Stress Zyme 'cycle improver' (my descriptions).

They are maufactured in the US - so I'm assuming some of you will recognise the brands.

I'm doing regular small water changes - 1L or so at a time 3 times a day.

How should I use the 'water treatment' :
- add to the new water as I go along ?
- add to the tank initially and then to the new water?
- just add to the tank and top up occasionally as I change the water?

If adding to the tank do I need to dilute first to avoid a concentration until it disperses ?

The 'cycle improver' describes the adding better, but same question - should I dilute slightly to avoid a concentration before dispersal?

Can I do them at the same time or should I do one first (the water treatment) before using the other (the cycle improver) for the first time.

And is there a sensible order to do these in before and or after adding the filter.

My gut instinct is

- add enough water treatment for the entire tank diluted into the next water change.

- then add the filter and get it running (other question open on this).

- then at the next change (a few hours later) add treatment just for the new water amount and after a while add cycle improver for the whole tank volume to the new water, then add it to the tank.

But my gut instinct is clearly faulty or I'd not be here in the first place !


Thanks, John.

Thanks,

Are the 'cycle improvers' actually detrimental or do they just offer no benefit?

I've not seen Bio-spora on any on-line shop pages or catalogues for the Irish shops. I now have a list of a few shops that seem to be quite specialised and have much more extensive stocks.

I never though of asking for filter medium - but I have also been reading about fish shops often having medication of various types in their water and that in general you shouldn't take water from them (i.e transfer fish with a litle shop water as possible etc.) so I would have though that the same would apply to filter medium as well.

And yes I have no way of testing water - I have ordered some kits online and was hoping they would arrive this morning but they didn't - so I've being doing regular small changes as the fish are eating and producing waste so there must be some ammonia - and as it a new setup there is probably very little nitrite production or consequently little nitrate production as yet.

But with my new filter that should beging to change - but I think that I should continue with my changes until my kits arrive and I can test the water.

Liv2padl - I'm adding a filter at the moment - I did mention it a couple of times in the post. I posted a separate question about the specifics of adding a filter - from other boards (on other subjects) I find that if I need to ask separate questions it makes sense to use separate posts - otherwise one question gets burried in the answers to the other.

This was a different fish shop and the chap there did seem to know much more - or more importantly he seemed prepared to part with information.

Which was a refreshing change from the Guy who sold me the tank and said "Don't worry, you'll be Fine" See my post : http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=81756

The main purpose of this visit was to get to see some aquariums (aquaria?) so that I would get a better appreciation of how big the various tank sizes are and so I could get and idea what is available - generally a much smaller range than in US or UK stores from what I can see.

Thanks, John.