I got a bottle of One and Only to try to get our tank to cycle. We also added a bag of Eco complete for the plants. I dont have a liquid test kit yet, its been back ordered, but I have strips and both the nitrates and nitrites are too high, even after adding the One and Only. It was slightly frozen when I got it, so Im hoping its not ruined, but it might be. How long does it take for the One and Only to work its way through the tank and the levels to drop? Did I screw up by adding the Eco complete? The Eco complete also came with a packet of stuff that said to add to the water and add fish immediately to cycle the tank, should I get some feeders to try and cycle it with that stuff? I know someone who has an abundance of balloon mollies that I could put in there too.
Trying to get a tank cycled
- Thread starter jillire
- Start date
I also bought a bottle of "stuff" recommended by a local shop when I started the tank.
I'm not gonna mention the brand, because my methods could have been faulty... but..
I can't find a single live bacterial cell in the bottle! (The label clearly reads "... nitrifying bacteria ... select cultures...")
Yes, I have a microscope... yes, I know how to prepare slides... I've tried 3 different dyes, as well as a clean sample and have found no live bacteria... some "stuff" that could be the remains of dead cells... hard to say once they're dead.
So... maybe I got a bad bottle... or maybe this stuff is just snake-oil. In any case... I've watched the tank go through a "cycle" (fish-in) and it took 2+ weeks to get the ammonia under control (zero), then 3+ to get the nitrites down... so... that doesn't sound like a very "accelerated" cycle to me... In any case, I'm not sure the stuff wasn't completely worthless
I'm not gonna mention the brand, because my methods could have been faulty... but..
I can't find a single live bacterial cell in the bottle! (The label clearly reads "... nitrifying bacteria ... select cultures...")
Yes, I have a microscope... yes, I know how to prepare slides... I've tried 3 different dyes, as well as a clean sample and have found no live bacteria... some "stuff" that could be the remains of dead cells... hard to say once they're dead.
So... maybe I got a bad bottle... or maybe this stuff is just snake-oil. In any case... I've watched the tank go through a "cycle" (fish-in) and it took 2+ weeks to get the ammonia under control (zero), then 3+ to get the nitrites down... so... that doesn't sound like a very "accelerated" cycle to me... In any case, I'm not sure the stuff wasn't completely worthless
I have not found yet a product that speeds up the cycling processs. As suggested above Snake oil....
A few questions how long have you been cycling the tank? What are feeding the bacteria with? Apart from nitrites are you showing any ammonia or nitrates.
If you want an accurate water test take a sample down to your LFS and get them to use their liquid test kit.
A few questions how long have you been cycling the tank? What are feeding the bacteria with? Apart from nitrites are you showing any ammonia or nitrates.
If you want an accurate water test take a sample down to your LFS and get them to use their liquid test kit.
water change like its something fun to do daily,..and just throw some dither fish in there and wait it out.
The only bacteria in a bottle product that is well known to work is Tetra Safe Start. I used it to to cycle all 3 of my tanks.