Question: Fishless cycling with Tetra Safestart Plus and a shrimp?

SammyTheLotus

New member
Joined
Feb 17, 2016
Messages
227
Reaction score
3
Points
0
Location
Newfoundland and Labrador
Country
Canada
Display Name
Samantha
Okay, so as some of you here may know I've been having a lot of trouble getting my 30 gallon tank to cycle.
On March 30 I restarted my entire tank, washed it out, scrubbed the decor, etc, and added new water, treated with dechlorinator and added a shrimp inside the leg of a pair of pantyhose. The method of adding drops of liquid ammonia was unsuccessful for me last time and I had seen online that people had positive results with their cycling from allowing the shrimp to serve as an ammonia source as it decays.
It's been decaying for about a week now and my ammonia is still at 1.0ppm, and my nitrites are 0 and I have not seen any since I restarted my tank.
However, I picked up a bottle of Tetra Safestart today at my LFS because I've heard several people swear by it and say they've been able to get a cycle going very quickly by using it.
My question is: When I add the Safestart to my tank, should I leave the shrimp where it is or should I remove it?
And as well, should I do a water change before or after adding the Safestart?
If anyone has any experience with a situation like mine or any advice I'd really appreciate it..
Even a step by step guide on what I should be doing at this point would be amazing..I'm getting pretty desperate and would love to move my Axolotl into their home as soon as I can!
Thanks so much! ?☺️
 
Hi, I've heard mixed reviews about adding a bacteria supplement to help cycle a tank, so I'm not sure how effective it will be, but this article explains the process quite thoroughly. Hope it helps.



Fishless Cycling - How to Start - A detailed guide from DrTim's Aquatics



Thanks so much for the helpful link! ☺️ I've heard the mixed reviews on bottled bacteria as well, but a lot of people that I've seen swear by the Tetra brand because it actually has an expiration date, which suggests the bacteria are alive and well for the most part!
 
General chit-chat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
  • Shane douglas:
    with axolotls would I basically have to keep buying and buying new axolotls to prevent inbred breeding which costs a lot of money??
    +1
    Unlike
  • Thorninmyside:
    Not necessarily but if you’re wanting to continue to grow your breeding capacity then yes. Breeding axolotls isn’t a cheap hobby nor is it a get rich quick scheme. It costs a lot of money and time and deditcation
    +1
    Unlike
  • stanleyc:
    @Thorninmyside, I Lauren chen
    +1
    Unlike
  • Clareclare:
    Would Chinese fire belly newts be more or less inclined towards an aquatic eft set up versus Japanese . I'm raising them and have abandoned the terrarium at about 5 months old and switched to the aquatic setups you describe. I'm wondering if I could do this as soon as they morph?
    +1
    Unlike
    Clareclare: Would Chinese fire belly newts be more or less inclined towards an aquatic eft set up versus... +1
    Back
    Top