Tetra Safe Start Help? Fish will B here Friday

[BigPoppa]

Hi I decided to set up my 10 gallon tank and get some Guppies to teach my son about them as I had them as a child. ANYWAYS lol

I decided Id do the fishless cycle and started tank last Friday. I added a small amount of pure ammonia. Got test kit on Monday and test showed ph 7.2 amm 4.0 nitrite 0 nitrate 0. After reading many many sites and threads I decided I would buy Tetra Safe Start and add my Guppies that way. I tested water today(wed) before adding SS and the results were the same as above and they have been everyday. I added 2/3 of bottle of Tetra Safe Start(30 gal size bottle) at 9am I tested water just now 9pm and the results are still exactly the same ph 7.0 amm 4.0 nitrite 0 nitrate 0. I know you can add your fish with the safe start but I decided to have fish arrive Friday to give me a couple days to see how it goes.

My question is what am I looking for to happen? Should the ammonia levels fall and the nitrates raise? How fast will this happen and what is a safe level come Friday when I have no choice but to add the fish (3 Male guppys+ 9 Female guppys)
I know this is alot of fish for a 10 gallon but I plan on cycling my 55 gallon in a couple weeks and I plan on using this tank to breed and stock the 55 gallon + have a 30 gal I might be setting up in another room later so I need some fish plus the cost of shipping on them I had to get a good many to make it worth it. But being I only have Wally World around here to buy fish I decided to buy from liveaquaria.com.

So from now until Friday what am I looking for to happen? Should I add the other 1/3 bottle of Safe Start when I add the fish? I plan on spending a good hour transferring these fish into the tank with adding and removing water till well acclimated I hope. :goldfish: :fish: :goldfish: :fish:

[PhillipOrigami]

Safestart, won't work. As far as I have ever seen it.
Nitrifying bacteria will die in about 2 days w/o an ammonia source....
Common logic dictates the impossibility of such products. Idk....
You are up for a rough road...., hope you have a water changer... Someone else finish my post, typing on my phone sucks xd:hmm3grin2orange:

[pjaldave]

If you planned to get on with fishless cycle, just continue doing so. Don't add any fish until you finish cycling.

Now go and read : Fishless cycle (http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/aquariumforum/showthread.php?t=5640).

You don't really need to add any of that safe start or any bacteria booster as it only helps if you have fish in a cycling tank.

Plus do a large water change to get that ammonia down to 1-1.5ppm, 4.0ppm is too much for a 10G and will stall your cycle.

[BigPoppa]

If I buy Seachem Stability which seems to be a better product will it be safe to add it with the Safe Start in the tank?

I feel like if these products didnt work so mant people wouldnt report good results.

I just hope Im not about to kill 12 Guppies!

[BigPoppa]

WoW Im in trouble as figured! Damn Im dumb I started doin it the right way then got excited about the fish and Dumb Dumb Dumb!

Anyways I read the cycling with fish and Im goin to do a 80% water change. Crap! Its so dumb because I wanted to do this right this time and of course screwed that up!

[BigPoppa]

Just finished the 80% water change and ammonia is down to .50

[pjaldave]

You are gonna be cycling with fish, so 0.25ppm is still the ideal level of ammonia when you have the fish.

Lol sorry, I edited my post because at first i thought you already have fish, but read it the second time that you will have fish on friday. but its good that you're reading up.

[pjoo1120]

Is there any way to cancel it or hold your order? Or have the fish already been physically shipped? If possible I would try to hold off on the fish until you are done cycling.

[BigPoppa]

Nope I tried that and they were shipped this morning.

I did order stability and prime to be here saturday that hopefully will help some. But they gotta survive from fri til sat.

I have a dechlorinator but its about 4 years old and Im afraid it may no longer be any good???

[pjoo1120]

What happens on Saturday? Not sure if the dechlorinator is good or not. I'd get a new bottle just in case.

At this point I'm afraid it's going to be very difficult to cycle a 10 gallon with 12 guppies.

[pjoo1120]

Whoops just saw that you ordered stuff for Saturday.

[Lady Hobbs]

SafeStart and Seachems Stability works. I have used both but you have to do your part with water changes, etc. These products only "help" convert to less dangerous levels. Tetra SafeStart is supposed to be added as the same time as the fish and Stability is supposed to be dosed a week prior to the fish. Either way........neither of them will work with high levels of ammonia already in the tank. Get that ammonia down.

[BigPoppa]

All I can really do is hope the stability and prime work. I can do as much water change as needed because im 3 steps from the sink to tank so I did a 80% water change in minutes.

The thing that boggles my mind is I know when I was young my uncle gave me a jar of guppies and a 5 gallon tank and my parents bought a heater airpump sponge filter and dechloranator. I went home filled the tank and added guppies as I had no clue of cycling and they lived a long time???

[Lady Hobbs]

And most very young people think a week is a very long time. Guppies breed like rabbits and your tank will very soon be over populated.

[BigPoppa]

What kind of water changes am I looking at? 70% daily? I can change as much and as often as I need to.

[Lady Hobbs]

No. I wouldn't think that at all. You have to show some ammonia to start the cycle going but not so much it kills the fish.

Did you read the links in my signature? Might answer a couple questions for you.

I'm curious why you would order guppies? They aren't exactly uncommon or hard to find. Are these super-dooper guppies or something?
:ssmile:

[PhillipOrigami]

No. I wouldn't think that at all. You have to show some ammonia to start the cycle going but not so much it kills the fish.

Did you read the links in my signature? Might answer a couple questions for you.

I'm curious why you would order guppies? They aren't exactly uncommon or hard to find. Are these super-dooper guppies or something?
:ssmile:
Yeah I was wondering that too... Or do you live with aeon?
I would only order guppies if I ordered "uniqueplus" off aquariumfish.net, cause those look cool!
I don't know what I would do... Can you get seeded media?

[BigPoppa]

I did read your links and learned some things but some mistakes have already been made.

I ordered the fish because
1) I was led to beleive wrongly that if I used Safe Start I could safely add the fish.
2) I live in a very rural area with zero pet stores. Id have to drive atleast 45 mins to get to a pet store.

My mission now since I cant turn back is to try to keep the fish alive. I know I made mistakes(and Ive now learned) and Ill take my lashes for that but any advice at all to keep the fish alive more for them then me as I can easily buy more fish but when you give an animal a home I feel it should be treated fairly and Im not off to a good start so any info to keep them alive will be surely appreciated.

As I said Stability and Prime will be here Saturday unfortunatly fish will be here Friday. I will add the 1/3 of bottle of SafeStart that I have left when I add fish hopefully this will help them til Saturday and hopefully the Stability helps.

[Lady Hobbs]

Everyone makes mistakes. You didn't invent it and need not feel bad about it. You are fixing things and moving on and that's all you can do.

I would not say you were told the wrong information about Tetra SafeStart and adding the fish. I have cycled in that manner numerous times and how I did my last tank.....a 29 gallon. But you will quickly have those in forums bla-bla something they have never done themselves nor tried themselves.

[BigPoppa]

I just want to say thanks for the advice so far.

[BigPoppa]

Im starting a journel on this adventure so hopefully you will follow along and help me out as I go.

[BigPoppa]

I will post daily with feedback and water specs

[Cermet]

Don't feel bad - I've been there and had done that, too! I had a tank of young discus arrive with an uncycled filter!!!

The key is large, daily water changes to keep ammonia levels low. Your water changes need not be as large as mine since guppies are fairly tough guys ... .

Best of luck and use a treatment to passivate ammonia and do your best to keep the levels down. Extra air is a good idea. The filter will cycle but could take a while.

All can go very well so don't worry. :hmm3grin2orange:

[BigPoppa]

Thanks for the info. Im not sure if I should add anything for the ammonia as I think it ruins the Safestart??? Water changes are no problem very easy to do. I did a 80% water change in 5 minutes so I can change what I need daily if thats what I have to do.

[pjoo1120]

That's good to know. You'll be doing lots of water changes, but seems like you have a plan! Good luck!

[BigPoppa]

How will I actually know when my tank is cycled? No amm and no nitrates?

[pjoo1120]

No ammonia and no nitrites. NitrAtes will be the last step in the cycle and that's what you take out with your water changes. The first two are taken care of by the beneficial bacteria once your tank is cycled.