# API's Quick Start. When to add fish safely?



## TCool774 (Jul 23, 2013)

Okay so I read somewhere that you shouldn't "immediately" add fish as the bottle states because the bacteria have to be given some time to do their thing to stabilize the tank. I added quick start to my 180G this past wednesday. When should be a good time to put fish in? I heard the ballpark figure is one week.


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## SOU812 (Jun 11, 2013)

add enough liquid ammonia to bring it to 2-3 ppm,you'll obviously need a way to test ,I would recommend the API regent test kit,test for ammonia and nitrites 24 hrs later,if they are both reading zero and you have nitrates,your tank(filter(s)) is cycled


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## TCool774 (Jul 23, 2013)

Do these test kits expire? Mine is from 2006-2007.

I'm noticing little bubbles forming on top of the water. Don't know if that means anything. Didn't see those before I added quick start.

Nitrate is at 5ppm. Good??


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## Lupine (Mar 20, 2013)

I have not used API's product but I have used others, and it is my experience and understanding that they ARE meant to be used when you first add fish. They are not capable of handling a massive ammonia spike as would be caused by adding store bought ammonia. That would be a waste of your product, it would take just as long to cycle thru all that ammonia as without it. The idea is that the product will take care of the amount of ammonia produced by the fish as they produce it. If your tank was heavily stocked, or the product not as good as it claimed, you would have to keep adding more until the nitrifying bacteria population was high enough to handle all the fish waste. In my experience, adding plenty of product while very lightly stocking fish has had the best results for me (other than seeding the tank with a sponge filter from a well-established tank, the best method IMO). If you add the product and no fish, there will be no ammonia for the bacteria to nitrify (i.e. eat) so the bacteria will not establish a colony and you will have once again wasted your time and money.
Also, yes the test kit reagents do expire, especially when not kept in room temp, dry, dark conditions. They should all have exp dates on them tho.
And last, can't tell you if 5ppm nitrate is good or not without knowing what it was when you started.


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Do a fishless cycle. Add ammonia, regardless of what the Quick Start can accomplish. A test kit is vital for knowing when its safe to add fish. There are articles in the library to get you started. Once a fishless cycle is complete, you can add your entire stock list. If you're ordering fish, this is key to keep shipping costs down.


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## TCool774 (Jul 23, 2013)

Lupine said:


> I have not used API's product but I have used others, and it is my experience and understanding that they ARE meant to be used when you first add fish. They are not capable of handling a massive ammonia spike as would be caused by adding store bought ammonia. That would be a waste of your product, it would take just as long to cycle thru all that ammonia as without it. The idea is that the product will take care of the amount of ammonia produced by the fish as they produce it. If your tank was heavily stocked, or the product not as good as it claimed, you would have to keep adding more until the nitrifying bacteria population was high enough to handle all the fish waste. In my experience, adding plenty of product while very lightly stocking fish has had the best results for me (other than seeding the tank with a sponge filter from a well-established tank, the best method IMO). If you add the product and no fish, there will be no ammonia for the bacteria to nitrify (i.e. eat) so the bacteria will not establish a colony and you will have once again wasted your time and money.
> Also, yes the test kit reagents do expire, especially when not kept in room temp, dry, dark conditions. They should all have exp dates on them tho.
> And last, can't tell you if 5ppm nitrate is good or not without knowing what it was when you started.


Last Monday all test results were 0. Bought some quick start, waited 4-5 days and now my nitrate is 5ppm. The bottles for testing doesn't have any expiration date. I lost the main box too. , but I bought the kit in 2009-ish.

However, 1.5 weeks ago I added quick start (1st time around) before I had to empty tank to move (long story) but I left like a 1 inch layer of water above the sand, and for the sump as well, left 2-3 inches of water to move around. I had around 20 goldfish too, poor lil guys couldn't do much for 2 days. In short, I've had goldfish in the tank for the passed 2 weeks (fed them as well) + the first bottle of quick start that I think even though I emptied out the tank, some bacteria still managed to survive. Oh, I also put 10 gallons of my 55GAL tank water (4 year old set up, very stable) from a water change.

I transferred one red peacock last night and he's swimming happily around the 180GAL (old home is 55GAL), however his "friends" are waiting to be transferred too. He's been bullied too much recently.

I was thinking to speed things up more, I can add more of the 55GAL water (the sump is running low now, evaporation) and when I do the transfer, connect the 55GAL's canister to the 180GAL to be on the safe side, but the question is when do I do it? Wednesday will be one week since I put the 2nd bottle of quick start.


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## Lupine (Mar 20, 2013)

Well this new info changes my perspective totally. I was assuming you were starting the tank from scratch since you did not say otherwise. So, let me make sure I understand- you already had the 180 up and running (established) and moved it thus expecting to have to start a new nitrogen cycle? But you left in the substrate, right? Most of the bacteria in your tanks are in and on the substrate, rocks, glass, and especially the filter. By leaving the sand, you preserved some (no way to know how much) bacteria. Did you keep the filter media and re-attach the filter immediately after moving it? That would have saved most of your nitrifying bacteria. If so, you really shouldn't have anything to worry about as long as you don't overstock the tank compared to what was in it before. Either way, it sounds like you are not going to have a complete new cycle since you already have established bacteria from the substrate and possibly filter. So, since you do not need to let it cycle, and your nitrates are less than 20, nitrites and ammonia=0, it is fine to add your fish.

As for using the filter from the 55, this is pointless unless you leave it permanently, because the bacteria from it are going to stay in it. The ideal thing would be to take some media from it (what kind(s) of media do you have in it?) and put in the 180's filter, so it can reproduce in there.

My advice to you at this point would be to add your other fish whenever you're ready to move them, it won't hurt to add some filter media from the 55's canister to the 180's, buy a new test kit as yours is probably nearing the end of it's life's expected accuracy (better safe than sorry) and monitor daily or EOD for nitrates, nitrites and ammonia to make sure you don't start a mini cycle by adding fish, which wont be a disaster if it happens, as long as you stay on top of it by adding bottled bacteria or some other source (established sponge filter or canister bio-media) and doing water changes.

After re-reading all your posts, I want to make sure the 180g tank, the one in question, was in fact cycled before you moved it? If not, add some of the 55's bio-media (not all of it or you'll start a new cycle in the 55) and monitor with your new test kit. Given the adding of bottled bacteria you should not need to expect a real cycle. Even so, it sounds like you are not going to have one (or already have) because you have no ammonia or nitrites and have low nitrates. This is what you get from a finished cycle, so it seems like you should have no probs adding fish, unless you add enough fish to produce more ammonia than your bacteria population can handle. This would be a result of not having enough ammonia to start the cycle with, which is why some people advocate adding store bought ammonia, to ensure by the end of the cycle, your bacteria population can handle REALLY high ammonia. The fact of the matter is, there are many different ways to cycle a tank, and you just have to find which one is right for you and stick to it. Since the advent of these bottled bacteria products, I have been experimenting with them, and worked out a process that works for me. I can't say it works out any better than a old fashioned fish/less cycle, but I've figured out how to make the products I use work the way I want them to with my stocking levels and feeding strategies and that's what I think all aquarists have to do for themselves with whatever method they use. What works for me in my tanks with my fish and my schedule may not work for you and yours, but I hope I've at least helped you understand the process a little better.


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

I don't think the 180 is cycled.


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