What is Reddit's opinion of API QUICK START Freshwater and Saltwater Aquarium Nitrifying Bacteria 16-Ounce Bottle?

From 3.5 billion Reddit comments

The gills are WAY too short. quick, you wanna pump out ~5 gallons of his tankwater into a home depo bucket, put him in and do a complete clean of the tank. i'm talking substrate, decor, everything. afterward, dump the bucket that holds your axie back into the tank and do a water change. once the water change is done, dump in the recommended amount of this liquid in. After all that's said and done, be sure to do regular water changes, along with testing the ammonia and pH of the water by using test strips every day until it levels out. Another thing to keep in mind, is that the tankwater has to be BELOW 70 degrees. I always keep my tank at a comfortable 63 degrees using a aquarium chiller (DO NOT USE ICE UNLESS ITS AN EMEGRENCY. THE ICE CAN SHOCK THE WATER WHILE CARRYING BACTERIA THAT IS HARMLESS TO US, BUT HARMFUL TO THEM). if your axie develops any kind of fungus, give him regular aquarium-salt baths or if it gets too extreme, visit your local exotic vet. I hope this helps get your old boy back to health.

(Note: if there is anything anyone would like to add, please do! I only got my axies about a year ago, and got these tips from a close friend of my mothers who had gifted me the axies.)

> Not gonna lie, the odds are good most of these fish will not make it very long through no fault of your own - carnival fish are not exactly well taken care of before being ended off to kids with sticky hands.

That's really fair. I've always hated the concept of carnival fish for this reason. I know they're basically abused which is part of the reason why I want to try my damndest to give these little guys a shot. I know inevitably some of them will die young, sadly.

> Yes, that tank is way too small, but you're already aware of it

This may sound pretty jaded - I may be down to a few within a week just because of the state I received these fish in. But this is a cheap $20 tank, and my goal is to get as many living happily for the next month or two until my partner moves into the new house. I'll likely buy her kids a properly sized fish tank as a housewarming.

> As far as cycling, get a master test kit to monitor ammonia, nitrates and nitrites and do regular partial water changes (with 8 fish in 10g, you will need to do partial changes really often during cycling and monitor very closely because that ammonia is probably going to climb up fast.

Would a partial changes every 2-3 days be sufficient you think? Obviously it's very dependent on the state of the aquarium. Right now I'd call the water "a little bit milky." I'll grab a test kit off Amazon (it's half the price as in-store, right now) but won't get it until Wednesday. API recommends this if ammonia or nitrates are too high:

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B006YG12F6

Would that be sufficient you think to at least get the aquarium stable for these cute dudes?

Thank you for the response!

nah, bottled betta water is a scam, its just dechlorinated tap water; you dont need that. im referring to products like this; bottled bacteria.

You can’t revive bacteria once its gone, you’ll need to get some news one’s going. Maybe worth getting some quick start https://www.amazon.co.uk/API-Freshwater-Saltwater-Aquarium-Nitrifying/dp/B006YG12F6/ref=asc_df_B006YG12F6/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=241267871461&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12386631486996644293&hvpone=&hvptwo=&a...

Also out of curiosity did you rinse the filters in tap water or tank water? You should never use tap water as the chlorine kills all the bacteria, always rinse in some of the tank water you remove when you do a water change.

I came across some people who were using API Quick Start, a product to help establish new aquariums, as a MotherDirt alternative. It contains nitrosomonas eutropha and nitrobacter winogradski and it doesn't seem to require refrigeration.

I made this mistake too when I first got into fishkeeping . Your betta should be able to survive it but I recommend using something like this to decrease the stress of the fish . Your snail probably died due to shock and a not properly cycled tank

Stop feeding them. Just stop. Do a much much larger water change. 50-75%ish. Dechlorinate your tap water with Prime before putting the water in your tank. Buy the 16 ounce. https://www.amazon.com/API-Freshwater-Saltwater-Aquarium-Nitrifying/dp/B006YG12F6/ref=asc_df_B006YG2GGA/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=167149786275&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16869735768851607842&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvq...

Should I be doing water changes while the tank is still cycling, before getting the frog? And I thought using a bacteria starter (I used API Quick Start) would shorten the cycling process. The bottle says instant addition of fish, which I don't necessarily believe, so I thought a week would be plenty. Is that not true?

Did you use a bacteria starter? I used API Quick Start and today my levels were Ammonia=.5 (it went up again unfortunately), Nitrites=0, and Nitrates=20.

First of all, thank you for taking her in and giving her a better home!! When I was in high school I gave my betta, Jazz, to my best friend because I was moving. I was only gone for one year, but when I came back I saw his tank just sitting, abandoned, next to her driveway. Apparently he died while I was gone because *she forgot he existed and didn't feed him, clean his tank, etc. S*he didn't think to tell me about it, since "it was just a fish." I'm still bitter about that, lol.

Depressing story aside, it looks like you're doing great! It will take time for good bacteria to build up in your tank, so I recommend buying some QuickStart if you can! It just helps get the good bacteria started. Here's the link to some on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/API-Nitrifying-Aquarium-Maintains-Biological/dp/B006YG12F6

Also, it's not needed, but live plants are always a good idea! They help maintain the tank, and fish love to hide in them! My betta loves to sleep in his java fern, and in the branches of his lucky bamboo. If you're new to aquatic plants, just start with easy stuff that doesn't need additional CO2! If you want to be serious about your plants you'll have to get an O2 pump and aquatic plant fertilizer. Unfortunately I didn't do that and my first plants all died... It was a huge waste of money.

Hey thanks for doing the research and prep to take care of fish. It's not something a lot of people do. I think 5 gallons is difficult for beginner fishkeepers, because the water parameters can change so quickly. My advice would be to go out and get a 29 gallon or so, give yourself some buffer room.

If you're going to stick with the 5 gallon, I would definitely encourage you to get a small filter. There's a variety of types, but the two I would look for are either a sponge filter (cheap as chips, highly effective, but ugly) or a hang on back or HOB filter (still pretty cheap, less unattractive).

The thought process behind cycling a tank is you need a crop of ammonia eating bacteria that poop out nitrite, and then a crop of nitrite eating bacteria that poop out nitrate. The nitrate can be consumed either by floating plants, or changed out with a water change.

My best recommendation is to purchase some of this bacteria live. Here's one product that you can use:

https://www.amazon.com/API-Nitrifying-Aquarium-Maintains-Biological/dp/B006YG12F6/ref=sr_1_7?crid=DVG2EZZEVV8Z&keywords=freshwater+fish+cycle&qid=1646585926&sprefix=freshwater+fish+cycle%2Caps%2C74&sr=8-7

After you do that, you need a source of ammonia to feed the little guys and let them build up their numbers. There's different ways to do this. Some people add fish food that decomposes in the water, other people add a frozen piece of shrimp or something (gross), I like to add clear ammonia as it's easy to dose. Add a little bit every couple days and watch as first you get an ammonia spike, then a nitrite spike, and finally a nitrate spike. Once that's settled in, do a big water change, add your fish.

It all depends if it froze to death on the trucks or not

Live beneficial bacteria is usually placed in your filter chamber under the pad so it can grow and Culture on the cotton or sponge filter ( beneficial bacteria is microscopic so if you can see growth something is wrong)

When your tank does cycle dont add 6 or 10 fish a time since you only have enough beneficial bacteria for an empty tank more mirco organisms will Culture and spread when there is more chemicals in the aquariums (the fish/ snails)

You could ask a pet store for a old filter floss if you trust they dont have parasites the old filter will Establish biological filtration quickly! And would contains species of nitrifying beneficial bacteria needed to start or accelerate the nitrogen cycle of biological filtration for your aquariums

Beneficial bacteria 

Fritz Zyme 7 Live Bacteria (Freshwater)

 Bottled beneficial bacteria 

slow release starter colony beneficial bacteria

Nitrifying bacteria need a place to Culture like on a sponge filter or on gravel like biohome ultimate API Quick Start Nitrifying Bacteria, for Freshwater and Saltwater Aquarium

Anything with Zyme is good for a new tank or after water changes API Stress Zyme Bacterial Cleaner, Freshwater and Saltwater Aquarium Water Cleaning Solution

Theres "starter mixes" with already established living bacteria specifically sold for this type of thing https://www.amazon.com/API-Nitrifying-Aquarium-Maintains-Biological/dp/B006YG12F6/

You can buy culture-starters online. I've also heard of taking a water sample from a local lake or pond to get it started.

Look into this. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006YG12F6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glc_fabc_ZC4PZ55XNHHZZNNPPP6D

They used to make a pond kind. But i cant find it. I used this after each major change. Loss of bacteria thats whats going on rn.

That's expected of an uncycled tank and that's great that you were able to change it in time. And I agree on the waiting for the tank to be cycled before purchasing a new filter. Is the current one an overhang filter or an underwater one? I prefer the overhang ones since they generate more water flow (and thus more oxygen) for the tank. I really like the Aquaclear ones, easy to clean and fairly durable. I have the 70gal one on my 20 gal and it does a pretty good job. I've had the 110gal on the 20 gal tank but the current was too strong even at the lowest setting.

As for adding more tetras, it would be a good idea to wait until everything has stabilized. Tetras are small fish with a low bioload and would benefit very much in a large group. Even at least 7 or 8 in your tank would be a good start. I would not worry about overpopulation as I've seen people with 20 gal tanks with 30-40 tetras in it! It looks amazing to see these brightly coloured fish swim back and forth as a group as well :)

Hopefully your tank would be cycled by then! They also sell bottles of "beneficial bacteria" in the petshop to help start your cycle. I used one from API which I cannot find online anymore (they might have discontinued it) but they have this one now which is probably the "new and improved" version. Of course, nothing beats a water change but this will help stabilize the water a bit as the tank cycles. The water may get very cloudy after a while but it just means a bacterial bloom has occurred and it should clear up on its own. You can also purchase some hornwort (fairly cheap plants) to help with the high ammonia/nitrite problem. They are very fast growers and small fish love to hide in them.

What do you think about those quick start bottles? (http://www.amazon.com/API-Quick-Conditioner-Aquariums-16-Ounce/dp/B006YG12F6)

You can do a fish in cycle if you can get ahold of some established media from a friend or the local fish store, and add a bottle of this. https://www.amazon.com/API-Freshwater-Saltwater-Aquarium-Nitrifying/dp/B006YG12F6/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1541607669&sr=8-4&keywords=beneficial+bacteria+aquarium

I did an instant cycle on my more recent tank (120 gallon) by using media from my other tanks (and some hardscape from them) along with a bottle of api quickstart. I was able to move in 8 male cichlids as soon as I had water in it, and the sump seeded. There's no point in doing a long cycle.