# New Product test



## Dave Waits (Oct 12, 2012)

Those of you who have helped (Thread; Kinda confused here) know I'm currently battling a Nitrite problem in my tank. As of last night my Nitrite readings using a new API Master Test Kit(Exp.Date: 06/2017) was 5 ppm of Nitrate and a whopping 5+ ppm of Nitrites, several 50% water changes haven't even slowed it down. So, I'm trying a fairly new product from API. I know most on here don't believe in such things but, desperate times require desperate measures.

API 'Quick Start' is a fairly new aquarium seeding product which API claims allows the instant addition of fish safely. According to the API Website, this product contains a new, patented Nitrofactor Bacteria with a shelf-life of 2.5 years. The Expiration date on the bottle is 05/2014 so, if their claims are true, the Bacteria should be viable. The instructions call for 10ml per ten gallons of water using the cap Dispenser. I properly dosed the tank today using instructions I got from API's tech support people. Instead of five and one-half capfuls, I dosed with six capfuls with three capfuls poured directly over the Sponge Filter and set the temp at 75F.

I'm going to wait 24 hours and then test for Nitrites and Nitrates again. Will keep all posted.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Yes, do keep us posted. I have a very hard time believing the shelf life, as theres nothing really to feed the bacteria in the bottle.


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## Dave Waits (Oct 12, 2012)

I know, that's the doubt I have.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Any ammonia,any nitrate indicate uncycled(not completely cycled) filter.I (in my opinion{never using any bottled bacteria}) would stop using any type of "seed" besides cycled filter media. Changing water now is what is written(and proven to work) is the course I'd follow until nitrItes are 0 ,and then to be continued whenever nitrAtes are +40(hope you honestly just develope a water change schedule) afterwards.Purigen in filter really works on the afterwards part(or at least helps).


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## dregan29 (Oct 3, 2012)

I have read that the bacteria in that are not the same as what you will eventually have, more or less it helps buy time while the correct bacteria establish themselves. It is debatable if it helps speed things up at all as it uses up the "food supply" (ammonia).


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

If you don't have fish in the tank, just let it run its course. If you do have fish, do water changes daily to bring it down.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

I assumed fish in.Dreagan you are correct;heterotrphic;uses only organic food source,and autotrophic;uses food from inorganic source.Shelf life won't really matter as the bottled bacteria is not the bacteria a cycled aquaria contains.


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## dregan29 (Oct 3, 2012)

susankat said:


> If you don't have fish in the tank, just let it run its course. If you do have fish, do water changes daily to bring it down.


Unless I am confusing threads, I believe it is fish in and heavily stocked. Now I have to go find the original thread lol..

Edit:
Fish in, not sure on stock level though. This is the one that was using stress-zyme to cycle the tank. Quick start will help... It will not add the right stuff though, thx coral bandit for the more detailed reason why. Quick start will not hurt the fish, it more than likely will help them, you will just have to monitor your water daily until you do cycle. And keep doing so after you think you have. Stress-zyme wont hurt at this point either. When doing a fish in cycle the fishes health is in your hands to keep the water safe for them. I am not big on chemicals normally but these are two I do agree with. the only ones I normally use are water conditioners since I have city tap water.

Good luck and best wishes.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

It's fish in.CHANGE WATER!


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## Dave Waits (Oct 12, 2012)

That's what I've been doing to zero effect. I've changed 100% of the water in the last four days. If I don't see a drop tomorrow I will do another 50% change.


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## Dave Waits (Oct 12, 2012)

Dregan, I don't consider it heavily stocked as I've rehomed two of the Angelfish to one of my friends' tanks. Four Silver-Dollar sized angels, a pleco and five Corys in a 55 long is not overstocked.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

50% every day until it drops to 1ppm or lower. Don't be afraid to go to 75% if necessary. Gimmicks don't work. This is the point that many people that have used these products decide to use them and when everything is good tomorrow (hypothetical) then it is the product that must've done it. All the while it really was just time. How in the hell did they get that high to begin with?


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

sometimes(more often than we who cycle fish in like) cycling with fish in can take up to or more than 8 weeks! This is because we keep changing water(you have to with fish in or they die(greats source of ammonia)) and slowing the true cycle.Having nitrItes is a step in the right direction. Don't be depressed or feel that you have missed something. Stick to it ,you'll get there!


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Dave Waits said:


> Dregan, I don't consider it heavily stocked as I've rehomed two of the Angelfish to one of my friends' tanks. Four Silver-Dollar sized angels, a pleco and five Corys in a 55 long is not overstocked.


If this means there was 6 Angels in a 55g, then you were overstocked. Not now maybe, but IMO even 4 Angels is a tad much for a 55g.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

coralbandit said:


> sometimes(more often than we who cycle fish in like) cycling with fish in can take up to or more than 8 weeks! This is because we keep changing water(you have to with fish in or they die(greats source of ammonia)) and slowing the true cycle.


Sometimes refreshing to hear.....some would say to leave it alone and let the cycle finish. even with water changes to save the fish if I had to guess I would say that it slows the cycle by no more than a week. Just a guess though. It assumes a low initial stocking.


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## dregan29 (Oct 3, 2012)

I thought at one point it was overstocked, I am glad to hear you scaled back. It is a slow process none the less. I think I already suggested this but, the best way to speed up cycling is to add substrate or filter media from an established tank.. A trusted tank at that. you will get there, hopefully with minimal loss. All you can do for now is keep an eye on the water and change frequently.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

the only additive that helps "seed" filter is mature cycled filter media.(period).


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## Dave Waits (Oct 12, 2012)

I'm just getting frustrated I guess. Like I said in the other thread, this tank has been running since the beginning of the second week in September. It ran for three weeks without fish, went through the Bacterial bloom,then in the first week of October I added two Corys and the Pleco. First week of November I added three more Corys and the Angels. Three months is a little long for the tank to be having this problem. I'm feeding once a day and it's all gone after about three minutes. The Angels and the Corys are constantly foraging for food.

for the record, I have no idea where these nitrites are coming from. I'm doing the tests like the instructions say and doing it twice each time to make sure.
I've got zero Ammonia. 5 ppm Nitrates and +5 ppm Nitrites No matter what I do, I keep getting the same readings.

Oh, I've kept track of everything. I done seventeen water changes total, 12 of them 25% and five 50% changes. The last two 50% changes within the last four days.


I'll call my friend Ham tomorrow and see if I can borrow some filter media or substrate from one of his longer-running tanks.

One more thing, I tested my tap water. Ph was 7.6, 0 ppm ammonia, 0 ppm nitrites, and .5 ppm nitrates.


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## Fishy Bob (Oct 22, 2012)

Ive read in many articles when i bought my angel that they have a low bio load. Is this not true?? I only ask because i would think, by what ive researched, that 4 angel's adult size should not be close to putting strain on the bio load on a 55 gallon tank. I now size wise it may be dicey, but other than that is it fine?


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

You can't just stock based off of bio-load. You have to consider everything.


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## Dave Waits (Oct 12, 2012)

A lot of people base it on fish size(At adulthood) versus tank size, erring on the side of conservativism. Nothing wrong with that until you see a large tank where you have trouble finding a fish and they say it's almost overstocked.


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## goldie (Aug 4, 2012)

Dave Waits said:


> I'm just getting frustrated I guess. Like I said in the other thread, this tank has been running since the beginning of the second week in September. It ran for three weeks without fish, went through the Bacterial bloom,then in the first week of October I added two Corys and the Pleco. First week of November I added three more Corys and the Angels. Three months is a little long for the tank to be having this problem. I'm feeding once a day and it's all gone after about three minutes. The Angels and the Corys are constantly foraging for food.
> 
> for the record, I have no idea where these nitrites are coming from. I'm doing the tests like the instructions say and doing it twice each time to make sure.
> I've got zero Ammonia. 5 ppm Nitrates and +5 ppm Nitrites No matter what I do, I keep getting the same readings.
> ...


Perhaps this has been asked & i missed it but what filter have you got on this tank Dave and whats the turnover.If it's inadequate that can cause problems


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Dave Waits said:


> I'm just getting frustrated I guess. Like I said in the other thread, this tank has been running since the beginning of the second week in September. It ran for three weeks without fish, went through the Bacterial bloom,then in the first week of October I added two Corys and the Pleco. First week of November I added three more Corys and the Angels. Three months is a little long for the tank to be having this problem. I'm feeding once a day and it's all gone after about three minutes. The Angels and the Corys are constantly foraging for food.
> 
> for the record, I have no idea where these nitrites are coming from. I'm doing the tests like the instructions say and doing it twice each time to make sure.
> I've got zero Ammonia. 5 ppm Nitrates and +5 ppm Nitrites No matter what I do, I keep getting the same readings.
> ...


Three weeks without fish? what was your ammonia source? If you didn't have a source, like fish, bottled ammonia, fish food, shrimp, something...the cycle never started. You may have seen some cloudiness (likely from your gravel), you may have even detected some ammonia, but like I said....no ammonia source, no cycle. 

You should have never added fish the second time. I am sure you were detecting ammonia at that point showing that you tank had not yet cycled.

Live and learn. Just increase the water change % and frequency and it will come down.

Did you test with just the low range ph test kit? The limit of the kit is 7.6 I believe. If you hit the testing limit, you need the high range kit. Your ph could be 8+ but you would never know it.


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## Dave Waits (Oct 12, 2012)

Intank Ph is 7. Until this morning's water-change. Did 50% again this morning jr, waiting for water to circulate and mix before I test.

As for the gravel, when I put it in the tank I did it in about five pound increments, rinsing it several times before putting it in the tank. It was really clean. After I conditioned the water I ran the filter without media for three days. We used to do that to make sure all the Chlorine dissapated.

I'm currently running an Aqueon50 as the HOB(It was the biggest they had at the time which had an inlet that reached the bottom-third.Tank is 21" high) Have a 55/75 on order. Still have original media in it. I have it mounted in the center. I have a Fluval U1 I'm using at one end to get some water circulation and an 80 gallon-rated Sponge Filter driven by a large Whisper air-pump at the other end.


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## Dave Waits (Oct 12, 2012)

Well, don't know how this stuff was supposed to work but, my test readings are identical. So, I did a 50 % water change and tested again an hour later. Same readings. Should've dropped some. What gives here???


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

pollution and water changes are really simple math(100 nitrites with 50% water change should yield 50 nitrites) as an example.If these are not the results you see then source water needs serious consideration. I know you said you tested source so ; Take source in container and let stand (without alteration ) and test in 24 hrs.Otherwise truely observe fish and if they seem fine continue with "scheduled" activity.Changing water should be a "regulary " occuring event. I change alot of water and know you have been also. So stick with it,keep us up to date.Hope this helps.


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## Dave Waits (Oct 12, 2012)

I think that's a good idea, I'm just gonna back off the constant water-changes and see what happens. Like I said, the fish aren't showing any signs of stress or distress. I'll go back to 25% a week.


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