# Is the "Dark Start Method" legit?



## SoulstormTX (Aug 2, 2019)

Is the dark start method legit? Jurijs Jutjajevs on youtube recently posted a video about it. I don't have the link handy currently (search Secret Dark Start Method), but this is the run down:




1. Add hardscape and Aquasoil
2. Fill tank, add bacteria, and use ammonia release from aquasoil to cycle
3. No lights on during cycling time
4. Let cycle
5. Huge 90% water change once cycled
6. Plant and turn on lights
7. Cycle should be complete.








I'm just curious if anyone has tried this and what results you have had with it.

Link: https://youtu.be/8HfnsCSIpfo


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## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Just watched the video. My worry when I saw the "secret" headline was it was going to be another claim of an instant cycle or so forth. But it's pretty logical and actually _extends_ the set up time, letting the soil and filter build up a colony of BB before you plant. Sort of the freshwater version of what reefers do with live rock. Meanwhile any wood can water-log and lose tannin, etc in a dark environment where algae won't get an early foothold. Pretty hard to criticize.


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## Xiaozhuang (Feb 15, 2012)

Have been advocating this for years. More so for ADA/ammonia aquasoils than lean soils, but it gives a much more stable start to tanks and sensitive plant species.


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## P.Isley (Feb 18, 2020)

Hmmm... interesting. May need to try this for my next tank! Although I would be worried about algae growing before the plants were introduced due to ambient light the room. Do you think that would be a risk with this method? (Guess you could completely cover the tank..)


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## SoulstormTX (Aug 2, 2019)

Thanks for the responses so far guys. If it extends setup time, thats no problem for me. The idea is to cut down on those initial large water changes. Im curious if this is going to negate the need to do large water changes every day for the first seven days as is typical to do with aquasoil. If so this is gonna save me a lot of back and forth because I'm running RO purchased from my LFS.


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## Grah the great (Jul 3, 2013)

SoulstormTX said:


> Is the dark start method legit? Jurijs Jutjajevs on youtube recently posted a video about it. I don't have the link handy currently (search Secret Dark Start Method), but this is the run down:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I considered doing this in the past, but when I asked about it on another forum they said it wouldn't accomplish anything useful. Good to see that I have at least _some _good ideas :grin2:


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## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Based on what I read here, very few people actually read the bag of ADA and water change it like they suggest in the beginning anyway! But yeah, this would seem to eliminate that. I would also be inclined to drape the tank for something close to a blackout.


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## jaz419 (Jan 21, 2018)

Blue Ridge Reef said:


> Based on what I read here, very few people actually read the bag of ADA and water change it like they suggest in the beginning anyway! But yeah, this would seem to eliminate that. I would also be inclined to drape the tank for something close to a blackout.




If I remember correctly, he does actually black out the tank completely with a cover or a box or something. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## HSS (Sep 1, 2021)

Hello, I am new to this forum and new to the hobby as well.
Before I started off setting up the tank, I was looking around on the Internet to learn how a new tank is setup came across the ‘dark start method’ which is not spoken about much unlike the other methods like dry start etc.
This video from REMOVED convinced me to try the dark start method as huge daily/every other day water changes for a 20G tank was something that would have been very difficult for me.

I tried the dark start method and I was happy and surprised that it worked just as he had mentioned in the video.
I used the ADA aqua soil as the substrate.
Sunsun 802 filter with ADA bio rio filter media.
Covered the tank completely with black sheets of paper (coz the ambient light in my living room is bright).
Kept the filter running for 3 weeks.
Drained the water after 3 weeks and planted the plants.
Let the plants grow for 2 weeks with 30% water change each week.
Introduced 6 neon tetras after the 5th week. The fishes are doing great.
planning to introduce 7-8 harlequin rasboras this week.

Other than very negligible amount of alge on the drift wood (which I cleaned with a brush before water change), I had no other alge growth in the tank.

I would recommend you try the dark start method if you are wanting to setup your tank.
All you need is time and patience in this setup method 

happy to answer any questions based on my experience.


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