# API Quickstart: Is it Legit?



## robxc80 (Aug 4, 2009)

Hello EVeryone,

Against my better judgement...or should I say...do to my lack of patience...I've put fish into a completely newly set up tank.

I used more than the recommended dosage for API Quickstart and my tank was heavily planted from the get go.

I tested my Ammonia Yesterday and it showed 0 PPM. Today its at 0.25 PPM. I added a bit more of that stuff today.

I hear Tetra safe start is better after scouring the web yesterday will probably pick some up to add tomorrow night after i do a 40% WC.

People say this API stuff works but I'm a bit concerned.

Serves me right I know...but...it is what it is.

Thanks all!


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## fplata (May 20, 2012)

If you want the best of the best get turbo cycle 700


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## xdestry (Jul 13, 2012)

I bought quickstart as well and emptied an entire small bottle of it into my new 18 gallon i set up about four days ago, the back of the bottle said it was okay for up to 30 gallons and the expiration date wasnt for another 8 months. Anyways I also used a filter which I had set up into an already established tank for about a week and took some of the bio material from that one and moved it into this one, also squeezed all of the sponge filters in the old tank into the new one. Four days later I am still getting 8 ppm of ammonia so I would say SafeStart does not work, at least not instantly. As for how much it helps in shortening the cycle over a month or so I cannot say.


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## sarahspins (Sep 24, 2012)

I was able to cycle my canister filter for my 55g doing a fishless cycle in a 5g bucket in less than a week using SafeStart. I was shocked, because I really expected it to take MUCH longer (more like 3-4 weeks), but it was cycled in only 5 days. I dosed it with ammonia to 4ppm, tossed a 50w heater in the bucket set to 86, put a lid on it, and waited to see nitrites. The nitrite spike happened around day 4 lasted less than 24 hours.. if I hadn't been obsessively checking the water I might have missed it, but nitrites started to show up, then suddenly went off the chart later that day, and then by the next day they were gone, and I had lots of nitrates. It was demolishing ammonia at that point.. I kept adding ammonia and it would all be converted to nitrates by the next day... like magic. I was worried it was too good to be true.

I set up my 55g tank with that filter about 10 days ago (about two weeks after the filter had cycled), I added ammonia twice more to the tank which was gone in 24 hours each time, and I added the first fish last Friday... who are all doing great. Ammonia/Nitrites are still at 0, nitrates are holding at about 5ppm since adding the fish (they were a little higher when I was "feeding" the tank ammonia, but I'm assuming they have dropped some due to being heavily planted).

My opinion is.. it works, but only in certain conditions. I've heard that it doesn't work well with fishless cycles, and either I got insanely lucky, or it did indeed work just fine. I bought mine at Petsmart and looked for the "freshest" bottle they had based on the expiration dates. I wouldn't put fish in a freshly set up tank and trust that it would work... maybe a lightly stocked tank could handle it before ammonia was a big problem, but it can certainly kick start a cycle if you happen to get a "good" bottle.


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## reefboi16 (Oct 9, 2012)

Microbe-lift is a great product. I believe their seeding product is called "special blend" smells like rotten eggs, but its the good stuff ;D


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## Gabez (Oct 7, 2012)

Seachem prime is good I have also had good luck with stress zyme


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## kevmo911 (Sep 24, 2010)

If your tank was honestly heavily planted from the start (as in, it's difficult to see substrate when looking directly down into the tank), you didn't need to bother with the QuickStart. But it won't hurt.


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## robxc80 (Aug 4, 2009)

thank you everyone for your feedback. I just did a 50% WC and added two bottles of the Tetra Safe Start just for piece of mind.

I will monitor again tomorrow.


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## CatSoup (Sep 21, 2012)

Gabez said:


> Seachem prime is good I have also had good luck with stress zyme


They are, but they don't seed new tanks. 

Safestart works great. I had to do an emergency fish in cycle after a tank broke. I used existing filters and filter media along with a whole bottle. I never had an ammonia spike. Just keep an eye on your levels.


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