Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Have used Quick Start on two tanks now, one 10 gallon and one 45 gallon. The product works, BUT it has to be used in the right way (which isn't the one printed on the back label.) The first time I used it on the 10 gallon was my first time setting up an aquarium, and I pretty much just dumped the recommended dosage in along with conditioner/stress zyme, then put in fish the next day. After about a week or two my ammonia levels spiked hard, then another one to two weeks or so after that my nitrites and nitrates started to spike. Ended up losing 50% of my fish before the cycle finally stabilized (the remainder have survived over a year now). The problem is that the cycle needs ammonia to start, and a brand new tank will not have any, nor does Quick Start contain ammonia. Therefore, if you just dump it into a new tank, then put in fish, the cycle will not start until the fish food/waste starts to decompose into ammonia, which can take a week or more. Once sufficient ammonia is present in the tank (3-5ppm), it takes about another week or two for the bacteria to then break it down to nitrites and then nitrates, completing the cycle. During this time your fish will be suffering high ammonia and nitrite levels, even with frequent water changes. To properly cycle your tank with Quick Start, you need to introduce ammonia into the water quickly and without fish. The "natural" and slower way to do this is to put biomass into the tank and wait for it to rot. This can be store bought fish (not live), shrimp, fish pellets/flakes, etc. However, these take time to decay. The faster way to introduce ammonia is to directly buy a bottle of liquid ammonia designed for cycling aquariums, and put in enough to reach 4-5ppm. Then immediately add API Quick Start, along with any conditioner/etc. After about a week or so you'll notice the ammonia levels go down, and nitrites start spiking. After another few days the nitrites and ammonia will both go down close to or at 0, and nitrates will be present. Now the tank is fully cycled, and it's safe to add fish.