Nutrafin Cycle

[WhiskeyHands]

Okay guys, just wanna talk about this product that says it can cycle your tank.

So let's use 2 of my tanks as example. A 10 gallon and a 5 gallon both housing a male betta.

I've set the 5 gallon way longer than i've set the 10 gallon and i've been cycling the 2 tanks with these fish in it. I had a bottle of nutrafin cycle i've got for free while buying one of my tanks but while reading the product reviews online, i've seen that most people say it did not work. I thought to myself, i had this bottle for a long time and just to be sure, i'll try it.

So i did for the 10 gallon, which remember, i've set some weeks after the 5 gallon. I've used the product just like the required dosage of 3 days. But sure my tank wasn't cycled in 3 days like they said but after 2 weeks while testing my water in the 10 gallon, ammonia was gone and green algae began to show up. I've been told that green algae is fish friendly. My nitrites and nitrates i have no idea what they are because i cant figure how to make the tests work but my point is it took 2 weeks for the ammonia to dissapear when i used the nutrafin cycle.

As for my 5 gallon, it still has ammonia to date. So yeah i thought i should share my nutrafin cycle experience with you guys so that you know! Maybe i was lucky with the product but these are my results!

[sandybottom]

i used it to quick cycle my baby oranda tank. it worked fine for me. it took about a week for mine to cycle. i dumped the whole bottle in one dose. i think the trick is to shake the bottle if you do smaller doses. and also not to go all crazy and heavily stock the tank right away. i also tried the tetra safe start with biospira. i liked this even more. i tossed growing plants in the tank with it, added my betta. and my tank went through a silent cycle. i tested the next day and no ammo, no nitrite or nitrate.and by the third day or so of zero readings i began to get very light nitrate.

[WhiskeyHands]

Originally Posted by sandybottom

i think the trick is to shake the bottle if you do smaller doses.

I shake the bottle like there's no tomorrow

[Hallyx]

Nutrafin Cycle and Seachem Stability contain a type of nitrifying bacteria that can live a long time on a shelf at room temperature. They can help keep ammonia down while you're waiting for the bacteria that cause the nitrogen cycle to arrive.

There have been several new products which do contain the permanent bacteria that participate in the nitrogen cycle: nitrosomonas, and nitrospira.

A few of these are:
Dr Tim's One-and-Only (leader in the field)
Tetra Safestart (invented by Dr Tim)
Nite Out II
ATM Colony

(Sorry, I'm too tired to remember more.)

From reports I've read and members I've talked to, these are better than Cycle and Stability.

[tekkguy]

I used Nutrafin Cycle on my 5 gallon tank, but I didn't want to risk any livestock. I just tossed in a frozen shrimp, and let it rot for a few days until the ammonia was where I wanted it. It took about 3 weeks for my tank to cycle even with the additive (though I think I left the shrimp in for too long, shooting the ammonia up too high, and making the cycle take longer). Still, 3 weeks for a full cycle is awesome, and I was happy with it.