AQUALABS
AquaLabs Fishless Start 300ml
AquaLabs Fishless Start 300ml
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AquaLabs Fishless Start provides ammonium and other fundamental nutrients for cycling a new aquarium. A fishless cycle builds the biological filter before any livestock goes in, so nothing is ever exposed to ammonia or nitrite.
Traditional fish-in cycling exposes livestock to harmful levels of ammonia and nitrite, which can lead to disease or death in a new aquarium. With Fishless Start, ammonia is dosed to a known level and monitored, so you know exactly when the aquarium is safe to stock.
Directions: Use 1 pump (2.0ml) per 10 litres, which adds 2 ppm of ammonia. Thereafter, use test kits to monitor ammonia and nitrite. Once both have reached 0 ppm, the aquarium is cycled and it is safe to add livestock.
Do not add to aquariums containing livestock. Designed for fishless starts only. For aquarium use only. Keep out of reach of children.
FAQ
How much do I dose?
One pump (2.0ml) per 10 litres of aquarium water, which adds 2 ppm of ammonia. Test after dosing to confirm you have hit 2 ppm rather than assuming it, since actual water volume is usually less than the tank's rated capacity once substrate and hardscape are in.
Why 2 ppm, and not more?
Two parts per million is enough to grow a bacterial colony capable of handling a real stocking load. Dosing much higher does not speed anything up, because bacterial growth is limited by conditions rather than by food supply.
Very high ammonia, and the very high nitrite that follows it, actually inhibits the nitrifying bacteria you are trying to establish. Cycles that stall at high nitrite are almost always over-dosed cycles.
Do I still need a bacterial culture?
Fishless Start supplies the food. It does not supply the bacteria. Without seeding you are waiting for nitrifying bacteria to arrive by chance and multiply from almost nothing, which is the difference between a cycle measured in days and one measured in months.
Dose AquaLabs Nitro Cycle alongside it to seed the filter with both heterotrophic and true nitrifying bacteria.
Can I use it with fish in the tank?
No. This product is for fishless starts only. Adding ammonia to an aquarium containing livestock will harm them.
If your fish are already in the tank, you need a different method. A fish-in cycle relies on the fish themselves as the ammonia source, with daily testing and water changes to keep levels safe.
Do I need to re-dose?
The cycle is complete once the ammonia from your initial dose has been fully processed and nitrite has also fallen to zero.
If you want a more robust filter before stocking heavily, keep dosing back to 2 ppm each time ammonia reaches zero. The colony responds to the food available to it, so continued dosing builds a larger population, and each dose will disappear faster than the one before.
Why not just use fish food or household ammonia?
Decaying fish food produces ammonia, but at a rate you cannot predict or repeat, and it fouls the water with organic waste while it rots.
Household ammonia often contains surfactants, perfumes or other additives that are not safe in an aquarium. Fishless Start is a controlled ammonium source with added essential nutrients to support the developing bacterial colony.
Can I use it for a dark start?
It depends on your substrate. Most aquasoils release ammonia on their own for the first weeks of use, so no additional source is needed.
If you are dark starting over an inert substrate such as gravel or sand, nothing will produce ammonia by itself and Fishless Start is exactly what you need.
My ammonia is not dropping. What is wrong?
Ammonia sitting still usually means the bacteria are not growing, and that is almost always a conditions problem rather than a dosing one. The usual causes are:
- Chlorine or chloramine not neutralised. Treat all water with AquaLabs Vitality before dosing anything else.
- Temperature too low. Nitrifying bacteria establish far faster at 26 to 28 °C.
- pH below 6.5, or KH below 4 dKH. Nitrification slows sharply and can stall. Top up carbonate hardness with AquaLabs KH Plus.
- Not enough surface area. The colony grows on filter media, so fill the filter with a porous biological media such as AquaLabs Nitro Nest.
How do I know when the cycle is finished?
When ammonia and nitrite both read zero. Test with a liquid kit rather than strips, because the difference between 0 ppm and 0.25 ppm matters here and strips are not precise enough to show it.
The AquaLabs Master Test Kit covers ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH and KH, which are the readings you will want across the whole cycle.
How should I store it?
Store in a cool, dark place out of direct sunlight and out of reach of children. For aquarium use only.
