API QUICK START Freshwater and Saltwater Aquarium Nitrifying Bacteria 16-Ounce Bottle

The API QUICK START for freshwater and saltwater aquariums is a total game-changer—especially if you're setting up a new tank or adding fish to an existing one. It makes the nitrogen cycle process way less stressful, both for you and your fish. I used it when starting a new freshwater setup, and within 24 hours my tank was safe and stable. No ammonia spikes, no nitrite issues—it genuinely helps establish the biological filter FAST. It's also great to use after water changes, adding new fish, or cleaning the filter. What I love is that it’s super easy to use—just shake and pour. The bottle gives clear instructions, and the results speak for themselves. My fish were active and healthy from day one. This is one of those products you always want on hand. It helps create a healthy environment and gives peace of mind whether you're a beginner or a seasoned aquarist.

Works well to make tap water safe for fish.

This is great for starting a saltwater tank. Water clarity is great. Longevity is good. Concentration is simple and effective.

this definitely helped cycle my tank super quickly i really recommend this as someone who struggled with cycling tanks a lot. i gave up so many times and sold everything and then rebought stuff again like a year later and i had gotten this and it cycled my tank in literally like a week- that's crazy to me the ammonia levels were on point i used dr tim's droplets the water ph levels and everything else was very good! it kept the water super clean too (idk if that was this particularly or not) but it's an amazing product and it's really not that expensive! it's super easy to use as long as you follow the directions and it's very accurate at being a quick start!

Started a new tank (planted fish less) and used this to get the bacteria going instead of the ghost feeding method. I did an initial dosing on day 1 and another half dose two weeks in. Ammonia and nitrite read zero in exactly one month. Nice to have around in case you need to detoxify in an emergency as well.

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.

This is the ONLY THING I USE FOR MY TURTLES to keep they BIOWASTE DOWN AND MAINTAIN THEIR NITROGEN CYCLE. This product works wonders and i highly recommend it. This product is SUPER CONCENTRATED so you only need to use it AS THE BOTTLE RECCOMENDS!!!!! TRUST ME ON THIS!!!!! I have 1 turtle and 2 bettah fish and i use this product for both tanks. ANYTHING WITH WEBED FEET HANDS OR GILLS REQUIRES THE NITROGEN CYCLE and this product does EXCELLENT with starting the cycle and MAINTAINING IT keeping NITRATES AND NITRITES DOWN TO A VERY MANAGEABLE LEVEL and keeping down the SMELL OF AMONIA IF ANY!!!! so anyone with fish or turtles like me..........BUY THIS AND THANK ME LATER!!!! ENJOY

Quickly seeds your tank so that it cycles much quicker than on its own.

Its good to rapidly reduce ammonia

Highly effective Improves water quality by maintaining bacterial colonies Easy to use... Rather than other products. Must to stepup a new tank.. also it is good to add once in month so replenish the bacterial colonies

API quick start ist super, ich benutze es seit etwa einem halben Jahr und bin sehr zufrieden. Ich empfehle es mit gutem Gewissen weiter!

Good product

le produit semble tres eficace