# Stress Coat vs Stress Zyme



## MichelleA (Jun 25, 2013)

How does API Stress Zyme add to the bb in my tank? Whats the science behind it? Does it work? Can i use it along with stress coat? Will it help my new tanks cycle faster?


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Stress Zyme is literally a bottle full of BB, so you're quite literally dumping a bottle of BB into your tank which helps kick start your colony of BB. Thinking about it, if you didn't use BB additives you start with nothing to your colony and eventually they start to grow. Using an additive immediately puts BB into your tank which can help them grow their colony faster since there is immediately BB present.

Of course there's always a chance that the bottle is dead BB as well if it's been on the shelf too long or has gone through extreme temps.

You don't have to use Stress Coat along with it unless your fish is stressed out or has torn fins/boo-boo's. It can help keep stress down if you're doing Fish-In cycling, also keeping lights out will help too unless you've got plants.

And yes, if you get a good bottle of BB, it does work. My tank was cycled in two weeks. Of course keep an eye on your levels because as I said, not all bottles are live bacteria so you'll just have to be ready to do water changes when needed.


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## MichelleA (Jun 25, 2013)

Well where can i get a good bottle? Any website you know of? I realize I bought a different brand of this type of thing when i was starting my first tank and the lady convinced me that it would help me cycle my tank faster..... It did not work one bit. Which made me skeptical about this Zyme. Anywho, should i just buy a bottle on the shelf or do you know a better place i can get some?


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

I don't know of really any specific place to get them, I got mine from Walmart. Just check the date on it if there is one. I don't know exactly the time of expiration for BB though so that's something to google. But it's not just Stress Zyme that will do it, there's also SeaChem's Stability and NutraFin's Cycle. They will all work if they aren't dead is all so you most likely just got a dead bottle.

Getting some filter media or objects from an already established tank will basically do the same thing, of course you'd need some one with an established tank but if you do have one or know someone, you can use that method as well!


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## Blue Fish (Jun 11, 2012)

I've had hit and miss luck with the BB's in a bottle. But, the one that I've had the most luck with is API Quick Start. I've used it several times and haven't had any trouble. There's just a couple of things to make sure you do with it though: 

1. Wait until your ammonia level is about 0.25 before adding in the quick start. This gives the BB's something to eat immediately, and helps them get established. You should be at 0 ammonia/nitrites within 48 hours if it's worked. 

2. Just get a small bottle, or however much you need immediately. For whatever reason, once the bottle has been opened, it loses potency very quickly. I've dosed a second tank in 24 hours and still had it work, but anything longer than 48 and it does nothing. So, just get whatever size bottle you need, or the closest to it.  Just toss whatever you don't use, it's not going to be any good later. 

3. As lilnaugrim said, make sure you test your tank for a week or two daily just to make sure the cycle has been successful, and then off and on for a few months just to make sure that nothing has crashed.  I haven't had it happen, but I've heard that other people have had trouble with that, so just be careful.


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## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

Not all nitrifying bacteria is created equal. The bacteria that process ammonia and nitrite are nitrosomonas and nitrospira. They are available in Tetra Safestart, API quickstart, ATM Colony, NiteOut and Dr Tim's One-and-Only, among others. Seachem Stability is a mixture of bacteria, but it works fine. All are vulnerable to temperature (>90* and <40*) as Lil mentioned. All have limited but long (>6mo.) room-temperature shelf-life.

Dr Tim's O-and-O is available direct from the manufacturer and shipped in an insulated container to ensure freshness and viability. The other products, if used fresh, have worked for many keepers. They are becoming the fastest, safest way to cycle a tank

Blue Fish's advice on opened container shelf-life is well-earned, as is the rest of her good advice..

From what I read, StressZyme is old-tech which has delivered mixed results.


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## MichelleA (Jun 25, 2013)

Yeah i tried taking water from my cycles tank and putting it in my new tanks as well as some plants. Was just curious because now my cycled tank is crashing and my new tanks are not yet cycled. The fish in my cycled tank is now in my hospital tank due to fin rot. Hopefully this will help all of them


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## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

Bacteria stick to surfaces, so there's not much in the water column. So not much point in putting used water into a tank for cycling purposes..


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## jaysee (Dec 9, 2009)

Hallyx said:


> Bacteria stick to surfaces, so there's not much in the water column. So not much point in putting used water into a tank for cycling purposes..


Agreed.

About the bacteria sticking to surfaces... as I understand it, the bacteria adheres to the biofilm that covers all the surfaces in the tank. With that being said, perhaps it would help the effectiveness of the bottled bacteria to wait a week from filling up the tank to adding the bacteria to give the biofilm a chance to cover everything. It's probably not necessary to do that or else it would likely say so in the instructions, but it's something about which I was just thinking.


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## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

jaysee said:


> ... as I understand it, the bacteria adheres to the biofilm ....perhaps it would help the effectiveness of the bottled bacteria to wait a week ... to give the biofilm a chance to cover everything.... or else it would likely say so in the instructions...


That is my understanding also. Although I've never heard it suggested, that sounds logical to me.

That it does not say so in the instructions means little, considering the quality of manufacturers instructions extant.


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