"Pond Start"

[avymaniac]

Hey all! Newby here. Does anyone use the conditioner "Pond Start" by Jungle?

[keith_r]

i've not seen any ap'ers recommend products like that, most start with "fishless cycling" a system until the bacteria colony is established

[urbanfarmer]

Save your money and just pee in it. If that idea doesn't suit you, then go to your local garden or feed store and buy commercial pee usually called urea.

Or, if you don't mind the color, you can even go find some ORGANIC miracle grow. It comes in an 8-0-0 liquid fertilizer formula. It is cheap, and the plants will love it once they get put in. For best effect, take an ammonia reading BEFORE and take one every week AFTER until you see it go down. Also, take your nitrate measurements and make sure it keeps going up. Once the ammonia is moving, you can slowly start adding fish being careful to monitor the levels so as to ensure your bacteria are established enough to keep up with the ammonia levels.

Nitrogen cycle:
http://izzy4real.com/usgi_blog/?p=54

[JCO]

Welcome to the show....pull up an easy chair, relax and stay awhile. New voices are always a welcome addition to our family..! Whatever questions you have on you mind, this is the place to get the answers so pick a topic of your interest and start your own thread and Enjoy.

[avymaniac]

Urban Farmer,
Cool advice. Didn't buy anything, I'm always trying to keep it cheap. I have a bottle of "Pond Start" a friend gave me, so I used a little of it. I haven't had any more casualities, so I guess it's working. All the levels look good. Clear water. Plants look good. Now I just have to keep the water warm enough.

[Big Al]

hello avymaniac, where are you located and what type of fish are you going to raise. Big Al

[urbanfarmer]

Urban Farmer,
Cool advice. Didn't buy anything, I'm always trying to keep it cheap. I have a bottle of "Pond Start" a friend gave me, so I used a little of it. I haven't had any more casualities, so I guess it's working. All the levels look good. Clear water. Plants look good. Now I just have to keep the water warm enough.

OH, you had fish in it already! Depending on the product, there can be different things in there. Some of the most notable issues to watch out for are the bacteria can suddenly die off and cause another spike. Also, sometimes the product introduces a large amount of enzymes that break down nitrogenous compounds and the enzymes can slowly or suddenly become denatured causing a spike in anything from ammonium to nitrate. Anyway... FREE is always best. Good luck, and if you have any other problems feel free to post in the right forum.