- TLC Products StartSmart Complete Saltwater Aquarium Cycle Starter & Beneficial Nitrifiers, Supports Clear Water & Biofiltration, Reduces Excess Sludge, 12 oz (354 ml)

Although I was using a competing product that said it was both for freshwater and saltwater a friend recommended I buy this product for my new saltwater aquarium instead. I could not be more pleased. I had already been working on cycling the tank for over two weeks and had a huge nitrite load that just wouldn't drop. I added this product every day using the recommended dosage and after about a week nitrites were gone, nitrates were up and the tank was fully cycled.

Love this product. It brings your tank in balance over night. I use it when I do water changes. So much less expensive here then in pet stores!

I purchased this thinking I could use this to cycle my aquarium but when I tried it I didn't really see anything happening in my tank all my levels where high, so I went to my LFS and I told them that this stuff wasn't working but come to find out, they told me this is to maintain the bacteria in your tank once you use smart start cycle first. Once I added that my ammonia dropped in a day or so and now I use this to help out after and it's working we'll together

Was skeptical but it surely did work in cycling my tank in less than a wk

i used this to cycle my new 55 gal saltwater aquarium with 2 clown fish. The 1st picture is 20 min before adding start smart complete, 2nd picture is 20 min after. As you can see. StartSmart spiked my Nitrite & Nitrate IMMEDIATELY. 7 hours later both clowns were dead!! I used 6 ounces in 55 Gal, added to the sump. The Fish were purchased from a VERY reputable fish shop, (Azalea's Aquarium.) The problem was NOT the fish. Water temp was 79 deg, salinity was 1.021.Follow up;I brought this bottle to Azalea Aquarium for analysis and they concluded that this bottle was very bad. The consistency was dark and goopey and tested very high in nitrite. They say it never happened to anyone before they know. I contacted StartSmart and they offered to send another bottle. I also asked for a credit for the dead clown fish and wasted salt. I will follow up and report if weather or not they stood by their product. I believe they should have stamped expiration dates on StartSmart because there is a 2 year shelf life after all. my 1 star review may not seem fair because my situation is unique but the fact that there is no expiration date on the bottle and the extent of damage possible if expired is so great that this product is not worth the risk. If you are going to use it anyway, test it first for nitrite, nitrate and color before adding to aquarium. good luck

This was recommended by a aquarium installer.

Product works well

Works perfectly for my new saltwater tank set up and maintenance. The newly added fish and invertebrates are thriving and happy!