Stress Coat - stress zyme

Question
I put in stress zyme and stress coat 2 days ago. The next day I tested the water PH, but by accident poured the solution that was in the test tube in the aquarium. I drained 3/4 of the water and replaced it.

Should I add stress coat/zyme again? Or
Should I just add it in 7 days. The aquarium has no fish yet.

Also, I plan to have tropical fish and was wondering if I need to turn on the heater.

Thank you very much in advance for your help!

Answer
Hi Leeza,
Stress coat is usually just a one time dose for most aquariums. Unfortunately the bacterial you added may not be able to really survive unless it has a good source of ammonia which is produced by the fish. Until you add a food source, your aquarium won't begin to cycle very well.
But stress zyme is good to add just before you add fish. And it's good to add again to help speed up the cycling process according to the directions.
Heaters are essential with tropical fish. Unless you keep your house reasonable both in summer and winter. Too cold of temperature can really make fish ill. Use an aquarium thermometer to help establish a good temperature between 76-80 F.

Remember not to overstock your aquarium when first adding fish. Stick to very hardy species like Black skirt tetras, platies and Zebra danios. No more than 1-2 fish in aquariums the size of 10-20 gallons. Zebra danios need to be in groups of 3 at all times. Later you can add more of the same species once your aquarium cycles.
The whole process of beneficial bacteria establishing takes about 4-6 weeks and during that time critical testing of the water for ammonia and nitrite levels are very important. Not even the hardiest fish should be subject to toxic ammonia or nitrite levels.  And a 30-50% water change should always be preformed if reading levels are out of safe bounds.


Good luck with your cycling! I really hope this helps!
Feel free to email me with anymore questions you may have..

My very best wishes and happy fishkeeping!
Karen~