Question: Fishless cycling with Tetra Safestart Plus and a shrimp?

[SammyTheLotus]

Okay, so as some of you here may know I've been having a lot of trouble getting my 30 gallon tank to cycle.
On March 30 I restarted my entire tank, washed it out, scrubbed the decor, etc, and added new water, treated with dechlorinator and added a shrimp inside the leg of a pair of pantyhose. The method of adding drops of liquid ammonia was unsuccessful for me last time and I had seen online that people had positive results with their cycling from allowing the shrimp to serve as an ammonia source as it decays.
It's been decaying for about a week now and my ammonia is still at 1.0ppm, and my nitrites are 0 and I have not seen any since I restarted my tank.
However, I picked up a bottle of Tetra Safestart today at my LFS because I've heard several people swear by it and say they've been able to get a cycle going very quickly by using it.
My question is: When I add the Safestart to my tank, should I leave the shrimp where it is or should I remove it?
And as well, should I do a water change before or after adding the Safestart?
If anyone has any experience with a situation like mine or any advice I'd really appreciate it..
Even a step by step guide on what I should be doing at this point would be amazing..I'm getting pretty desperate and would love to move my Axolotl into their home as soon as I can!
Thanks so much! ?

 

[CatSpit]

Hi, I've heard mixed reviews about adding a bacteria supplement to help cycle a tank, so I'm not sure how effective it will be, but this article explains the process quite thoroughly. Hope it helps.

Fishless Cycling - How to Start - A detailed guide from DrTim's Aquatics

 

[SammyTheLotus]

Hi, I've heard mixed reviews about adding a bacteria supplement to help cycle a tank, so I'm not sure how effective it will be, but this article explains the process quite thoroughly. Hope it helps.



Fishless Cycling - How to Start - A detailed guide from DrTim's Aquatics

Thanks so much for the helpful link! I've heard the mixed reviews on bottled bacteria as well, but a lot of people that I've seen swear by the Tetra brand because it actually has an expiration date, which suggests the bacteria are alive and well for the most part!