Using Live Bacterial Culture

[Blackmango]

Why no mention of using live bacterial culture (sold in aquarium supply stores with other water conditioners) especially in a new tank, not necessarily one used for breeding. It seems like such a good solution to so many potential problems or am I buying something I don't necessarily need if I'm doing everything else right.

Gunda in T.O.

[Nightowl]

What bacteria are you referring to? J.T.

[bikhu]

Hi Gunda,
From what I have been able to learn up to this point it appears that the benefit of prducts such as Cycle is really no proven. The jury is still out you might say. There is a product called BioPure or something like that that some people here have discussed as being beneficial although I have no personal experience with that product. Once a tank is established there is usually no need to incorporate such products. What they seem to do most effectively is remove money form your wallet! :o
HTH
peter

[Dkarc@Aol.com]

Bio-Spria from Marineland products works very well. I have used it in many of my tanks and it has worked since the second it touched the water. It has to be kept cold in a refridgerator for it to stay alive until it is put into use. It can be expensive, especially if you have a big tank. I started up 7 30 gallon tanks by putting 7 sponge filters into one tank and I added water, hooked them up to air and then added the bio-spira. I then put in enough pure ammonia to equate to about 3-4 ppm. I added that much everyday for a few days so that the bacteria would become more established, then I just simply tansfered them into the other tanks with fish in them. I've haven't had the dreaded "new tank syndrome" ever since.


-Ryan

[Nightowl]

I have used the Bio-Spira many times as well. A friend of mine used it recently too. We just add the stuff, then add the fish....no waiting! Recently I put 16 discus into a 75 gal. tank that was filled two-thirds of the way and must admit its the first time the stuff didn't cycle the tank immediately. Had some ammonia days 2 + 3, and some nitrite days 4,5, & 6. For the ammonia I added zeolite to the filter. On day 5, I cleaned out the filter(an AC500) because some uneaten food got in there. Then I added a follow up 30g dose of biospira. By evening of day 6 nitrite was down to .25ppm. It never went really high...maybe on days 3 & 4 but I changed water each night, about 40%. By yesterday morning nitrites were zero...one week after setting up the tank. I think they rose a bit because I put 16 sizeable fish in about 50 gallons of water... during the week I removed 5 of the fish to other tanks, and I was feeding lightly, but the tank is fine now just one week later.
In the past the Bio-Spira has worked almost instantly when I have started normally stocked tanks. It does work.....great if you need to set up a tank FAST!!! Of course, extra cycled sponge filters work too.
J.T.