questions on "biospira"

[bennyblanco]

will your ammonia and nitrite spike up cause the biospira???:idea2: :idea2:

[marilyn1998]

Biospira is a product made by Marineland that contatins nitrifying? bacteria.This is a good thing.
When fish breathe and make waste and food dies, this makes ammonia. Nitrites are bacteria that "eat" the ammonia, and nitrates are bacteria that "eat" the nitrites. When you do water changes, you keep the nitrates at a minimum. This is the biological cycle that all tanks need to maintain healthy fish and plants. There are a few ways to get this cycle established. One is using the product called Biospira.
You add the biospira the day BEFORE you add your first fish. Within a week, (instead of 4-8) you have your first nitrates showing. If you decide to stock more fish, you need to use the Biospira again to reduce the time the bio needs to catch up to the added fish.
You will see ammonia, nitrites and nitrates using the product. YOU NEED THIS.
However, the length of time and the severity of the readings is alot less than using cycle, or any other types of products. Nitromax, cycle, etc are NOT the same acting as Biospira.
I used Biospira on my 90 gallon and it is doing fine. You still need to do small water changes and test your water daily.
Biospira needs to be kept refigerated.
Good Luck.

[Dissident]

Not quite right marilyn.
Obligate chemolithotrophs is the bacteria that converts nitrIte to nitrAte. Maybe that is the bacteria that converts ammonia to NitrIte Look it up ;)
NitrItes don't 'eat' ammonia it is just the by-product of the bacteria breaking down ammonia (not sure what that is called off-hand). Chemolithrophs (class of bacteria) uses Nitrates to multiply and the byproduct is NitrAte. Converting No3 to No2.

Bio Sprya introduces these bacterias to the system and do not add Ammonia or NitrItes or NitrAtes. You may see some of all 3 durring the cycle but at much lower levels. I am a big fan of tradtional cycleing and have never used bio-Spyra or any other products. If I need to rapid cycle a tank perhaps, but having cycled filters all over I would use one of those if possible.

[marilyn1998]

Thanks Dissident for the chemistry lesson! I knew it was more complicated than I wrote, but at my age, remembering those specific things is HARD! ;)
THe end result is tho he sees the levels, they are needed. And they are helped by the Biospira and not caused from it.
HAving a seeded sponge is the way to go. But alot of folks are still new and have only one tank.:D

[Jarrod]

Biospira to me is a very good way to "jumpstart" the cycling process...if you don't have the patience to wait out the cycling process to cycle a tank thru the "fishless" method and you don't have a seeded filter to help you out. It may not be the best or perfect way to do it but it does work..I think as long as you don't overload the bioload when using it it does a very very good job. I still check my water params daily when using it. The chemistry aspect of it is still beyond my grasp tho...lol guess that's why I never took chemistry in high school...lol..I still use the Biospira when I set up a new tanks and that's even with seeded filters to use...I figure every little bit helps I guess.:D
Jarrod

[billeagan]

I use biospira when bringing in large shipments and have had good experiences with it to this point.