beneficial bacteria additives? HELP!

[Lightbringer]

Bacterial spores are VERY durable and can easily withstand a few years of storage under ambient conditions. This is precisely the premise upon which Seachem Stability is based and for me, it has worked exceptionally well indeed.

I've setup multiple tanks with both aged media from other tanks and using solely Seachem Stability with great success.

 

[tylerperkins]

i have used biozyme i thinks its called comes in a little re container i personally love the stuff

 

[iloveoscars702]

i have used biozyme i thinks its called comes in a little re container i personally love the stuff

yeah thats the same stuf i am using now. works pretty good.

 

[Potts050]

As these other guys said, most of these products are garbage. How does the beneficial bacteria live in these products if it needs insane amounts of oxygen? If your filter turns off for a few hours, you can "break" your cycle and have to start building BB from scratch, but these products can sit on a shelf in a sealed container for a year at a time? Hmm. . .

Seed filter media. That's a great way. I keep a sponge filter running in at least one of my tanks at all times for exactly this reason- any time i set up a new tank, I just pop that whole sponge filter straight in the tank. It's a completely existing colony of BB already in a filter.

The only store bought products I ever use (asides from Bio Spira, as someone mentioned- i hear that stuff is great, and would try it if I needed an instant cycle) to help keep new fish alive is zeolite. While I don't recommend regular use of zeolite, if you use it as the last media in your filter (mechanical, biological, THEN zeolite, compared to mech, chem, then bio), it lets your bio media process as much ammonia as it can, then it absorbs whatever ammonia is left in the water after. It prolongs the complete cycle, but it will keep fish alive if you're in a pinch (like when power goes out and you kill your BB, of it a pump breaks & goes dry or whatever) and you're forced to start over.

I almost completely agree with this post. A mature sponge filter will contain hundreds of differant types of BB ready to get to work, and adapted to your local water supply.

I would add however that it is important to use some Prime or a similar product to knock out any chloramines in your new set-up otherwise the sponge filter will become a source of biological oxygen demand rather than a source of beneficial bacteria.

Cheers!

 

[tcarswell]

Dont rely on those gimmicks , Bio Spira does work I know first hand but even Bio spira takes a week or so. Nothing besides using an established filter will cycle your tank in a few days

 

[Guapote]

That's why when you are considering getting a new tank, start with the filtration. If you have other tanks, you can seed the new filter on the established tank and that will give you a bit of a headstart.

That doesn't mean it is all you will need but it helps. I squezze some of my sponge filters into new media all of the time. Levels stay pretty well in check (mind you I have purchased 12 tanks in the last three months)