Ok so water is finally going in my 750 this week and I was always a fan of bio-spira and using old media for a nice quick safe cycle. I am looking and can't find bio-spira FW at all anywhere, just marine. Is there a "newer" "better" biological additive? or where can I get a bunch of traditional bio-spira?
Well DR tim hanovec sold the original bio spira to tetra who calls it safe start now and its been formulated for shelf life somehow. Dr time went on to make his own bottled cycling formula called Dr tims (I Think it still needs to be refrigerated like bio spira). You can get it at www.drfostersmith.com
I prefer seachem stability myself its inexpensive and it worked wonders and cycled a brand new tank in a week.
It also cycled my fry tank quick as well.
Dr. Hovanec's product is called "One and Only". It doesn't have to be refrigerated, but it has a longer shelf life if it is. It is produced by his company Dr. Tim's Aquatics.
That safe start is good stuff. i used it on my 125 when i first set it up. i was doing a fish less cycle on it so I added my 4ppm of ammonia and dumped the safe start in and in 12hrs I had a nitrite reading and after 24hrs I never seen another ammonia reading. I continued to add my 4ppm of ammonia daily and in less than a week the nitrite was reading zero 12hrs after the ammonia was introduced. I also used it to cycle a 55 a couple of weeks ago that got a suprize set up and over stocking all in one day. But that one was using a little old media so it cycled in a few days. What the readings told me was that the safe start was completing the first step in the cycle (ammonia-->nitrite) and it was adding a big boost to the second part (nitrite-->nitrate). I liked it the most out of all the addatives that i have used because you could see results in a few hours on your test. And you do not have to add it each day like some others. Oh and because it works flawlessly.
Dr. Hovanec's product is called "One and Only". It doesn't have to be refrigerated, but it has a longer shelf life if it is. It is produced by his company Dr. Tim's Aquatics.
Thats right forgot the one and only part. LOL kind of funny really I wonder if tetra thought of naming safe start "Dr tims first and only" or something.
Nice post greg curtis. I was curious as I have yet to see safe start on the shelves of any of the LFS around here. I just bought another two bottles of seachem stability to "stay safe" Never hurts to keep the stuff around ya know.
