Curious About Bought Bacteria
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The consensus is, they don't work and cycling with ammonia, raised temp and surface agitation is the quickest way to cycle a tank.
However, added some stuff and I started to get reading of nitrite within two days and had a completed cycle in around 2-3 weeks, which is quicker than normal I think. I think I was one of the lucky lucky ones, though.
However, added some stuff and I started to get reading of nitrite within two days and had a completed cycle in around 2-3 weeks, which is quicker than normal I think. I think I was one of the lucky lucky ones, though.
That's not true at all, Dr. Tim's, TSS, and BioSpira all contain the appropriate bacteria to establish a cycle. In fact, Dr. Tim identified the true nitrifying bacteria and developed BioSpira, which is the bacteria used in TSS. So all three products are more or less the same thing. However, it must be understood that these are biological products and as such will not always perform the same depending on pH, temperature, and any other number of factors. Even so, one using these products as directed should be able to expect a reasonable chance of success.Axyadbad said:
MrsEspoNYC7
Fish Fanatic
I used Tera safe start, raised my temp to 82 F and had my filter going full force. Also added a bubble stone to add some more movement, and put a few flakes of food a day. I was cycled in 17 days..
But like skies said.... It all depends on your local water source.
But like skies said.... It all depends on your local water source.
TwoTankAmin
Fish Connoisseur
Some do work. All three products mentioned are decent when used correctly. Dr. Hovanec (aka Dr. Tim) was involved in the major studies of nitrifying bacteria in aquariums. He created Bio-Spira which has since been taken over by another company. it is now only a sw product.
When he split from Marineland when it became part of a conglomerate, he and Tetra (also in the big group) shared the rights to the bacteria. Dr Tim's is the superior product of the two, imo. I believe tetra had made some changes in how they do things and you will find that the instructions for the two products are quite different.
There is a company in Europe called Avecom that also makes a decent product but I am not sure it is available to the hobby as oopese to larger type facilities- public aquariums, aquaculture, drinking water treatment etc.
The most important consideration in using these products it strict adherence to the directions. The most common cause of product failure is user error..
My personal experience is limited to the Dr. Tim's product and have only cycled 3 or 4 tanks with it.
When he split from Marineland when it became part of a conglomerate, he and Tetra (also in the big group) shared the rights to the bacteria. Dr Tim's is the superior product of the two, imo. I believe tetra had made some changes in how they do things and you will find that the instructions for the two products are quite different.
There is a company in Europe called Avecom that also makes a decent product but I am not sure it is available to the hobby as oopese to larger type facilities- public aquariums, aquaculture, drinking water treatment etc.
The most important consideration in using these products it strict adherence to the directions. The most common cause of product failure is user error..
My personal experience is limited to the Dr. Tim's product and have only cycled 3 or 4 tanks with it.
I have heard of Dr.Tims stuff.. however the OP is from the UK and I don't think it is available here. I'm guessing the OP is on about using something from API or KingBritish. I wouldn't say don't try it as, it can work.. but again generally it hasn't from reading other users experiences.
Other than the 3 as mentioned (DrTims, TSS, BioSpira) most other BiB's are not water based bacteria, but will do the same of consuming ammonia. It's a balancing act. While the added bacteria will help to control ammonia, it will not survive in water, but in the meantime competes with the fledgling bacteria that is building up in your tank for the food source. So while it helps to start the system, it sort of delays the development of your establish bacteria.
Another problem with BiB is you really must look at expiry/production dates as most bacteria do not survive well kept in a bottle - bacteria are liviing organisms. So it is possible bottles you might have purchased could have been expired, or possible the bacteria might be destroyed by incorrect shipping/storage (ie. left in some container and frozen or overheated). So there are many unknowns as to the condition of the bacteria in the bottle you have purchased.
When I restarted my hobby a couple years ago, I used Seachem Stability to kickstart my first tank, but while the fish survived, daily tests revealed the cycle was not complete for almost 2 months, which is close the time would have been doing a fishless cycle.
Another problem with BiB is you really must look at expiry/production dates as most bacteria do not survive well kept in a bottle - bacteria are liviing organisms. So it is possible bottles you might have purchased could have been expired, or possible the bacteria might be destroyed by incorrect shipping/storage (ie. left in some container and frozen or overheated). So there are many unknowns as to the condition of the bacteria in the bottle you have purchased.
When I restarted my hobby a couple years ago, I used Seachem Stability to kickstart my first tank, but while the fish survived, daily tests revealed the cycle was not complete for almost 2 months, which is close the time would have been doing a fishless cycle.
Dr. Tim's has an international purchasing site, I believe. I have had it in two cycling tanks (10 and 20 gallons) for one week and then ten processes ammonia in 24 hours (but we are still working on nitrite). The twenty is still working on ammonia (at last test) but I still have nitrite readings for that one as well. Plus, Dr. Tim's customer service is excellent.
Axyadbad said:
UK people can get this stuff through internet, found one on Amazon.........
http
/www.amazon.co.uk/DR-TIM%2527S-AQUATICS-Only-Freshwater/dp/B001LULBXI/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1377901086&sr=8-3&keywords=dr+tims+one+and+onlyI have not used this before so cannot comment on how this performs but have heard good things so may use it one day when setting up a new tank.
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I stand correctedCh4rlie said:
UK people can get this stuff through internet, found one on Amazon.........
http
I have not used this before so cannot comment on how this performs but have heard good things so may use it one day when setting up a new tank.
good to know for the future.. I hope it does work as it'll mean less miserable fish in case people end up doing a fish-in cycle!!
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I used this stuff...I think it is a new product. I got it at my LFS, but this is the only place I can find it online. It worked wonders for me! http/www.petlanddiscounts.com/detail.asp?product_id=532897
/www.petlanddiscounts.com/detail.asp?product_id=532897
TwoTankAmin
Fish Connoisseur
Just by way of an FYI. When it comes to nitrifying bacteria in nature, there are all kinds and they are not all equal. This is especially true for the ammonia oxidizers. While pretty much most of the different ones are present. even if to a small degree, in most waste water treatment plants. These are the high ammonia environments where ammonia levels will also fluctuate greatly.
But in tanks, which is a very low level environment, the bacteria that do best at such levels are mostly what are found. However, when it comes to the nitrite oxidizers, there seems to be much less variety. The Nitrospira dominate in many environments, especially when nitrite is at the levels typical in tanks. And this is where the problem with finding a good bottled product becomes a factor.
When the group of researchers discovered it was nitrospira in tanks and not the Nitrobacter winogradsky as previously thought, the game changed. They were able to obtain a patent on them as well as the method for detecting them. This is one reason many bottle bacteria products do not identify what is in them. Those that do usually will say they contain nitrobacter.
But there is another big clue I look for in all these products and if you think about it a minute it makes perfect sense. When one cycles a tank using media from another cycled tank, how many time do you add media? Once (unless you only had a little and you find some more). So why do some bacterial starter products say to add it every day for a week or several times in the first week? If it is the proper bacteria and in good condition, why should it require more than a single addition? Of course the makers all have ideas about when else one might use the product, such as when adding new fish or after medicating, which may make a bit of sense sometimes. But in an established tank, why would one ever need to add bacteria regularly? On reason I use Dr. Tim's ( and there area several) is the followihng from his site on how to cycle a tank using his bacteria:
from http/www.drtimsaquatics.com/resources/how-to-start
For my part I normally do not need bottled bacteria because I have enough running tanks to set up a new one and instantly cycle it. However, There are situations where I do need it. Most notably where I need to cycle a new tank without taking anything from an established tank because the fish going into the new tank have little or no resistance to most of the domestic nasties living in our tanks Because the incoming fish do not have any resistance, they need to be in a more "sterile" tank at the outset. Bottled bacteria is the ideal cycle starter in such cases.
But in tanks, which is a very low level environment, the bacteria that do best at such levels are mostly what are found. However, when it comes to the nitrite oxidizers, there seems to be much less variety. The Nitrospira dominate in many environments, especially when nitrite is at the levels typical in tanks. And this is where the problem with finding a good bottled product becomes a factor.
When the group of researchers discovered it was nitrospira in tanks and not the Nitrobacter winogradsky as previously thought, the game changed. They were able to obtain a patent on them as well as the method for detecting them. This is one reason many bottle bacteria products do not identify what is in them. Those that do usually will say they contain nitrobacter.
But there is another big clue I look for in all these products and if you think about it a minute it makes perfect sense. When one cycles a tank using media from another cycled tank, how many time do you add media? Once (unless you only had a little and you find some more). So why do some bacterial starter products say to add it every day for a week or several times in the first week? If it is the proper bacteria and in good condition, why should it require more than a single addition? Of course the makers all have ideas about when else one might use the product, such as when adding new fish or after medicating, which may make a bit of sense sometimes. But in an established tank, why would one ever need to add bacteria regularly? On reason I use Dr. Tim's ( and there area several) is the followihng from his site on how to cycle a tank using his bacteria:
from http
/www.drtimsaquatics.com/resources/how-to-startFor my part I normally do not need bottled bacteria because I have enough running tanks to set up a new one and instantly cycle it. However, There are situations where I do need it. Most notably where I need to cycle a new tank without taking anything from an established tank because the fish going into the new tank have little or no resistance to most of the domestic nasties living in our tanks Because the incoming fish do not have any resistance, they need to be in a more "sterile" tank at the outset. Bottled bacteria is the ideal cycle starter in such cases.
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