Adding beneficial bacteria

[Swartz44]

Is there such a thing as adding to much beneficial bacteria(tetra safe start) where it can be harmful to fish? I used the above product to help cycle my new aquarium. I was thinking when I get rid of my carbon filled disposable cartridge and add all foam to my bio wheel filter should I add another bottle of tetra safe start so I dont lose my beneficial bacteria from changing out the filter?

 

[Jan Cavalieri]

I don't understand these filters that have only one location for the bacteria to grow - filter media can wear out or burst open etc, and there you are, with no way to capture your good bacteria. Now keep in mind if you have some kind of a substrate (ie., gravel or sand) - that they too carry a very large load of good bacteria too. If you were changing filters and changing gravel it would be just like starting over.

Go ahead and change out your cartridge if you must or look into buying a filter that has two sources for the bacteria to grow. I would then add a bottle of Safe Start just to be on the extra careful side - or at least a half a bottle. I add Tetra Safe Start whenever I get a load of more fish too - say I started with 4 fish and added 10 more - my tank would not have enough good bacteria to handle the ammonia coming from all those fish and it could build up rapidly until you see your fish start to die. I believe this happened to me the first time I added extra fish - I was buying them mailorder and overnight shipping is VERY expensive so i wanted to buy all i could get for that $50 I was paying in postage - what I should have been thinking was what was good for my aquarium.

Of course also make sure you are doing a significant water change on a regular basis. I change out 75% weekly - but I tend to overfeed my fish (I just worry to much about one of them missing a meal) - some people switch out less water less often but frankly the more often and bigger your water change the healthier tank you'll have.

 

[kwi]

No you can't overdose bacteria in a bottle.
If your tank is fully cycled changing just one part of the filter media shouldn't be harmful, but monitor daily and be prepared to do big water changes if neccessary.
You can also get a head start by leaving the foam in the flow from the outflow for a few weeks before putting it in the filter.

 

[AbbeysDad]

No such thing as too much BB. However, the whole purpose of the bio-wheel is to culture BB as spinning out in the air is their gimmicky claim to fame.
So...if/when you want to replace the cartridge, which mostly is serving as your mechanical media, with sponge material, you could...or you could slice the bottom to remove the spent carbon and keep on using it until it about falls apart.

 

[Arthur11]

The instructions indicate that I can put fish immediately after I pour the entire bottle into my 50-gallon tank. However, I decided to play it safe and waited until the next day. Not only did my fish survive but they are now also thriving in their new environment. Although it might seem wasteful to use an entire bottle of this Tetra on a new tank, keep in mind that this is necessary to get the cultured bacteria to thrive quickly in the water.

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

Nothing wasteful about keeping your fish alive

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

Actually, you CAN have too much beneficial bacteria, especially early on in the process, when the bacteria has a sudden growth spurt, on account of the nourishment it suddenly finds itself in.
This is where we can get a bacterial 'bloom', a sort-of slightly milky appearance to the water.
This is harmless and usually dissipates of its own accord.

Asking the question, I'm wondering why ask? Is it because things are not moving fast enough for you? Bear in mind that fishkeeping and impatience don't mix well and setting up a tank can b a great exercise in cultivating the necessary patience you'll need to be successful in keeping letting your creatures thrive.

I suppose that the manufacturers have spent some considerable times in their labs to ascertain the optimal doses for tank and bacterial health and I'm happy to go along with their expertise, dosing as per instructions on the bottle.

Thinking about it, if you have too much bacteria and there isn't enough for them to feed on, what do we think might happen?

On @Jan Cavalieri 's post, remember that whilst your bacteria does live in your filter, it will also live on every available surface in the tank.