Bacteria in a bottle

[cichlidmaster]

Hi All,
Would just like to find out your opinions on thsese so-called instant bacteria starters. Here's my take on it:

Bacteria simply stated need oxygen to survive, therefore how can these liquid starter cultures that come in a sealed bottle and who knows for how long have been in that bottle be anything but crap

IMHO....Don't waste your money...they don't work!!!!!

I welcome any and all view points.

Larry

 

[Tatya]

I agree - you don't know how long they've been left on the shelf. Any dead bacteria will just add to your nitrates as well.

But then - I've never used them so how would I know!

I always fishless cycle. Much easier!

 

[Davy Reynolds]

To be honist, My view is there rubbish. I've used them once and it must have speed up the process by 1 day over a 3 week cycle. Thats hell of a good for that sort of money :laugh:

Thumbs down to this product

 

[William]

Well just to clarify not all bacteria respire aerobically (using oxygen) for example yeast.  I don't know whether the bacteria in the filter respire aerobically or anaerobically but it is possible that they could live in there thinking how alcohol is fermented for years, with only the high level of alcohol eventually killing the yeast.

For my cycle I completed it in two weeks which is a fast time for 6 platies in a 20 gallon tank. I probably wouldn't have gone out of my way to get "cycle" but it came with the tank so I followed the instructions with it for the first few days. It certainly seemed to do the business for me! But I think that it is more important to get filter squezings or gravel from an established tank.

 

[Alien Anna]

Well just to clarify not all bacteria respire aerobically (using oxygen) for example yeast.  I don't know whether the bacteria in the filter respire aerobically or anaerobically but it is possible that they could live in there thinking how alcohol is fermented for years, with only the high level of alcohol eventually killing the yeast.

The bacteria in the filter of your tank should be nitrosomonas and another nitrogen-grabbing bacteria (brain has partially died), both of which are strictly aerobic bacteria. Which is why your filter can "die" if it dries out or if the water is poisoned by too much ammonia or nitrite or other oxygen-depleting chemicals (the levels have to be very high for that to happen, of course).

Not only that, but these bacteria require a continual source of ammonia (or nitrite) in order to survive. How on earth this could be achieved in a long-life media, in an anaerobic container, I don't know.

I've also heard that the bottled bacteria are a different species of nitrogen-fixing bacteria to the aquatic ones, being soil bacteria.

 

[adeyc]

I don't know what the other word your looking for is at the moment either, but guarenteed we'll get it just before someone posts it. I cant remember but doesn't aerobic bacteria give of CO2 as a by product?

Anyway in my opinion those kit things are a complete waste of time and money. if you want to hurry the process along get some water from an already established tank or some gravel and add that.

 

[Dragonslair]

It's commercialism is'nt it? Companies don't like people like us because "we know" through experience. They grab the new/ignorant/gulliable aquarists and sell them gallons of the stuff. Read any book or mag. and the're sponsored by the company plugging their "miricle" product. If you had a miricle product that would net you billions, would'nt you plug it too? They are doing only what comes naturally-being greedy. I can't say I blame them either. Live and let live. The product does NO harm, it may DO no good, but they can justyfiebly say there are "good" bacteria in the bottle. They don't have to specify weather the're dead or not. So they are not breaching the advertising laws. So its down to personal choice. You pays your money and you takes your chance-just like life.

 

[cichlidmaster]

I agree with dragon on all but one point...

The product does do harm!!!!

If it is touted as allowing one to add a full load of fish right away, but all the bacteria are "dead" your fish will surely die.

Larry

 

[Alien Anna]

Nitrobacter!

Sorry, that was the word I was struggling for. The bacteria you need in your tank are nitrobacter and nitrosomonas.

 

[adeyc]

you know something I just got the word 1/2 an hour before you posted it. you bet me to it. :laugh:

 

[Rose]

I think they are a waste of money and since I have so many tanks to begin with I don't need them as my tanks cycle fully in 2-3 days. Rose

 

[Great Lakes]

That is why everyone ought to have at least one large tank. So if you want to start a tank in a pinch, you are just a water change away!

 

[Alien Anna]

That is why everyone ought to have at least one large tank. So if you want to start a tank in a pinch, you are just a water change away!

OTOH, seriously though, the other day I took out water and matured filter media from my main tank, to seed a new one, and I crashed my filter! I had nitrite in my tank and I nearly lost some of my more sensitive fish.

The problem was I've been doing a lot of work on my main tank, to get down the pH, and I've been doing very frequent w/c's. I think it was one w/c too far

 

[Great Lakes]

Anna, that is one of the biggest reasons why I am in the minimum water change club. If it aint broke, don't fix it.

 

[Alien Anna]

Great Lakes,
I'm interested in your opinion. Because my water comes out the tap as liquid chalk (pH 9.0, KH>20, GH>24), and because I have mainly Amazon type fish, I've been working hard to reduce my water hardness and my pH, by filtering water through peat and doing water changes with the soft, acid peat water. So far I've got my pH down to 7.0, my KH <10 and my GH <14.

What do you think about my scheme? Am I going to quickly, am I too ambitious to change my water, or perhaps I should just accept that my fish aren't living in ideal conditions? How would you proceed?

Also, when I buy new fish from the LFS, I know they do not adjust their water at all. How should I go about acclimatising my new fish to the water?