Biozyme

[Dieses Madchen]

Water change you think?

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Well, it would ruin your "experiment", but if you actually want to get the tank up and running soon, then yes, I think a water change to drop your nitrites would be a good idea. Ultimately, I'm not sure if the product has the complete set of bacteria, but it might just have a good amount of the A-bacs.

Any word on the culture? When will you get any information on that? Will they be testing mature media and new media for comparison purposes?

 

[Dieses Madchen]

I am waiting till payday to pick up a bottle (we had a financial situation pop up). Once I aquire the bottle of supposed bacteria, I will have our micro tech culture it. We should see growth within 48 hour if the bacteria is viable.

The bottle that I am using doesnt specify the bacterial content, nor the species it is said to contain. The tank that I am running the experiment on is an empty 10g (no rocks or anything) that has a cheap filter and is for the soul purpose of having media ready so I do not have to worry about fishless cyles. I have a 65g tank that I am going to set up for Killifish (my husband loves the killifish) but I do not have a filter or heater for it yet. I figured while I wait until I can get the necessary equipment and plants to set it up, I would start cycling media. it is going to be a couple of months until that point, so i will know good and well by then if this media is going to work long term. if it does not work long term, then I will do a complete fishless cycle, seeded with clones from one or all of my 4 other tanks.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

I think it should work in the end, but the issue I was concerned with is what happens once you stop dosing the stuff, and whether or not the nitrite bacteria would be able to keep up with the ammonia.

 

[Dieses Madchen]

The nitrite will build I am sure. I can already tell that this isn't an instant cycle product that is going to keep a full tank from new tank syndrome I have nothing but time to see if it is a good substitute for seeding with mature media though

 

[mishmash]

I would really like to believe that a product like this actually works, but I've never seen it happen long term. Hope this one works for you. With so many tanks running though, certainly you had some media you could have taken to instantly cycle the new tank. It's all well and good though, it is an interesting investigation. I don't know that it would definitely prove anything, but it would give us potentially one case to cite where it did work (of course, this assumes that it does work long term).

What do you mean "that it does work long term" ?? Surely, either a cycle works or it doesn't ? Once the cycling stage is finished, the "long term" part is down to the presence of a bioload (from fish waste) ? That part has nothing to do with the success of the Biozyme does it ? Once the cycle has finished, the ammonia has spiked, been broken down, the nitrite has spiked, been broken down, nitrates are produced and removed by water changes and further introductions of ammonia go through the same process. But once those bacteria are in place, from the initial cycle, the Biozyme (or whatever product you have used) has "worked".

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Well, not exactly. The Biozyme product directs the keeper to add it for a period of 7 days. So, if it isn't actually putting the proper bacteria into the tank (you know, the ones that just show up during a fishless cycle and will deal with the ammonia on a continual basis) and they don't colonize the filter to continue to process the ammonia long after you stop adding the product to the tank, then it won't work long term. When ever you have to continually add something to the tank like this product suggests, I get a bit skeptical that it isn't a biological process, but a chemical one going on. With a biological process, it can sustain itself, but a chemical process needs a constant input of some other agent to continue the process.


Its kind of like the difference between fire (chemical) and photosynthesis (biological). In order to keep a fire going, one must continue add fuel to it, even though there is plenty of oxygen around to be consumed. Meanwhile, photosynthesis happens on its own, because the living agent is able to make use of the elements (light and carbon dioxide) that are present.

 

[Dieses Madchen]

Well, not exactly. The Biozyme product directs the keeper to add it for a period of 7 days. So, if it isn't actually putting the proper bacteria into the tank (you know, the ones that just show up during a fishless cycle and will deal with the ammonia on a continual basis) and they don't colonize the filter to continue to process the ammonia long after you stop adding the product to the tank, then it won't work long term. When ever you have to continually add something to the tank like this product suggests, I get a bit skeptical that it isn't a biological process, but a chemical one going on. With a biological process, it can sustain itself, but a chemical process needs a constant input of some other agent to continue the process.


Its kind of like the difference between fire (chemical) and photosynthesis (biological). In order to keep a fire going, one must continue add fuel to it, even though there is plenty of oxygen around to be consumed. Meanwhile, photosynthesis happens on its own, because the living agent is able to make use of the elements (light and carbon dioxide) that are present.

+1

I will not know if this product actually helped the cycle unless it the filter continues to produce ammonia at this same rate or faster once the product quits being added.

 

[Dieses Madchen]

Day 6

Ammonia 0ppm (redosed to 5ppm)
Nitrite 4-5ppm

So on day 6, the filter is currently ridding the tank of 5ppm of ammonia in 24hours.

 

[Man of fish]

If this works I'll be sure to use this product. I bet it won't though but it just might.

 

[Dieses Madchen]

It seems to be working now as I am processing ammonia realy fast for day 6. This is the point i was at 3 weeks into my fishless cycle. We will know for sure when I quit dosing the tank with it. It is definitely not a "insta-cycle" product. But after the last dose I will run it until I get double zeros to see if the "bacteria" holds a cycle.

 

[Man of fish]

I saw this today when I was getting a treatment for my fishes fungal infections.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Day 6

Ammonia 0ppm (redosed to 5ppm)
Nitrite 4-5ppm

So on day 6, the filter is currently ridding the tank of 5ppm of ammonia in 24hours.

Did you do a water change, or did the nitrites come down on their own? If they came down on their own, that is promising. If it did not, that is a bit disappointing, as it may only contain the A-bacs and not the N-bacs.

 

[Dieses Madchen]

It is coming down on its own. I want to wait until after the 7th dose before doing any water changes.

 

[Dieses Madchen]

Day 7

Ammonia: 0ppm (redosed to 4ppm)
Nitrites: 5ppm.