A revising on the concept we have of Bio-Spira?

Liz

Liz

AC Members
Mar 25, 2005
691
0
16
37
I always hear people say that if Bio-Spira is allowed to reach room temperature that the bacteria are no longer effective, and similar things. That refrigeration is a very strict, constant must. However...

From this Marineland FAQ:
Q: Does BIO-Spira® need to be refrigerated?

A: BIO-Spira® is an active bacteria culture. Refrigeration provides the optimal long-term storage. If BIO-Spira® is left out of the refrigerator at room-temperature, it will still perform at optimal conditions. However, it is best to return BIO-Spira® to refrigeration when possible. Use the following as a guide:
a. Long Term Storage (1 year): 50°F (10°C)
b. Mid Term Storage (6 months): 39°F-87°F (4°C-31°C)
Click to expand...

Unless I am misunderstanding, Bio-Spira can be at 87°F for 6 months, and still be effective?

Is the whole "it must be refrigerated constantly" belief just an excuse to explain away the cases where it seems to be innefective?
 
well, Ill give my thoughts, not going to say any of this is fact.....The bacteria will do better is a cooler situation, so keeping it somewhere hot would cause SOME of them to die off making it work slower. Also, 87* is kind of low when you consider it (though Its a lot higher than I would have expected) Plastic bottles hold heat pretty well, think of leaving a water bottle in the sun. The instances where it would heat up to that number, such as on a store shelf, are too uncontrollable to keep under that temp.

This does have me thinking though :confused:
 
Yeah it seems like people act like if it gets above like 55 degrees for an hour or two at any point during shipping that it isn't going to work. Like it's a way to justify an inconsistant product, maybe.

It also says that if you leave it in a hot car for a while it'll still be fine. That one is a little more questionable to me, I don't think that's a good idea and I can see how sitting in a delivery truck in Florida Heat for 7 hours might affect it, but when people act like the reason it isnt working is because at some point it reaches room temperature...
 
they say you can leave it at those temperatures, but theres a reason why they reccommend refrigeration more so. the bacterias won't die as fast, and probably not all of them will, but if you want it to work as effectively as possible then i guess it would best to refrigerate it. i've heard stories where the tanks don't cycle at all, maybe from a bad batch of bio-spira.

but i wouldn't go crazy if it was in room temperature for a couple of hours. i would just question it's effectiveness.
 
I think icecubez makes a good point---basically use your common sense when it's in your hands. If it warms to room temp (avg.) for a while, it makes sense to be alright--why sell a product which must be kept at a particular chill factor or it is no good, then not have it in HUGE red letters on the package? :o
 
Bio-Spira seems inconsistant. Worked for me in a week but from what I've read like a third of the time it doesn't work. Might be shipping problems? Maybe not.
 
keeping it cold makes the bacteria go to sleep ... When it gets warm it wakes up and it's huuuuuungry... it can still be ok though ... From what I read the important thing is to keep it from having sudden temp changes often. I hear that cold packs are used when shipping but not to keep it cold just to regulate the temp during shipping.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom