Ok u put in ammonia and a day later with smart start stuff the levels were zero...
what was it...3 days,,,,5 days with or without fish ?
Isnt the purpose of cycling a tank more than ammonia levels? Isnt it stimulating the bacteria growth on filter mediums etc? how did u guage this success? and what was the significant increase in bacteria?
what about plants?
What happened to the levels when u introduced plants?
Would like to hear more, also would like to see the scientific results.
I hope this will answer your questions:
Comparative Testing of Pond Treatment Products:
PondPerfect
(smart start by Poppopsfish) vs Microbelift PL
I. Introduction
The following is a comparative laboratory analysis of the nutrient reducing and sludge
reducing capabilities of PondPerfect and Microbelift PL. All tests were conducted in our
laboratory. However, sufficient information is provided so that any laboratory or
company could reproduce the tests with similar results.
II. Reasoning Behind the Tests that Were Chosen
Pond treatment products should provide several functions in order to be effective:
A. High Concentration of Product in the Bottle
Of course, the more bacteria of the right type that one finds in a product, the better that
product will perform. The basic measures of product concentration are settleable solids,
and bacterial count.
Settleable solids testing is simple. A well mixed product sample is introduced into a
settling cone. The active ingredient (bacteria) tend to clump together, and settle as
solids into the bottom of the cone. The more solids that settle out, the higher the
bacterial population.
Bacterial plate counts are more quantitative. These tests provide the actual numbers of
live bacteria in a sample.
Both PondPerfect and Microbelift were tested for settleable solids and aerobic plus
facultative bacterial plate count.
B. Nitrification Ability, or Removal of NH3 and NO2
Nitrification is a two-step process carried out by nitrifying bacteria. One group of
nitrifying bacteria performs the first step in nitrification, which is to convert ammonia
(NH3) into nitrite (NO2). A different group of nitrifying bacteria performs the second
step of nitrification, and converts nitrite (NO2) into nitrate (NO3). In a pond, ammonia
build up comes from fish excretion, and from fermentation of organic sludge.
Ammonia removal, or nitrification, is extremely important in a pond treatment product for
several reasons. First, algae consume NH3 and NO2. When bacteria successfully
compete with algae for NH3 and NO2, severe algal blooms do not occur. Thus,
nitrifying bacteria help keep algae under control.
Second, algae control also helps eliminate a source of sludge because as algae grow
and die, dead algae accumulate in bottom sediment. By reducing algae blooms, pond
treatment additives help reduce sludge build up.
Thirdly, ammonia and nitrite are very toxic to fish. By eliminating NH3 and NO2, the
bacteria keep the pond safe for fish.
Accordingly, both products were tested using standard methods for ability to nitrify
(meaning, eliminate ammonia and nitrite).
C. Sludge Digestion
Organic sludge builds up in ponds due to accumulation of dead algae, plus inflow of
leaves, grass clippings, waste from wildlife, etc. When build-up of organic sludge
becomes heavy, the pond bottom becomes anaerobic (meaning, lacking oxygen). This
causes the pond to smell like rotten eggs. Also, pathogenic (disease-causing) bacteria
live in the anaerobic sludge. Sludge can rise to the top of the pond when it begins to
ferment, causing unsightly scum on the surface.
By consuming organic waste as quickly as possible, bacteria can remove unsightly
scum. Once the excess sludge is consumed, the rotten egg odor is removed as well.
Therefore, both products were tested using standard methods for ability to digest
organic sludge.
III. Test Results: PondPerfect vs Microbelift PL
A standard sample of PondPerfect was taken from our inventory. A gallon of Microbelift
PL was obtained through a retail outlet in the state of Nebraska. The products were
tested for bacterial concentration, ability to nitrify, and ability to digest sludge. Here are
the results.
Product Concentration
Of course, the more bacteria of the right type that one finds in a product, the better that
product will perform. The two tests used to evaluate bacterial concentrations were
standard plate count (SPC) and settleable solids. SPC gives the number of live aerobic
plus facultative bacteria in each ml (milliliter) of product. The settleable solids gives a
visual indicator of the quantity of biomass in the product.
SPC (Standard Plate Count) Results
•
PondPerfect SPC (Smart Start), performed in triplicate, was 750,000,000 (750 million) live
aerobic plus facultative bacteria per ml of product.
•
Microbelift PL SPC, performed in triplicate, was 350,000,000 (350 million) live
aerobic plus facultative bacteria per ml of product.
According to the SPC test,Smart Start contained 2.1 times more live bacteria than
did the Microbelift PL product.
Settleable Solids Test - Photos
PondPerfect/ Smart Start: 20 ml/Liter Microbelift PL: 8 ml/liter
The photos show the results of the settleable solids test. The PondPerfect product
contained 20 ml of settleable solids per liter of product. In contrast, the Microbelift PL
product contained 8 ml of settleable solids per liter of product.
NITRIFICATION AND SLUDGE REDUCTION
A stock solution designed to simulate pond water with sludge was made up as follows:
Chemical Item Concentration (ppm)
Ammonia (NH3) 10
MgSO4 5
Ferrous Sulphate 5
Protein (casein) 50
Soluble Starch 50
Cellulose 50
Orthophosphate (PO4-3) 0.5
The above was combined with 90% distilled water, with 10% tap water to add trace
micronutrients.
The above solution was well mixed, and added into two identical 25 liter (6.6 gallon)
reactors. Each reactor was equipped with identical aquarium aerators, air lines, and air
diffuser stones. The reactors were immersed in a water bath which was kept at 80 F,
thus ensuring that each reactor was operated at the same temperature. 25 liters of the
stock solution was added to each reactor. 250 ml (8.45 oz) of PondPerfect was added
into one reactor, and 250 ml (8.45 oz) of Microbelift PL was added into the other. Initial
test parameters (before aeration was begun) were as follows: Ammonia (NH3): 10
ppm. Nitrite (NO2): 0 ppm. COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand), from the combination of
protein, starch, and cellulose: 440 ppm. Aeration was initiated, and the concentrations
of NH3, NO2, and COD were tested daily for 12 days. Here are the test results:
Date :
ppm NH3
PondPerfect
Microbelift
PL
ppm
NO2
PondPerfect
Microbelift
PL
ppm
COD
PondPerfect
Microbelift
PL
18-Dec 10 10 0 0 440 440
19-Dec 5.2 8.1 3.8 1.8 432 418
20-Dec 1.7 5.3 4.1 4.3 402 381
21-Dec 0.2 3.8 2 5.4 315 288
22-Dec 0.05 2.4 0.4 4.5 275 242
23-Dec 0 0.63 0.08 3.7 181 191
24-Dec 0 0.1 0 2 110 125
25-Dec 0 0 0 1.2 82 111
26-Dec 0 0 0 0.3 71 84
27-Dec 0 0 0 0 45 72
28-Dec 0 0 0 0 44 40
29-Dec 0 0 0 0 42 41
Chart of Ammonia Concentration vs Time
As is clear from the chart above, PondPerfect/ Smart Start removed all 10 ppm of ammonia within 3
days. In contrast, an equal dose of Microbelift PL (250 ml per 25 liters) removed all of
the ammonia in 6 days. PondPerfect removed ammonia twice as fast as Microbelift PL
(3 days for complete removal compared to 6 days for complete removal).
Chart of Nitrite vs Time
When ammonia is consumed by nitrification, it is converted into nitrite. Nitrite is then
converted into nitrate. The increase in nitrite through December 20 followed by the
decrease afterwards as shown in the PondPerfect data is exactly as theory predicts.
With PondPerfect, nitrite peaked at two days (4.1 ppm NO2) and was completely
eliminated in 5 days. In contrast, with the Microbelift PL reactor, nitrite peaked at three
days (5.4 ppm NO2) and was completely eliminated in 9 days. As was true with
ammonia reduction data, PondPerfect outperformed Microbelift PL about 2 to 1 in the
conversion of nitrite to nitrate.
Chart of COD Reduction vs Time
In this chart, it is evident that PondPerfect and Microbelift PL performed similarly, and
each reduced 90% of COD (chemical oxygen demand) in about 9 days of reaction. In
that the COD was comprised of difficult to digest polymers (protein, soluble starch, and
cellulose), both products showed the ability to digest organic sludge at a comparable
rate.
IV. Conclusions
PondPerfect was clearly superior to Microbelift PL in bacterial concentration, ammonia
removal, and nitrite removal. The two products performed very similarly with respect to
COD reduction.
PRODUCT CONCENTRATION
PondPerfect had 750 million bacteria per ml compared to 350 million per ml for
Microbelift PL. PondPerfect showed 20 ml of settleable solids compared to only 8 ml of
settleable solids for Microbelift PL. PondPerfect is about 2.5 times more concentrated
than Microbelift PL.
NITRIFICATION
PondPerfect showed excellent nitrification, completely removing 10 ppm of ammonia in
3 days and complete removal of nitrite in about 5 days. Microbelift PL showed complete
removal of ammonia in 6 days, and complete removal of nitrite in 9 days.
SLUDGE REDUCTION
PondPerfect and Microbelift PL digested protein, starch, and cellulose at very similar
rates, showing 90% removal within 9 days each.
OVERALL RESULTS
PondPerfect is 2.5 times more concentrated than Microbelift PL, and this extra
concentration is particularly evident in nitrification results.
PondPerfect is excellent at nitrification. This means that PondPerfect bacteria help
reduce algae by consuming ammonia and nitrite. Taking food away from algae (taking
away NH3 and NO2) minimizes algae blooms. Microbelift PL, in contrast, does nitrify
better than many other competing products we have tested, but still only nitrifies at half
the rate of PondPerfect.
PondPerfect and Microbelift PL digest sludge at very similar rates. This means that
pond scum, pond odors, and bottom sludge will all be controlled with PondPerfect and
with Microbelift PL in a similar fashion.
With superior nitrification ability, equal sludge reducing capability, and lower shelf price,
PondPerfect is the clear winner in competition with Microbelift PL.
If you want the PDF version with pics and charts just pm me with an email address.
Pops