best bacteria colony product

[spypet]

I have a wonderful shrimp tank with just one tragic flaw.
all my shrimp keep dropping their eggs. I've read all the
threads about this, tested and adjusted tank conditions,
and the weakest link may actually be micro-biotic.

instead of diagnosing my problem, as I've already done
elsewhere, I simply ask out of all the crazy powders I
see on aquabid, ebay, and many fancy asian web sights,
which product can I use to seed my substrate with the
colonies of bacteria most conducive to shrimp breeding.

I'm looking for first hand experience testimonial referrals,
not links to shrimp product marketing I can google myself.
I already ordered some almond leaves as that seems
to have universal benefits to shrimp and fish breeding.

just to be clear; I don't want shrimp food, or mineral rocks,
or shrimp fry food - I want to broaden the type of colonies
of micro organisms and bacteria already cycled in my tank
that may not naturally occur in North America.

 

[AquarLiam]

pm sent

 

[pixl8r]

I'm sorry to hear about your breeding woes. I know, from personal experience, how frustrating this is. Here are my thoughts on your problem.

I don't think that bacterial colonies from outside Canada, Mexico, and the US is the answer. Do you have another healthy aquarium? Do you have access to another, verifiable healthy, tank? If so, take a quart of water from the other tank, not your 'sick' tank, and part of the filter (mechanical filter floss), and swish it about in the water. Don't be shy about mucking up the water. Then introduce that water into your questionable tank.

If the need of non North American bacteria was the source of your problem, I think that many, many more people would be suffering the same problem as you. Here are the solutions that I can remember, and the one that cured my problem with non hatching eggs.

1. pH fine tuning.
Tiny adjustment in acidity/alkalinity can sometimes make all the difference. This is what cured my M. kulsiense young hatching problems. It only took an adjustment of ~.25 to get healthy young.
2. Test and Removal of excess toxins.
It sounds like you've checked this. But look for test kits for the more unusual things like iron, copper, calcium, salinity/gravity, etc.
3. Time.
This is the most frustrating. Sometimes waiting will allow the tank to settle, and fix the problem. This is particularly true if you've done multiple remedies, with no appreciable results. Rather than going from one cure to another, time is needed to determine if the treatment worked, or not.

I hope you find your solution!