Bad batch of Bio-spira

[entropy311]

Well, I traded in my 2 guppies and went ahead and fully stocked the tank with a school of 6 cardinal tetras (along with a betta that was already in there) in my 10 gallon tank; armed with bio-spira, I was pretty confident that my tank would soon be cycled.

Wrong.

About a week later (and after adding the bio-spira in 3 separate doses), my tank's still not cycled. I'm finally getting some nitrite readings, but still zero nitrates; as long as I've had fish in there, I might as well not have even used the bio-spira. So now I'm stuck struggling to keep my fish alive by doing 50% water changes at least twice a day, depending on my ammonia readings.

I wish I'd read up on fishless cycling before I started. To anyone starting a new tank, I highly recommend this method; the alternative is a lot of stress on both you and your fish (unless you're the kind of person that doesn't mind having your fish die, in which case you shouldn't really be keeping them).

 

[wataugachicken]

how did you handle the bio-spira?

that stinks, sometimes it happens though.

 

[entropy311]

It was refrigerated when I bought it...I immediately went home (about a 15 minute drive; I had it in the shade the whole time) and put it in the refrigerator. Then I did a 60% water change, shook up the container, and put in about 1/3 of it, and put the rest back into the refrigerator. I added the rest over a period of about a week.

Yeah, I think it was just a bad batch, unless I missed something.

 

[H3D]

Bio-Spira needs to be added all at once.

 

[sophiecat22]

Bio-Spira needs to be added all at once.

Not necessarily. Several people suggested to me to add it in 2 doses, one dose on one day and the other the next day to allow time for the "ammonia eating" bacteria to eat the ammonia and produce some nitrite for the "nitrite eating" bacteria to eat.

I added a 90 gal. packet of bio-spira to my 46 gal tank over a period of 4 days and it worked just fine. On day 1 my readings were as follows:

ammonia: 1 ppm
nitrite: 0 ppm
nitrate: 0 ppm

My readings today (day 5) were:

ammonia: 0 ppm
nitrite: 0 ppm
nitrate: 5 ppm

So obviously, it doesn't have to be added all at once for it to work.

 

[H3D]

While it may not "need" to be added all at once. Marineland recomends that you do.

 

[pokagon55]

Just some info. from Marineland web site :idea:



CRITICAL CARE INFORMATION:
For new aquariums, first condition water with BIO-Safe™. Adjust aquarium water temperature. Add BIO-Spira™ and BIO-Coat™ along with fish. See your retailer for advice on the number of fish appropriate the size of your aquarium. BIO-Spira may also be added with each water change, when adding additional fish, and established aquaria that are experiencing water quality problems due to disruption of the bio-filter.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DIRECTIONS FOR USE:
Shake well before each use. Use 1 ounce (29.6 ml) of BIO-Spira per 30 gallons of water. BIO-Spira cannot be overdosed. Keep refrigerated. Be sure to shut off any UV sterilizers and remove medication by means of a water change or activated carbon.

IMPORTANT:
BIO-Spira is a "live" bacteria culture that is sold refrigerated and must be kept refrigerated until used. It can not be overdosed. Repeated dosing of your aquarium with ammonia removing liquids (such as BIO-Safe, Amquel, Ammo-lock and Aqua-Safe) can inhibit the beneficial action of BIO-Spira. Ammonia removing liquids should only be used to initially treat tap water. It is normal to have a small (<2 ppm) amount of ammonia or nitrate during the first few days after set-up. These concentrations are not harmful and will quickly drop to zero with proper use of BIO-Spira.

 

[H3D]

From Marineland FAQ:

Q: I have a 10 gallon aquarium; can I add the whole 1oz pouch of BIO-Spira®?

A: Yes, a 1oz pouch can treat up to 30 gallons. Adding the entire contents of a 1oz pouch of BIO-Spira® to a 10 gallon tank is recommended.

Borrowed from: http://www.marineland.com/cus_faq.asp#51

 

[sophiecat22]

OK, you've proved you're point that it is RECOMMENDED, not required, to add the entire contents. You're first post to the OP gave the impression that one had to add the entire contents at one time to the tank or it would not work.

All I'm saying is that bio-spira can be added over a period of a few days with no ill effects on the bacteria. I think it all comes down to whether you have a good batch or not. I'm not arguing the fact that it is recommended to add all of it at once, I know that it is, I read the packet before I used it. But I also know that I didn't add it all at once and my tank cycled just fine.

Infact, I didn't follow the instructions at all. I didn't condition my water with bio-safe and I didn't add the bio-spira with a full load of fish. I added the bio-spira and then added fish 2 days later. The only reason that worked for me, however, is the fact that my tap water has an ammonia level of 4 ppm.

 

[Mgamer20o0]

i would just like to point out just cuz it was in a refrigerated when you bought it doesnt mean it was kept cold before that. something that has to be kept cold at all times makes it hard to know if its still good when you buy it.