Bio-Spira

Ummmm yes it does need to be refidgerated. From Marineland themselves:

"BIO-Spira is a "live" bacteria culture that is sold refrigerated and must be kept refrigerated until used. It can not be overdosed. "

Read it about it from the horse's mouth here: http://www.marineland.com/products/mllabs/ml_biospira.asp

If you leave it out of the fridge more than a couple days the bacteria become active, and since no ammonia or nitrite is present inside the bag, they die.
 
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)

Borrowed from:

http://www.marineland.com/cus_faq.asp#48
 
H3D said:
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)

Borrowed from:

http://www.marineland.com/cus_faq.asp#48
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Wow, that's the 1st I've ever seen of that. I've always just seen the 1st explanation ,that it needs to remain refridgerated to keep the bacteria in a dormant state. I also know of lots of people that have found thier bags of bio-spira ineffective after about a week of being out.

I would love to to hear thier explanation on how the bacteria stay alive in 87 degrees with nothing to eat for 6 months. I'd be willing to make a decent sized wager that that particular bag would have ZERO effect on your tank :)

At any rate, maybe you can be a Guniea pig...leave it out and tell us how it works !
 
well obviously its best to keep it refrigerated to slow down their metabolism, but leaving it in room temperature for a couple of days won't kill all the bacteria as some people may assume. your friends may have gotten bad batches. Bio-spira has a very high success rate if shipped and used correctly.
 
icecubez189 said:
well obviously its best to keep it refrigerated to slow down their metabolism, but leaving it in room temperature for a couple of days won't kill all the bacteria as some people may assume. your friends may have gotten bad batches. Bio-spira has a very high success rate if shipped and used correctly.
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I agree totally. Could have been bad batches, and yours will probably be ok....but 6 months?? No freakin way. Sounds like a sales pitch to me. Anyone who knows anything about biology knows bacteria can't survive that long at that temp with nothing to eat.
 
BucJason said:
I agree totally. Could have been bad batches, and yours will probably be ok....but 6 months?? No freakin way. Sounds like a sales pitch to me. Anyone who knows anything about biology knows bacteria can't survive that long at that temp with nothing to eat.
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The liquid in the bag contains nourishment for the bacteria.
 
icecubez189 said:
when you cycle an aquarium, you are building the bacterias necessary for consuming ammonia and nitrites, which fish produce. Bio-Spira is basically a bag (or bottle depending on size) of that bacteria, so instead of waiting the usually 4-6 weeks, you can cycle in a couple of days or a week.

just pour it into your tank (follow direction on the bag) and not in your canister or on your biowheel or any of those. it does not speed up the cycling so don't do it. after adding biospira, you can add almost your entire stock of fish. the bacteria will come out hungry and need a food source and the fish produce the ammonia. in a couple of days you'll see ammonia levels rise (if it works, you won't see a dangerous level) as well as nitrItes, then both will fall and you'll start to see nitrAtes. at this point you do a PWC and you have a cycles tank.
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Ah okay. I get the idea. Thanks. Btw whats a PWC
 
Like i said , lets make a wager ...leave a bag out at 87 degrees for 6 months and I'll bet you any amount you can afford it won't do a **** thing...
 
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