Does Bio-Spira Work?

[rosita]

To get back on track (sigh), I used BioSpira for my first tank, 55g, per directions (purchased refrigerated), and had an almost instant cycle. Since then, I've used seeded media (gravel, filters, etc.) to cycle my tanks--works in 2-4 days. Simple as that. If the BS had not worked, I would have gone back and gotten some from a new shipment.

 

[don_juan]

water, nitrobactors, and other chemicals

even then; i used it, and i used most of it and it didnt work so i threw it away. im not going to sit there and read the ingredients of every single thing i have just so i can report them.

I said properties, not ingredients. Do you know the difference?

 

[H3D]

I said properties, not ingredients. Do you know the difference?

Considering that the ingredients in the product have thousands of properites you might want to be a little more specific as to the properties which you think make this product so superior.

 

[H3D]

Independent Bio-Spira Experiment:

http://www.oscarfish.com/cms_view_article.php?aid=55

 

[muddskipper26]

ive used it on all three of my tanks and my cycle was completed in 3 days or less each time!

 

[Native American]

I transfer media, use prime, and add a bacteria product. I haven't had a cycle in a year.

Same here. Whenever I tear down and rebuild a tank, I just seed it with water and gunk pulled from another tank's gravel vacuuming session (the gunk has the food and bacteria), then top off with treated water.

Haven't had a cycle in a long time...or should I say, my cycling times have been too fast to conveniently measure any water chemistry changes. Everything stabilizes pretty darn quickly.

I don't think I'd have the patience or expertise to do it any other way.

v/r, N-A

 

[steelspy]

Jungle Start Zyme

I set up a tank at Xmas and overstocked 3 weeks ago.
Nitrites have been kicking my tail. I have been 75% water changing my 20 gallon once or twice a day to manage the Nitrites. I had some Start Zyme that I started the tank with back in December. I decided to try it for kicks again yesterday.

Well, what do ya know. After 36 hours, my Nitrites are 0 ppm
My experience for the past few weeks has been .50 ppm 12 - 16 hours after a 75 % water change. and 1.0ppm 24 - 28 hours after 75% water change.

Ammonia has been steady at zero.
Nitrates are between zero and 5.0 Hard to tell.

using the API master test kit.

PH has been at 7.6 - 7.8 prior to the start zyme. is at 8.0 right now.
I am monitoring it closely.

 

[hellocatfish]

Steelspy, what are you my twin separated at birth? I was in the same situation, only I set up my tank around Thanksgiving. It's not so much that I overstocked, but evidently a matter of adding too many fish per addition and changing too many things about my setup that I was dissatisfied with. My tank is STILL having nitrite issues, probably because doing so many drastic water changes to keep my fish from dying off results in inadvertent temp fluctuations that kill off whichever bacteria is responsible for converting nitrite to nitrate.

I'll give that Jungle stuff a try. I have used Stress Zyme and I think it kind of works, but I think whatever is in that bottle dies off quickly in my tank. I think it just prolongs the agony of cycling by taking up space the "regular" bacteria need to develop. That's just my guess anyway. I'm just struggling to understand what mistakes I made and how to go forward with what I have left.

 

[Plecosterone]

After a move I had to set up two 75 gallons. My fish where in big tupperware like containers so I didn't want to wait too long. I used Cycle but don't know if it helped or not. I used my old sand substrate and filters that still had water and old media in them but they had been in the cold so I don't know if any bacteria lived or not. All I do know is that I put the fish in next day and had no issues with nitrites (very low and fixed with minor water changes). I don't know if the cycle worked or not but I think it did help.

 

[madtundra]

cycle worked for me in less than a week . but i helped it out with some gravel and filter blocks from a cycled tank