Should i buy bacteria supplement for my fish tank?
by Aquaboy on Sunday, May 30th, 2010 | 5 Comments
I have a ten gallon tank and i recently went to the fish store to purchase a water dechlorinizer (however its spelled). My tank is empty as i filled it yesterday and am waiting for it to cycle. While I was at the store, i saw some bacteria supplements that you put in the water to help put in some of those good bacterium. It’s only $2.50. My question is, Does this take the place of cycling, and should i purchase it and use it.
Thank you to all who answer! =D
I doesn’t replace having to cycle the tank.
At some point you need to grow a population of bacteria in your filter. The supplement may help that happen faster (or not), but it wont instantly cycle your tank.
Getting some media from an established tank is a better way, actual real live bacteria.
Ian
Yes and no:
Yes: Bacterial supplements will improve the rate that which your tank cycles, I wouldnt buy anything that is 2.50, as anything thats 2.50 isnt actually bacterial supplements but something which “promotes bacterial growth”. There is a difference… you can obtain a solution called “Bio-Spira” which is a TRUE bacterial solution, its easy to tell this as its refridgerated and considered only good for 1 week after shipment. Products like Cycle are such as you mentioned, bacterial growth enhancers, though do not actually contain bacteria. Either type of product will speed up your cycle, the biospira will add degrees of speed compared to Hagen’s “Cycle”, but both will have a similar effect. Bio spira can cycle any tank in 12 hours.
No- You only have a 10 gallon tank, to bother adding anything in to enhance the speed of its cycle is a little backwards. The body of water is infact so small that cycling it shouldnt be very difficult at all. There are other more conventional methods to cycling a tank without being concerned with buying any new products.
You can use filter media from a friends fishtank, this has the EXACT same effect as Bio-spira, as Bio-spira is nothing but fishtank germs, which is all that is collected on the filter media, with some poop which will break down and maintain a very stable transition through its nitrogen cycle.
Or, you could add pure ammonia/ammonium (NH3/NH4+) to the water in a very small amount to “simulate” decaying biomass, however it is imperative that you use a very small amount (2 drops in a 10 g) and ensure that it is infact, chemistry lab grade NH3+ or NH4+, impurities will render your tank uninhabitable… Dont use house cleaner with ammonia >_< , get it from a chem lab or a chemistry supply store. This would be the only solution I would be “willing to buy” to cycle a tank.
Alternatively, I’ve known people to put pieces of raw trout in their water to allow it to decay, produce ammonia, and “kick start” the nitrogen cycle and biological filter.
I use Hagen’s Cycle as a monthly treatment to promote bacterial growth after water changes, you would likely want to pick some of this up, just to have on hand and keep your tank healthy over the months, its great for your fish, and unlike most chemicals, theres no risk of overdosing your tank with it… you could (don’t!) but you could dump a whole bottle in it without any concern.
My advice is mostly motivated from the capacity of your tank… 10g is infact very small for a fish tank, and will take less time to cycle.
Remember to have your substrate in your aquarium, as the substrate bed houses the VAST majority of bacteria in your tank. Same deal with your filter’s carbon / pad insert, it manifests massive amounts of bacteria which keeps your tank healthy, which is where the suggestion came from to grab some filter media from a friend.
Hope this helps, happy fishkeepin
EDIT:
NOTE: Bio-Spira is not able to be imported to most countries, as it is a true bacterium, many borders have a prohibition for imports of germs. My country, Canada, is one of them.. I can not obtain this solution if I wanted to…. Just worth thinking about, it is only really useful to Americans….
While it does not take place of cycling, it can help quite a bit. The best out there is Bio-spira, but it is a bit pricey. I have typically used Seachem Stability which works well over time.
Whichever you use, you must have fish in the aquarium or it will do no good. With biospira, you add fish at the same time.
Whatever you do, do not fully load your aquarium at one time. Follow the tradition of adding a few fish at a time, otherwise your fish can become more stressed than they would be (imagine your home being stuck in a back and shaken all the way to a new place you dont recognize).
I strongly recommend using a product to do this. With the dechlorinator, I only use Prime. Instant dechlorinator, and extremely difficult to over dose with.
i agree with geohauss and catalyst. here is a site backing up their info. http://www.fishlore.com
bio-spira is miracle stuff and cycles ur tank in 24hrs.
agree with accelerated catayest