bio spira

[AK707]

has anyone used it before? it claims to make a tank fish ready instantly but i don't wanna do that...im using about 30lbs of clean reef saver rock and 6 lbs of dry fiji rock and 40lbs of live sand in a 40gal tank...im thinking just put some pure amonia in the tank and pour the bio spira in...check ammonia after 24 hours if its close to 0 put more in and check again in 24 hours to make sure the bacteria is doing its job...am i on the right track?
im thinking if the bacteria can keep the ammonia i add daily in check for a week im ready to drop a fish in stop putting ammonia in, keep an eye on my water parameters for a couple weeks then add a small cleanup crew then add another fish a couple weeks weeks after the cuc. then just watch my water parameters for a month or so. im thinking thats a pretty legit way to slowly and safely cycle my tank.
id do a big water change before the first fish, 50% or so then just do 15-20% weekly water changes. if everything is good and steady after another month id add another fish so now id have 3 fish and a small clean up crew then don't add anything for a couple months..if everything is still all good id start adding some beginner corals and dosing a tiny bit of kalkwasser in my ato keeping an eye on my ca and alk and see how much is being used up so i know exactly how much i need to dose
from everything i been reading this seems pretty conservative but at the same time so much conflicting info out there im only about 80% confident this is legit haha

 

[Brieninsac]

I used it to start my system and never encountered any problems. My only suggestion is let your tank run for a week after the Bio Spira before adding your first one or two fish. I also use it occasionally when using new water in my quarantine tank.

 

[AK707]

yea i planned on letting the tank run for a week adding small amounts of ammonia each day and check ammonia levels the next day to make sure the bacteria is working...after a week if all is good ill add a fish and not add ammonia anymore

 

[GimpyFin]

I've used bio spira many times and yes, it does make your tank safe to add fish almost instantly. You're basically kick starting your bio filter with bottled bacteria rather than letting it establish gradually with an ammonia source. (You won't really see an ammonia spike like you normally would.) You just want to follow the dosage per tank size (Small bottles are good for 30 gallons, large bottles cover 75) and take it slow by only adding 1 maybe 2 fish initially.

 

[AK707]

thank you guys for your responses and sharing your experiences, but you didn't really address my main question (maybe you did i just don't understand haha) instead of adding a fish with the bio spira i was going to add pure ammonia for a week to feed the bacteria and make sure the bacteria is working, after im sure the bacteria can keep the ammonia at zero ill add a fish and stop the ammonia....in my noob head that seems like the same thing as adding a fish but more humane

 

[GimpyFin]

thank you guys for your responses and sharing your experiences, but you didn't really address my main question (maybe you did i just don't understand haha) instead of adding a fish with the bio spira i was going to add pure ammonia for a week to feed the bacteria and make sure the bacteria is working, after im sure the bacteria can keep the ammonia at zero ill add a fish and stop the ammonia....in my noob head that seems like the same thing as adding a fish but more humane

If you wanted to do that with ammonia I suppose you could, but you don't need to. The inhumane method is using a fish as the ammonia source to build up bacteria, but you are essentially skipping that part. I've used this stuff many times and usually added fish within a day or so of putting the biospira in. Never had any issues or ammonia spikes. It's just important to not overload the bio filter, so only adding 1, maybe 2 fish initially is key.

 

[schnebbles]

My mom has a 10g that's been cycling for too long, she still gets nitrites. I told her to throw a whole bottle (small) in - she's afraid to use the whole bottle. She called and they told her a drop a gallon??? Do you think she'd be safe using at least 1/2?

I'm putting a bottle in when I finally (if i ever do) start my tank. TOday I was all ready and i'm babysitting a dumb dog and that kinda threw a hammer in my day. Seems like lately I'm coming last in what I want to do. Too nice sometimes.

 

[Brieninsac]

No ammonia needed with Bio Spira.

 

[shelleyBoston]

I just got a bottle I wonder how long to wait before I can start adding corals to my tank

 

[NS Mike D]

If you wanted to do that with ammonia I suppose you could, but you don't need to. The inhumane method is using a fish as the ammonia source to build up bacteria, but you are essentially skipping that part. I've used this stuff many times and usually added fish within a day or so of putting the biospira in. Never had any issues or ammonia spikes. It's just important to not overload the bio filter, so only adding 1, maybe 2 fish initially is key.

+1 added my clowns right after bio spira and it converted any ammonia faster than I could test for it. Then added 1 0r 2 fish each week. It was nice to have life in the tank without stressing them with ammonia spikes. I would go this route again if I ever started another tank.

 

[MHG]

I just got a bottle I wonder how long to wait before I can start adding corals to my tank

I would wait a while before adding corals. Make sure the levels are stable after adding livestock and feeding for a few weeks.

 

[moe103]

There are other threads on the forum knocking this product. My experience with it has been very positive. I had a quarantine tank that I had broken down and restarted. It was not cycling fast enough and some fish were on their way. I bought the Bio-Spira on Thursday and added it to my 29 gallon. At that time my ammonia was off the chart on my Red Sea test kit and nitrites were 0. By Sunday my ammonia was almost 0 and the nitrites were just starting to climb. The ammonia has stayed 0 for over 10 days now, the nitrites have climbed to being off the chart and are now almost 0. The fish have been in the qt tank since last week and are doing great.

Adding coral is another issue. Most people recommend allowing the tank to mature for 6+ months before adding corals.