Does Bio-spira or Tetra safe start work??

[mariahcolleen]

Hi there,
I would love to hear about your experiences with either product. Real experiences though, I realize most people are reluctant to accept any other method than an old fashioned cycle but please don't comment negatively if you have never tried it. Thanks for the info!:rollface:

 

[funkejj]

Most of the products are a total waste of money. As they might and that is a big might reduce a cycle by a few days they will not instant cycle a tank. The bacteria in the bottle most of the time is not alive as it has nothing to feed on while on the shelf. There are products out there that the company will over night you to introduce the right bacteria that you get at the end of a cycle but it is expensive. It wont hurt your tank but it most likely will not be a benefit to your cycle.

 

[mariahcolleen]

Most of the products are a total waste of money. As they might and that is a big might reduce a cycle by a few days they will not instant cycle a tank. The bacteria in the bottle most of the time is not alive as it has nothing to feed on while on the shelf. There are products out there that the company will over night you to introduce the right bacteria that you get at the end of a cycle but it is expensive. It wont hurt your tank but it most likely will not be a benefit to your cycle.

Have you personally tried such products?

 

[eledile]

I can say for sure that they do not work as described. They are not INSTANT cycling tools. Just like there is no overnight cure for most other problems that arise with a tank such as algae blooms, nitrates and ammonia, etc. All these things take time. I will say that they will help boost the cycle and reduce the time by a few days, but they will definitely not make your tank ready to be stocked after adding the bottle.

My LFS told me that if I planned on doing that, I may as well put all the money in my pockets into a paper shredder.

Due to the nature, I would say you could probably pull it off in a FW tank, because those fish are a lot hardier than SW fish. But even then it would still be a maybe.

 

[TL1000RSquid]

I had got a unopened bottle of biospira with a craigslist purchase, used it when I cycled my newest nano tank, the bottle claims to make the water instantly safe for fish but by the following day the ammonia was rather high and nitrites off the test scale and nitrates extremely high.. tank did finish cycling after about 2 weeks.

 

[mariahcolleen]

I had got a unopened bottle of biospira with a craigslist purchase, used it when I cycled my newest nano tank, the bottle claims to make the water instantly safe for fish but by the following day the ammonia was rather high and nitrites off the test scale and nitrates extremely high.. tank did finish cycling after about 2 weeks.

I tend to agree that they are not an instant cycle but do help quicken it a bit. Two weeks is a lot better then 8+. Do you guys think I could add some substrate from an established freshwater tank to the filter in my saltwater to help quicken the cycle or is it a different bacteria?

 

[eledile]

I tend to agree that they are not an instant cycle but do help quicken it a bit. Two weeks is a lot better then 8+. Do you guys think I could add some substrate from an established freshwater tank to the filter in my saltwater to help quicken the cycle or is it a different bacteria?

Both of my tanks cycled in less than 2 weeks without adding any chemicals.
Just add live rock and live sand and that is all you need to get it going and cycled quickly.

 

[mariahcolleen]

Both of my tanks cycled in less than 2 weeks without adding any chemicals.
Just add live rock and live sand and that is all you need to get it going and cycled quickly.

Thats cool. I didnt know the live rock would jump start it so quickly. I have added 12lbs to my new 29gal so far, I will add another 20 lbs later. My lfs sells it right out of their display tank so I havent had any problems with die off from them. This tank was a freshwater tank for two years before this so I just kept the biowheel and bio filter in there. Think this is good or bad?

 

[eledile]

when adding rock you should add all of it at the same time, because it can cause your tank to cycle again from the die off. No matter where the rock comes from, if it's live and cured, you are going to have die off. Maybe not much if it stays submerged from tank to tank, but you will always get die off. If your tank is currently cycling, the die off from the rock you got probably started it. Not to mention if you used live sand it probably started from there too.

Be careful when taking something from a display tank. Make sure the tank is parasite, disease, and copper medication free so that you don't transfer anything from their tank to yours..If you have dip for your corals I would dip the rocks as well just in case there may be something bad on there. Make sure you comb the rocks over really well before placing them in your tank, because you never know what could be hiding in them..

As for the bio wheel, many people believe that bio wheels are nitrate traps, and are no good. I don't have any experience with them on SW, I have sumps on all my SW tanks. What bio filter are you talking about?
My advice on filtration would be to sump it if you can. It makes life so much easier and keeps the back of your tank clutter free and lookin sharp.

 

[mariahcolleen]

I don't really intend to keep any corals as I do not have proper lighting for them. As for the LR I have purchased several times from them with no ammonia or nitrite spikes (testing with an API saltwater master test kit). Their display tank has sps lps and softies so I would assume they would not have copper in the tank. As far as a sump goes that really isn't an option. It is a converted fresh water tank so it is undrilled.

 

[eledile]

there could also be something on the rocks that could harm fish as well..You may never have any problems with the rock and the die off, but it's a potential danger. ie: something dies in a hole in the rock and you can't get to it, that COULD cause an ammonia spike.

they make oveflow boxes that hang on the tank, no drilling required. All you have to do is hang it and plumb it to the sump and back up to the tank.

 

[tebstan]

Bio Spira and the Tetra products are the same now... United Pet Group handles the packaging.

As for how they work... that depends. No, they are not an instant cycle, no matter how fresh they are. They can speed things along.

How fresh the product is matters to how well it works, however.

The LFS can order the product and have it shipped to the store. Supposedly, per UPG, the LFS has to order the product and *then* it is packaged and shipped. So, if you get it right after the LFS does, it's decent. The longer it sits on the shelf, the worse it is.

Unfortunately there is a minimum order quantity, so LFS are unlikely to have a truly fresh batch when you need it.

 

[mariahcolleen]

[/QUOTE]they make oveflow boxes that hang on the tank, no drilling required. All you have to do is hang it and plumb it to the sump and back up to the tank.[/QUOTE]

I didnt know about that, thats really cool actually. I do have an extra 10 gal aquarium I could use... what do I put in a sump??

 

[mariahcolleen]

Also since i have already added only half of my live rock and intend to add the other half later, could I quarantine it in a separate tank until the die off is done? (please excuse the newby-ness)

 

[eledile]

well in a sump you put the same things in it that you would put in any other filter

foam, live rock, skimmer, and return pump.

for the rock, you could do that, and that is called curing the rock.
if your tank is still cycling, that wont be a problem, it just may take a little longer to complete your cycle.

either route you choose will be fine.

and the Newby-ness is something we all have to go through.

 

[TL1000RSquid]

I tend to agree that they are not an instant cycle but do help quicken it a bit. Two weeks is a lot better then 8+. Do you guys think I could add some substrate from an established freshwater tank to the filter in my saltwater to help quicken the cycle or is it a different bacteria?

FW substrate wont help different type of bacteria. About 25% of my rock was live, also bought some sand off ebay that was sold as 'live' but didnt seem to have any life in it. I'm still not convinced the biospira helped much other then not having to add an ammonia source.

 

[Swayza]

Bio Spira does work but it will only "help" the cycle and may speed it up. I wouldn't depend on it, and besides it isn't cheap.

 

[Swayza]

I'm planning to try it out on my new Biocube build, but only because a friend gave me a bottle he didn't use. More just going to throw it in during my cycle because I have it laying around

 

[eledile]

bulk reef supply carries the product, and on their listing it says in parenthesis below it,

"(speeds up tank cycle)" so I doubt it does what it says it does on the bottle.

 

[f3honda4me]

As someone who has personally use DR Tim's as well as biospira...

It does NOT give you "instant" cycle. It does however, work as a good start and will lessen the time of the cycle if you don't already have a bacteria source.