theraP, Micro-Lift product

[windswept4]

Please tell me about this stuff.......... It was recommended by a fish store we visited recently in South Florida. Add this liquid (theraP) to established salt or fresh water tanks. I had asked about products to help control Nitrates in our fish only salt water tank. They said it has a strong odor and I think it contains bacteria.

Is it safe? Will it help nitrates from building up? Any unstated consequences?

thx in advance

 

[tecwzrd]

TheraP is used to treat koi ponds in helping create a bacteria colony to stabilize the pond. I wouldn’t trust this for a sw tank personally.
http://pondmakers.com/product_detail.php?ItemNo=MLTPGAL&Category=0011&Vendor=ML

These bacteria products can be useful in helping your tank to cycle a “little” faster but it’s really best to let the tank cycle on its own. If your tank has already cycled and you are only concerned with removing nitrate then it will not help at all.

IMO one of the best bacteria you can use for a sw tank if you are just starting or need to replenish your bacteria supply is BIO-Spira. If you get that make sure you get the kind you need, they make it for fw and sw.
http://www.marineland.com/products/mllabs/ML_biospira.asp

If you are trying to reduce nitrate the best thing you can do is 10%-30% water changes every couple of days until it’s down to a respectable level.

You can chemically reduce the nitrate using various methods but for the health of your fish I’d do pwc with RO\DI water that has mixed for 24+ hours with a ph.
http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/denitratorsnitratereduc/

You can also use Mangroves, lr, & other means to reduce nitrate.
http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/nitratecontrol/a/aa051398.htm

If this is for a koi pond and you just posted to the wrong section then TheraP couldn’t hurt for overall health of the pond but would still not reduce nitrates.

 

[windswept4]

Thanks for the thought full feedback. Ours is an established fish only SW aquarium. i am just looking to avoid multiple/frequent water changes. Our current method is what you recommend. i will not be using the theraP

 

[tecwzrd]

If your NO3 is not that high you can get away with 25% pwc a month in a fowlr. I’m sure you know about excessive feeding & dirty filter pads that contribute to higher NO3 so I/others would really need to know more info on your current set-up to advise more clearly.

Do you use a clean up crew? They are also helpful in keeping waste to a minimum. How much lr do you use? Most people recommend a minimum of 1lbs per gal and the more the better. Do you use a good skimmer? RO\DI water? How large is your tank, how many fish/inverts.

There are some diy denitrator plans on the web but nothing beats a pwc.
http://www.aloha.net/~hqf/indexdondenitrator.htm & the follow up http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/diydenitratorplans/a/aa073004coiltho.htm

 

[windswept4]

55 gallon fish only, no live rock. We have a protein skimmer and UV sterilizer. Since our Nitrate became a problem, Snails die in about a week.

Repeated PWC have gotten us back to healthy, 20% monthly pwc have not been enuf to keep nitrate levels down


1 Hawkfish 2 inch
1 Clownfish 1.5 inch
1 blue tang 3 inch
4 green Chromi 1 inch each

 

[tecwzrd]

What kind of filtration do you use other than the skimmer? Your bio load is fine for a 55 but I'd still invest in about 60+ lbs of lr as it will also keep down your NO3 due to the pore structure of the live rock (or the grain-size/depth of a sand bed) that creates anoxic zones that foster bacteria which can/will process nitrates converting them to nitrogen, which is then liberated from the tank as the bubbles you see rising from the rock/sand bed. Just make sure you have plenty of water movement if you do go with lr.

Do you use flake or frozen? I'd try to cut back down on the feedings a little for a month and vacuming the bottom can help reduce the waste build up also.

 

[windswept4]

I have an Eheim filter w/ a mechanical filter, plus some plastic pellets and some gravel.

I use flake food, and vacuum during all water changes. In an effort to get the Nitrates down, and it is coming down, I've continued w/ Pwcs

I plan to do a 40% pwc tonite.

 

[flame82]

imo biospra is a waste of money and really doesnt do anything i used it to start and well it didnt work and the tank crashed because i have no good bac to take care of the bioload. also not sure how many times you feed but i would only feed at max 3 times per week. also lr rock is the answer to all your problems just be aware you cannot just add rock from the store unless its completely cured, if not it will spike and kill everything off in the tank. but i agree with "tecwzd" on everything but the bio spra flow his lead and you should be able to reduce the levels good luck