Your thoughts on Bio-Spira

[Overstocker]

I got my 29 gallon for Christmas and put the BS in around the 4th of January. Bought my Daughters 20 gallon the 30th of Dec and put the BS in on the 4th also. I bought a 3 oz pack and put 2/3 in my tank and the rest in hers.

I had already put 4 black skirts and 2 dwarf Gourami in the 29 around the 27th and had some ammonia and no Nitrites. The next day had zero ammonia and some nitrites day 2 zero on both and has been since.

The 20 Gallon put 4 black skirts and 2 dwarf Gourami in and was showing a trace of ammonia. The next evening (5th) after BS, zero ammonia and zero nitrites.

Per the package you cannot "overdose it".

I have an Aquatech filter on each tank (not very good filters) so I know they did not help the process. I do have Java Fern and hornwort and something else that my fish ate...lol in the tanks though. As you can tell I have put allot (to much) of fish in my 29 gal but every thing is going good so far.

I am sold on BS and will use it on my next aquarium. I have tried the cycle stuff and the dry bio stuff in the little yellow container to no avail. I just don't have the patience to cycle a tank without fish....

 

[Pufferpunk]

Cycling with fish is barbaric & unnecessary! Please dont put any creature through that torture. There are a couple of factors that will make the B-S not work. One is if you have a tank that crashed & you added any kind of ammonia remover. The B-S needs ammonia to feed on. As far as cheaper methods of cycling a new tank, yes--adding some gravel & fishless cycling is the way to go. Unfortunately, a lot of folks don't have the patience or capability of understanding how this works. I have been around for a while now, answering a lot of questions by folks that have no comprehension about cycling. I don't think they are very interested in learning either. I think for those folks, my telling them to please put a bottle of B-S in their tank before adding fish (without any cycling, like they've always done) is best for the fish in the scheme of things. I also have found it extremely benificial for tanks I have that have crashed. Adding gravel from another tank would have done nothing to help my puffers gasping at the top of their tank, white as ghosts & puffed up. I did an 80% water change, added B-S & the tank was fine. It went from ammonia over 8 & nitrItes over 5 (the highest my tests will measure) to 0 for both in 24-48 hours. One of my tanks has crashed in this way 3 times. B-S saved my puffers every time. I really do swear by the stuff & would much rather recommend it to folks that insist on adding their fish to uncycled tanks. It happens way more than not!

 

[deli_conker]

I added bio-spira to my 55 gal tank while the fish I bought to put in it were sitting in bags at the top acclimating to the temp.

I did have a little ammonia spike, but saw no nitrItes at all. The tank was at 0 ammonia, 0 nitrItes and about 5 nitrAtes after about one week.

I say get it and use it. Your fish will thank you.

 

[Linsay]

I highly recommend the Bio Spira - I struggled with cycling our tank for 6 weeks, added BioSpira, and was fully cycled in less than a week!

 

[newlywed]

So, then I gather that it is okay to add Bio-Spira to a tank that already has fish in it.
Puffer--I agree that cycling with the fish in the tank is cruel, that's why I'm trying to make it as easy on the fish as possible. So far, after having fish for 9 days, I have had no measurable amount of ammonia. I check every day (twice each day in fact once in the morning and once before bed) I know how quickly ammonia can build up and do not want my fish to suffer. I plan to do a water change at the first sight of any nasty ammonia.
I just wasn't sure about the Bio-Spira. I wouldn't even know how much to add to my 55 gallon tank.

I appreciate everyone's responses. Thanks so much for the advice. If you have any thing more to add...please feel free.

Jim

 

[deli_conker]

You can add it to a tank that has fish already in it.

Just remember that the bacteria need food in the form of ammonia. If you have any ammonia removing filtration (those white chips mixed in with your carbon), then it will starve the bacteria. $$$ down the drain.

Eventually the chips won't be able to take any more ammonia out of the water and you'll actually start to cycle (ammonia builds up and bacteria start to grow). So when you start to see the ammonia, I would add it. Probably a double dose like what was mentioned earlier (just to be on the safe side).

OR

Get rid of any ammonia "eating" medium and just add the bio-spira. End of story.

Where I live, bio-spira is sold in 1 and 3 ounce packets. Technically I think I only needed 2 ounces, but I went ahead and bought the 3 oz packet. Did that when I bought my fish. My tank was cycled a little more than a week later with very little stress to the fish.

Also, when you add the bio-spira, don't go crazy with water changes even if you do see an ammonia spike. Maybe do little ones if you absolutely have to. Water changes will remove some of the bio-spira bacteria (it needs time to take hold somewhere so it can start reproducing) and it also removes ammonia (bacteria food). It's a balance between hurting the fish and slowing the cycle down. I did water changes to lower ammonia levels and I think it prolonged the time it took to cycle the tank.

Next tank I do will be a fishless cycle. Less expensive, no pain to the fish, just have to wait to buy fish until tank is cycled first...