Lyana Posted October 26, 2015 Report Share Posted October 26, 2015 I'm going to be starting up a new 20L for either TB or to move my prl to and I'm wondering which brand of good bacteria is the best for starting up a tank and for adding a couple times a month for upkeep. There are so many and all claim to be the best lol, what do you guys recommend? Also would any of these help in getting rid of the oil film on the surface of my planted tank? I've been doing water changes weekly and vacuuming gravel to get rid of any organic matter but the oil always returns the next day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zodiac Posted October 26, 2015 Report Share Posted October 26, 2015 bacteria is all round us and is free. why would need to buy it? do you have a filter or air pump moving the water? you shouldn't have to do weekly water changes. i don't even do weekly water changes on my fish tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyana Posted October 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2015 bacteria is all round us and is free. why would need to buy it? do you have a filter or air pump moving the water? you shouldn't have to do weekly water changes. i don't even do weekly water changes on my fish tank. Haha, true. But I want it do jump start the tank without having to add anything from another tank. My planted tank has a sunsun 403b I believe it is and a power head for more water movement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OMG Aquatics Posted October 26, 2015 Report Share Posted October 26, 2015 I'm going to be starting up a new 20L for either TB or to move my prl to and I'm wondering which brand of good bacteria is the best for starting up a tank and for adding a couple times a month for upkeep. There are so many and all claim to be the best lol, what do you guys recommend? Also would any of these help in getting rid of the oil film on the surface of my planted tank? I've been doing water changes weekly and vacuuming gravel to get rid of any organic matter but the oil always returns the next day. Just use Seachem Stability. The only way to remove oil film is to break the surface. svetilda 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gillznglass Posted October 26, 2015 Report Share Posted October 26, 2015 Dr Tim's has one and only and is considered the best among quite a few fish folks. It is frequently used in fishless cycling. Fritzyme 7 is what I use for both immediate introduction and fishless cycling. I get the gallon size on amazon. Contains both nitosomas and nitrobacter. Have never had a problem with it. Fritz aquatics also makes a product they ship overnight that has a high concentration of the above mentioned bacteria that they have to keep cold so it stays alive. It is however no different than fritzyme 7, other than it does not contain the suspension liquid that keeps the bacteria alive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soothing Shrimp Posted October 26, 2015 Report Share Posted October 26, 2015 Can you tell us more about Fritzyme 7? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citycode01 Posted October 26, 2015 Report Share Posted October 26, 2015 BorneoWild Enlive is good bacteria supplement. Lyana 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jadenlea Posted October 26, 2015 Report Share Posted October 26, 2015 I was working to cycle a tank for almost a month. Finally gave up on the method I was using and added a bottle of Dr Tims One and only and it cycled 100 percent in a week and a half. I had no nitrites before adding it. (also using Dr Tims ammonia) Editing. I want to make it clear Id already been trying to cycle so I can't say if I had used Dr Tims from day one it would have cycled that fast. But once I added it a troubled cycle completed very quickly Lyana 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gillznglass Posted October 27, 2015 Report Share Posted October 27, 2015 I was working to cycle a tank for almost a month. Finally gave up on the method I was using and added a bottle of Dr Tims One and only and it cycled 100 percent in a week and a half. I had no nitrites before adding it. (also using Dr Tims ammonia) Editing. I want to make it clear Id already been trying to cycle so I can't say if I had used Dr Tims from day one it would have cycled that fast. But once I added it a troubled cycle completed very quickly I'd be willing to bet that it would have. Tetra safe start is a product that was bought from Dr Tim's original creation bio Spira, which he developed being one of the original individuals to study and identity the bacteria that was responsible for the nitrification of ammonia to nitrite to nitrate process that occurs in aquriums, which also occurs naturally in nature. Interestingly enough the same science, has also helped develop wastewater treatment products such as Kaledness media and the like which has also made its way to aquriums because of it's effective surface area for the very same bacteria. The challenge here is to keep that bacteria alive in a bottle that gets shipped in adverse conditions. Anyone that has been successful in doing this has discovered how to keep 2 different types of bacteria alive in a somewhat dormant state all while feeding it to keep it alive. Products like this all have an expiration date because the bacteria can only be kept in that state for so long. It really is quite an accomplishment because we all know how easy it is to crash a cycle. This bacteria is present in most moist soil and river and lake bottoms. It really is a blessing to the aquatic life we keep in our tanks especially since some people are not even aware of this process that occurs naturally in our tanks over time. They get in a hurry, want instant gratification, stuff the tanks full of life and they die, just because that sensitive bacteria is not there yet. I can only hope that more lfs and online stores promote products like Dr Tim's and fritz that really do work. Fritz developed their line of nitosomas and nitrobacter products for zoos and large aquriums so that fish could be immediately introduced for the same impatient public waiting to see these creatures many years ago. The real benefit that these products give us is the ability to instantly cycle a tank that crashed say from antibiotics or any number of other things that can cause these crashes, and there are many. That gives us the capability of saving animals that may have died unnecessarily. I learned about fritzyme though a scientific paper I read which analyses the nitrification process, and this company was listed as one of the successful companies that produced the right type of bacteria to get this process going instantaneously, and keeping it alive so it works out of a bottle. There are many products out there that claim to do this but fail miserably and has many thinking snake oil in a bottle, which is unfortunate. The cost of this stuff is minimal especially since the animals we keep are usually quite expensive. Not to mention the fact they don't have to suffer a brutal cycling process most of them don't even survive. OK I know, wall of text. Off the soap box. Take care all. Shrimpie and Lyana 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gillznglass Posted October 27, 2015 Report Share Posted October 27, 2015 Can you tell us more about Fritzyme 7? Fritz aquatics developed this stuff for zoos and large public aquriums that are under pressure to open fast. Thier website has a lot of useful information on it. What I have learned is if you fishless cycle with it using ammonia, use way less ammonia than is typically recommended. The nitrobacter is way more difficult to get to multiply quickly as it does so naturally much slower than the bacteria responsible for converting ammonia to nitrite. Raising the temp a bit helps. My conclusion is it gives the nitrobacter time to catch up and not be overwhelmed with massive nitrite, which I have seen make it appear to stall the cycle. Usually the amount of 4ppm ammonia typically used in fishless cycling is way more than biological life will produce in a properly stocked tank hence fritzyme's ability to instantly cycle. Again, nitrobacter will populate much slower due to its inability to reproduce as fast as nitosomas. But there is enough in fritz to keep the nitrite under control till they can devlop a balance that matches the tanks biological load. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyana Posted October 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2015 I have used stability with good results, just wanted a powdered form for under the substrate, thanks everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shrimple minded Posted October 27, 2015 Report Share Posted October 27, 2015 I used Mosura BT-9 (along with Seachem Stability and Prodobio Biodigest) and my cycle completed in 21 days. I believe others have used MK Breed Silver Powder with good results as well. Because I used multiple products (feeding Dr. Tim's Ammonia), I can't conclusively say what worked, but the clear completion in 3 weeks leads me to believe something did its job. Great info BTW gillznglass, interesting stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenteam Posted October 27, 2015 Report Share Posted October 27, 2015 Under the substrate I go with the classics BT-9 and Sea Mud. If you already have something like MK Silver or Shrimp Daddy's line then just use what you got. I my latest 20L I used all 4 products figured what the hell I have them all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DETAquarium Posted October 27, 2015 Report Share Posted October 27, 2015 I have used MK-Breed Z Silver and Golden Powders exclusively on all my shrimp tank setups with great results! I was using Shrimpy Daddy Revive Vita and currently testing Five and Nine Studio's Microbial Enzyme on a two day cycle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gillznglass Posted October 27, 2015 Report Share Posted October 27, 2015 Is the purpose of the powder to start the nitrification cycle or to create bio film? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d0pey Posted October 29, 2015 Report Share Posted October 29, 2015 I have used MK-Breed Z Silver and Golden Powders exclusively on all my shrimp tank setups with great results! I was using Shrimpy Daddy Revive Vita and currently testing Five and Nine Studio's Microbial Enzyme on a two day cycle. +1 on mk breeds powders.. I picked some up from blue crown and used it to cycle my tank in 25-30 days! Lyana 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dukendabears Posted October 29, 2015 Report Share Posted October 29, 2015 Shrimp Nature Bacteria powder.. Designed and used by Waldemar Kolecki in his own tanks. dr0p and Lyana 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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