Can I just keep adding ‘bacteria’?

[HomebroodExotics]

Of course, it's very hard to know when folks are successful because of every thing they do, or in spite of any particular thing being useless, or actually a negative factor, or just be doing something that lots of other methods might accomplish equally well in other tanks?

SunnyX, for example, uses many methods simultaneously, some of which include bacteria. And other great tanks do not dose any bacteria, ever.

How do you reconcile that and conclude bacteria must be beneficial?

Experience. See it with my eyes through many tanks posted here and my own. The difference is very clear to see. I mean zeovit tanks have a particular look that experienced people can easily identify, for an example.

 

[HomebroodExotics]

have Sunny stop feeding the tank, and only dose bacteria. anyone with a coral only system can try this/corals will decline and begin to die within 6 months.

food +fish waste and other actions are doing the work, not the bacteria for cycling added to a cycled tank.

I've kept coral in fishless tanks for months. Not sure what you are even talking about honestly.

 

[Troylee]

have Sunny stop feeding the tank, and only dose bacteria. anyone with a coral only system can try this/corals will decline and begin to die within 6 months.

food +fish waste and other actions are doing the work, not the bacteria for cycling added to a cycled tank.

He feeds his corals! bacteria… he’s all about it! And I gotta say really good at it lol…

 

[Troylee]

have Sunny stop feeding the tank, and only dose bacteria. anyone with a coral only system can try this/corals will decline and begin to die within 6 months.

food +fish waste and other actions are doing the work, not the bacteria for cycling added to a cycled tank.

https://reefsite.com/bacterial-driven-system-a-recipe-for-success/

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

He feeds his corals! bacteria… he’s all about it! And I gotta say really good at it lol…

It's curious that none of the folks saying yes to the OP's question about bacteria dosing being useful, and who cited SunnyX and zeovit as evidence, NOT ONCE mentioned the organic carbon dosing part of that bacteria method. (at least not that I saw, perhaps I missed it).

I agree that one of the main benefits of organic carbon dosing is feeding bacteria and other organisms (say, zooplankton that feed on bacteria) that are increased to filter feeders.

Whether one needs to be adding bacteria to accomplish that benefit equally well is the question.

I would add that simple dosing of bacteria without carbon dosing, which seemed to be the initial point of this thread, will also feed filter feeders, but perhaps not nearly as well as organic carbon dosing alone, or organic carbon dosing plus daily bacteria.

 

[GatorGreg]

He feeds his corals! bacteria… he’s all about it! And I gotta say really good at it lol…

I dose MB7 so I’m not either or here in this debate.


His tanks are PACKED with fish though. His corals eat a lot more than just what he’s feeding them directly. They’re consuming the waste from the fish constantly. I doubt that dosing bacteria is what just absolutely pushes his tanks over the edge of awesomeness lol.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Experience. See it with my eyes through many tanks posted here and my own. The difference is very clear to see. I mean zeovit tanks have a particular look that experienced people can easily identify, for an example.

Really?

Ever see an exact duplicate of SunnyX tank or zeovit tank doing everything the same except adding bacteria?

That would convince me.

Picking one part of a successful but complex method and saying it is useful on its own is no more convincing than saying that adding more oil into an engine is useful (IMO).

The fact that many tanks look equally good to these two claimed poster children of bacteria dosing suggests it may not be. Any the fact that MANY folks who dose bacteria products report no apparent benefit should give you significant pause in your interpretations. Why didn't they see a benefit?

 

[HomebroodExotics]

It's curious that none of the folks saying yes to the OP's question about bacteria dosing being useful, and who cited SunnyX and zeovit as evidence, NOT ONCE mentioned the organic carbon dosing part of that bacteria method. (at least not that I saw, perhaps I missed it).

I agree that one of the main benefits of organic carbon dosing is feeding bacteria and other organisms (say, zooplankton that feed on bacteria) that are increased to filter feeders.

Whether one needs to be adding bacteria to accomplish that benefit equally well is the question.

I would add that simple dosing of bacteria without carbon dosing, which seemed to be the initial point of this thread, will also feed filter feeders, but perhaps not nearly as well as organic carbon dosing alone, or organic carbon dosing plus daily bacteria.

yes I can agree with that. Carbon dosing certainly helps. Ive tried carbon dosing without bacteria and results were not good for me. Carbon and bac was the winner. I have not tried bacteria without the carbon so that is a good question. I think ill try it.

There is missing parts of the equation we arent talking about because we are discussing throwing out one of the main ingredient before even trying to implement the rest of the system. It is a system that works together at the end of the day.

 

[Troylee]

It's curious that none of the folks saying yes to the OP's question about bacteria dosing being useful, and who cited SunnyX and zeovit as evidence, NOT ONCE mentioned the organic carbon dosing part of that bacteria method. (at least not that I saw, perhaps I missed it).

I agree that one of the main benefits of organic carbon dosing is feeding bacteria and other organisms (say, zooplankton that feed on bacteria) that are increased to filter feeders.

Whether one needs to be adding bacteria to accomplish that benefit equally well is the question.

I would add that simple dosing of bacteria without carbon dosing, which seemed to be the initial point of this thread, will also feed filter feeders, but perhaps not nearly as well as organic carbon dosing alone, or organic carbon dosing plus daily bacteria.

Fair enough lol… I did not mention carbon dosing as I “ASSUMED” anyone dosing bacteria after initial start up would already know they go hand in hand.

 

[Celestion]

waste of money , is the best line so far

 

[ReefGeezer]

I'll stipulate that I love looking at tanks and reading articles by @SunnyX and I do use his DIY coral Snow and MB7 methodology regularly. I also carbon dose just a little to provide another thread in the food web. That said, I have found that there is more to reproducing tanks that look like his than just adding or encouraging bacteria. But, since the OP is asking about adding bacteria...

I think something that encourages heterotrophic bacteria that aids in the processing of organic compounds can be of assistance. I think MB7 might do just that. I think mixing it with calcium carbonate and allowing the solution to settle on the tank's surfaces might be a good way to deliver the MB7 where it is most needed. Please notice the "wiggle" words... "I think" and "might". I don't know these things but they do seem to help in my tank.

 

[Celestion]

waste of money is the best line so far , reefers need to blast these posts off here lol

 

[City_Boy_Jay]

I don’t know all the science behind it but bacteria driven systems like zeovit and the tank Sunny x just started are amazing! If you look at Sunny’s tank it will blow your mind in just 11 months how his corals out grew the tank!

Which Sunny? Raising reef sunny?

 

[GarrettT]

Stability can’t be rushed. Give it time.

 

[Dburr1014]

Which Sunny? Raising reef sunny?

SunnyX

 

[HankstankXXL750 Verified Sponsor]

I've kept coral in fishless tanks for months. Not sure what you are even talking about honestly.

But did you feed those corals? That was his statement is the nutrients provided by the food and the fish waste (just food if fishless) benefit the tank. Whereas just dosing bacteria will not feed the corals.
But that’s just how I read it.

 

[HomebroodExotics]

But did you feed those corals? That was his statement is the nutrients provided by the food and the fish waste (just food if fishless) benefit the tank. Whereas just dosing bacteria will not feed the corals.
But that’s just how I read it.

Why would I feed the corals fish food? No I did not feed the corals and I do not feed my corals anything other than bacteria and whatever else is in the water column. If there’s no fish in the tank there is no fish food in the tank for me. If you’re asking me to stop feeding the corals the bacteria as proof the corals would die then yea that’s kind of what we are talking about…I don’t know I’m still confused here.

 

[brandon429]

Here’s the confusion

everyone in Sunny’s thread is feeding the tank, and adding cycling bac

the control hasn’t been reduced down to just cycling bac as feed, in Sunny’s thread, we need to see it done that way in a work thread not as someone’s person relay of what they do that feedback is subject to bias


what is not subject to bias: a work thread, where a claimant here begins a thread offering to fix tanks solely using cycling bacteria in coral only tanks

then we get the feedback from non feeding, bottle bad only feeding entrants, start the thread

 

[Troylee]

Here’s the confusion

everyone in Sunny’s thread is feeding the tank, and adding cycling bac

the control hasn’t been reduced down to just cycling bac as feed, in Sunny’s thread, we need to see it done that way in a work thread not as someone’s person relay of what they do that feedback is subject to bias


what is not subject to bias: a work thread, where a claimant here begins a thread offering to fix tanks solely using cycling bacteria in coral only tanks

then we get the feedback from non feeding, bottle bad only feeding entrants, start the thread

Sunny has a video where’s he pumping the zeo reactor full of bacteria into the sump and feeding the water column… it could be way more detailed but the basics are there lol..

 

[HomebroodExotics]

Here’s the confusion

everyone in Sunny’s thread is feeding the tank, and adding cycling bac

the control hasn’t been reduced down to just cycling bac as feed, in Sunny’s thread, we need to see it done that way in a work thread not as someone’s person relay of what they do that feedback is subject to bias


what is not subject to bias: a work thread, where a claimant here begins a thread offering to fix tanks solely using cycling bacteria in coral only tanks

then we get the feedback from non feeding, bottle bad only feeding entrants, start the thread

Yes this is why I’m confused.