Hello Kathy. I used a different product for a different reason, but the outcome was the same: I dosed microbacter7 for just 1 week to seed my tank with beneficial bacteria. I followed the instructions on a 215 gallon system and I had a massive bacteria bloom. I had strings all over the rock work, sand bed, and glass. However, bacteria blooms are not harmful if you take proper precautions. Bacteria blooms will deplete your system of oxygen and start lowering your pH and turn your system's water acidic. I would absolutely recommend using a protein skimmer, as that will suck all that stuff right out of your tank over a 5 to 7 day period. I would not recommend using a UV sterilizer, considering your tank is so little and don't want to kill off the good bacteria trying to outcompete the bloom. Regular weekly water changes and the bloom will be gone in a week or 2. Please monitor your pH throughout the next 2 weeks. You can also dose some kalkwasser to slowly increase the pH, which will assist in dissipating the bacteria.
