Experience with bio spira

[Wolf89]

Bio spira claims you can add fish instantly after adding the bacteria. How true is this? Anyone have experience with this? Thanks

 

[Wolf89]

Bump

 

[brian222]

I personally would check the parameters especially ammonia and nitrite eventhough the product claims you can add fishes immediately after it is added. Better be safe than sorry.[emoji848]

 

[NeSsyAqua]

I have use biospira in very of my tank that I set up. And I'd say it works like a charm. I usually just let the tank run for a couple of days to let everything settle and the water to clear up. Then I add biospira, after an hour or two I add 2-3 hardy fishes and let the tank runs it course and fully cycle.

 

[Snookin]

You will get a hundred different responses. It’s just one of the many biological products out there to “speed up” the nitrogen cycle. I’m a fishless cycle guy. Adding fish immediately makes me cringe. This hobby is about 1,3,5yrs from now. Not about the 3 fish you added 2 days after adding water, sand and rocks.

 

[Wolf89]

You will get a hundred different responses. It’s just one of the many biological products out there to “speed up” the nitrogen cycle. I’m a fishless cycle guy. Adding fish immediately makes me cringe. This hobby is about 1,3,5yrs from now. Not about the 3 fish you added 2 days after adding water, sand and rocks.

I'm fine with waiting, but I am upgrading tanks and I only have room for one

 

[Jared's Little Reef]

I used it for 5 tanks that I have setup, works pretty well I still typically like to dose ammonia chloride for a few days and monitor levels and once levels drop after 3-5 days will add fish. Never had a problem but always make sure you have a substrate for your tank or the cycle part can take weeks.

Always remove medications and turn off skimmer when adding bacteria from a bottle.

Doing the ammonia chloride is just my preference more exact then adding fish or fish food for cycling

I would recommend only adding 1-2 fish at first depending on tank size, anything less than 30 gallons only add 1 fish

Edit: During the first week when the fish is in the tank test your water every 1-2 days to make sure ammonia, nitrite, and nitrite aren't changing. Never had the levels rise after performing this type of cycle but everyone has different experiences.

 

[tstar]

My tank is a 29 gallon reef with about 20 pounds of dry rock, 15 pounds of Tropic Eden Reeflakes aragonite sand and a pound of SeaChem Pond Matrix in the Large CPR Aquafuge 2 refuguim.

I'm currently cycling with this BIO Spira stuff and dosing Ammonia Chloride. Here's a run down on what's going on so far, I'm using Salifert tests and testing in the morning;

Sat Sept. 28 - Added Bio Spira and 80 drops of Ammonia Chloride
Sun Sep. 29 - Ammonia= .25 ppm, Nitrite= 1.0 ppm
Mon Sep. 30 - Ammonia= <.15 ppm, Nitrite= 1.0ppm. Added 80 drops of Ammonia Chloride
Tue Oct. 1 - Ammonia= 0, Nitrite= .75ppm. Added 108 drops of Ammonia Chloride
Tue Oct. 1 - Two hours later Ammonia= 1.0ppm, NITRATE= 100ppm

I'm inclined to just sit on it for now and monitor for a few days but 108 drops for my 27 gallons total of water should be around 2ppm of Ammonia (SHOULD be...). Also, what's going on with the Nitrates???

I'm getting back into the hobby after 20 years, although not a newbie I feel like one! We cycled with Damsels then... Ahhhh The cruel dark ages....

Tim

 

[secret_reefer337]

I did use bio spiral long time ago, i don't know if it helped. My go to start up is Seachem Stability. I have set up few tanks using sachem and fish the next day upon setting up without any casualties. But my tanks always have live rocks from stablished tank and live sands.