How does the science work with bacteria instructions

[ryshark]

Why do the instructions for bacteria products like Brightwell MB7 or CLEAN say to mix the liquid from the bottle in a cup with aquarium water first? I typically just dose right into the display and skip this step. Is the bacteria activating or something in the cup with tank water before being dumped into the tank? If so, why is that different than just dosing directly from the bottle into the display?

 

[mehaffydr]

I think that it will disburse better if mixed in water so that it will spread throughout the tank quicker.

 

[ryshark]

That

I think that it will disburse better if mixed in water so that it will spread throughout the tank quicker.

That would make more sense to me if the product was a powder.

With a liquid product, I could see it helping a little, in a low flow tank.

 

[Dan_P]

Why do the instructions for bacteria products like Brightwell MB7 or CLEAN say to mix the liquid from the bottle in a cup with aquarium water first? I typically just dose right into the display and skip this step. Is the bacteria activating or something in the cup with tank water before being dumped into the tank? If so, why is that different than just dosing directly from the bottle into the display?

Good question. What happens if you add the entire dose to a little bit of aquarium water? Does it become cloudy? Make a drastic change to the pH?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

My guess too is the dispersement. The bacteria may be in clumps in the bottle and breaking up the clumps may allow seeding of more locations.

FWIW, a clump of bacteria need not be large enough to see by eye to contain multiple bacteria.