*Is to much bottled bacteria bad?*

[James_O]

I just dosed approximately 97ml of Instant Ocean bottled bacteria, in my 29g tank. (Bottle says, “treats up to 75 gallons”)

The back of the bottle says, “Use entire contents”

So my questions is: Can I go ahead and dose the entire bottle, because it says I should? Or is it possible to overdose?

 

[Pistondog]

I don't think the whole bottle does any more good than 1/2. So save the other half for a few months

 

[James_O]

But it says to use the whole thing at once?

Also, why would I need to save it? I don’t plan on setting up any more tanks.

 

[flampton]

Just use it all

 

[James_O]

Just use it all

Is it helpful to pour it into the HOB filter? Or just spread it around the tank?

Also, will active carbon remove any of the bottled bacteria?

 

[James_O]

I went ahead and added the whole bottle. Thanks!

 

[taricha]

Is it helpful to pour it into the HOB filter? Or just spread it around the tank?

Also, will active carbon remove any of the bottled bacteria?

spread it around.

Activated carbon, I wouldn't add until a day or so after the bacteria.
Not that activated carbon will likely bind too much, but there's no reason to run it while adding the tank cyclers.

 

[James_O]

Ok, thanks!

Also, should I leave the tank dark for 48 hours? Or just turn on the regular light, but no UV light?

 

[taricha]

(IMO) Leave the lights off for a few days (some say longer) until you measure that the bottle bac are doing their job regarding ammonia, nitrite, nitrate. a full bottle of biospira should be quick.

 

[James_O]

Ok, thank you! I’ll leave the lights off for a few days.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

It is certainly possible to dose too much bacteria. Just like it is possible to do almost anything too much.

But in this context, I doubt it does any harm (and may also not do any good). What are you trying to accomplish?

 

[James_O]

It is certainly possible to dose too much bacteria. Just like it is possible to do almost anything too much.

But in this context, I doubt it does any harm (and may also not do any good). What are you trying to accomplish?

So there’s such thing as “to much” beneficial bacteria?

What are you trying to accomplish?

Trying to cycle the tank quickly.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

So there’s such thing as “to much” beneficial bacteria?

Of course too much is possible. It will just become dead bacteria , polluting the water and raising nutrients, causing blooms of other species, etc.

More is not always better.

 

[James_O]

Of course too much is possible. It will just become dead bacteria , polluting the water and raising nutrients, causing blooms of other species, etc.

More is not always better.

I have never heard that to much beneficial bacteria could be a bad thing, in freshwater or saltwater... ;Stop

 

[count krunk]

I believe Randy is talking about, yes there is a threshold, but you won't hit it with that bottle.

And just let the cycle, cycle

 

[James_O]

I believe Randy is talking about, yes there is a threshold, but you won't hit it with that bottle.

And just let the cycle, cycle

I’m testing today, and I’m hoping it will be cycled!

 

[RyanS]

Just use it all

Would you do that with something like... let's say... Vibrant?

 

[brandon429]

these bacteria are not designed to float around, competing for oxygen, no attachment spaces that's one primary reason we don't use cycling bacteria after a cycle


such as a refresher, no refreshers are needed this is marketing to your pockets

and for sure we don't use cycling bac reactively in tank insults, after cycling we don't need more bacteria as nothing we did during the interim removed filtration bac and made our cycle retrograde.

in order to coat your surfaces time is the best offer for an aquarium, anything close to what a cycling chart shows for the ammonia line after adding the right amount from the directions will cycle you just fine. adding more than that wont help as the surface area will become the limiting factor to attachment, the rest is total waste and bioload rot eventually..no vital space attachment for bulk bac means bound for export or internal rot.



You can't do much harm with one bottle during a cycle, there's just no benefit to adding more than needed that's what cycling bacteria producers like for us to do $

 

[flampton]

Would you do that with something like... let's say... Vibrant?

No because it's a different product. The OP asked a very specific question. I answered that specific question correctly.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I have never heard that to much beneficial bacteria could be a bad thing, in freshwater or saltwater... ;Stop

lol

OK, try this one: you fill the tank using only bottles of "Any Brand" bacteria.

That's too much.