One more question Kenneth. After cycling you add the second quarter dose after nitrate has begun to appear. Let’s suppose that I don’t add fish, no lights, maybe adding copepods for say 90 days to 2 months after cycle completes. Would you continue to add the quarter dose of yello sno, say bi weekly? Also, now switch to PNS pro bio after cycle completed and dose bi weekly? Trying to keep bacteria alive and thriving while there isn’t much food for them. Thoughts?
Hi. First thing, I don't know if you meant nitrite instead of nitrate, and nitrate was just a typo, but I'd recommend that second dose as
nitrite begins to appear. The reason for that is because some commonly used nitrite oxidizing bacteria (
Nitrobacter, for example) cannot synthesize their own cobalamin, and cannot grow without it, and so need an exogenous source of it. Under normal situations, like in the wild, or if using mature live rock/sand, these species get their cobalamin from other microbes (usually some sort of archaea, if I remember right). However, if you're starting a more-or-less sterile tank with dry rock and running a fishless cycle, then cobalamin supplements can help when you're using a certain nitrifying bacterial products, particularly in supporting the growth of those bacteria that convert nitrite into nitrate. As it happens, PNS YelloSno not only is rich in cobalamin, but also contains PABA and biotin, which are essential for the growth of (respectively)
Rhodopseudomonas palustris and
Rhodospirillum rubrum, the two purple non-sulfur bacteria in PNS Substrate Sauce. YelloSno is thus really meant to feed the whole ecosystem, from microbes to pods to corals (both in terms of nutrition and also particle size).
I don't see any issues with adding it in the manner you propose. Could even help to build a good population of copepods and other beneficial microfauna that you might seed the system with. I'd just watch for signs of pollution; YelloSno is a food, and so it can (like any other food) be overused, especially in a new system. My only advice on that one would be to use it moderately, and also to be ready to reduce the dose if it appears that the system cannot yet cycle that particular influx of nutrients and organic matter. If it's just being used to keep the bacteria alive, very little would be needed (though that little bit can potentially make a big difference).
And yes, you certainly could switch to PNS ProBio (
Rhodopseudomonas palustris) at that point, and since it's a live heterotroph, it cannot be overdosed. If anything, larger doses will actually help to clean the tank. In fact, assuming you have some sort of illuminated anaerobic microhabitat in there somewhere, you might even be able to get it to establish a good sized permanent population. Yes, it can survive in the dark, but will grow about half as fast as under optimal light conditions.
