Seachem Stability Didn't Work. Did it for you?

starbuck88 · Aug 17, 2020

Hi All,

I just cycled my tank using Fritz Turbostart900. Cycle happened in 4 weeks, I can now dose 3ppm of Ammonia and within 24 hours, it's 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites.

However, before this, I wanted to use Seachem Stability. I used Dry Rock and Dry Sand. Nothing live.

I dosed the tank to 3ppm using Dr Tims Ammonia, then I followed the instructions on the Stability bottle to the letter, adding cap fulls etc to the recommended initial dose and then lesser dose. I ended up using 200ml of Stability.

6 weeks went by, Ammonia was still at 3ppm and no readings for Nitrite or Nitrate. Nothing happened.

That's when I added the Fritz and 24 hours after adding the Fritz, the cycle had begun showing lower ammonia, some nitrites and even some nitrates (not many initially).

What went wrong with the Stability? I see quite a lot of people saying Stability didn't work for them? I noticed in quite a few threads people saying stability worked for them BUT...I noticed they had either live rock or live sand...so they had bacteria on them that could have done the cycle, not the bottle right?

The reason I want to trust seachem, is that I want to seed my media with the strain of bacteria that changes nitrates to nitrogen etc, so that I get or at least get some of that 'Full Cycle' filtration. I am using Biohome Ultimate Marine in a quantity that should provide the 'full cycle' and cope with a heavily stocked system nearly twice the size of mine (30G, I won't be, I want to just over do it with the media).

I believe the Fritz doesn't have that final bacteria, yet the Seachem Stability is advertised that it does but....if it doesn't work?!? what am I to do.

I have fired an email off to them to see what they can suggest and I have read about faulty batches.

What are your thoughts? and what other product can seed that final stage bacteria?

Kindest Regards

Cell · Aug 17, 2020

I've never considered Stability an instant cycle product like BioSpira or One and Only.

starbuck88 · Aug 17, 2020

Cell said:
I've never considered Stability an instant cycle product like BioSpira or One and Only.

Nor do I but I would have thought given Seachems own instructions that it should take between 4 - 8 weeks, I would have thought at 6 weeks I would have seen 'something' happening?

Cell · Aug 17, 2020

Your cycle should be done at 6 weeks, added bacteria or not.

TyHiggin · Aug 17, 2020

I used Stability on my new tank setup last year, a 45 JBJ All In One. I thought it worked great. I had 40lbs live sand and 40lbs dry Life Rock along with Marine Pure balls in filter section and bio balls in the media reactor. I was able to add a couple cycle fish and some cuc the third week and first coral the fourth week.

starbuck88 · Aug 17, 2020

TyHiggin said:
I used Stability on my new tank setup last year, a 45 JBJ All In One. I thought it worked great. I had 40lbs live sand and 40lbs dry Life Rock along with Marine Pure balls in filter section and bio balls in the media reactor. I was able to add a couple cycle fish and some cuc the third week and first coral the fourth week.

This is the point I made in the original post.

How do you know Stability did anything? You had plenty of other stuff that already had bacteria in it.

Your tank will have cycled without stability.

TyHiggin · Aug 17, 2020

starbuck88 said:
This is the point I made in the original post.

How do you know Stability did anything? You had plenty of other stuff that already had bacteria in it.

Your tank will have cycled without stability.

I guess cause im thinking it was all new. only thing that had bacteria in it was the live sand. would live sand alone cycle a tank in 3 weeks? bacteria had to grow on/in the Life Rock, Marine Pure balls and bio pellets. The bio pellet label even said it takes 6 weeks for for those to start working. Im not saying that Stability did it all on its own but I do believe it helped shorten the time by helping the bacteria in the sand grow to the other media. Im getting ready to setup another tank in a couple weeks. I will test your theory and do the same setup but without Stability and see how long it takes. Most people I talk to about my cycle said putting coral in a 4 week old tank and having it survive was pretty uncommon.

lion king · Aug 17, 2020

Stability never worked for me, but I have used biospira several times with great results. Just started a tank a few weeks ago with Dr Tims ammonium chloride and biospira, cycled in 9 days.

BullyBee · Aug 17, 2020

Stability is great for me. Haven’t used it for salt though

starbuck88 · Aug 17, 2020

TyHiggin said:
I guess cause im thinking it was all new. only thing that had bacteria in it was the live sand. would live sand alone cycle a tank in 3 weeks? bacteria had to grow on/in the Life Rock, Marine Pure balls and bio pellets. The bio pellet label even said it takes 6 weeks for for those to start working. Im not saying that Stability did it all on its own but I do believe it helped shorten the time by helping the bacteria in the sand grow to the other media. Im getting ready to setup another tank in a couple weeks. I will test your theory and do the same setup but without Stability and see how long it takes. Most people I talk to about my cycle said putting coral in a 4 week old tank and having it survive was pretty uncommon.

That would be a great test!

This is what worries me. There seems to be too many stability users where there is no other bacteria sources that say it doesn't work.

You don't hear the same of other products!

Just seems bizarre to me.