Will Tropic Marin Reef Actif help with dinos?

[becky46]

Hi all,

Been struggling with dinos for a few weeks. It seems to be doing a lot better after adding MicroBacter7 most days after lights out. I was in my LFS store and I saw Tropic Marin Reef Actif. I asked whether it would help, and the salesperson said it might if dosed at the same time as the microbacter7, since it acts as food for the bacteria. I haven't been in the hobby for too long, but their explanation sounds like it might be an oversimplification. Can anyone weigh in on whether this will help propagate beneficial bacteria when combined with Microbacter7? Thanks.

 

[Spare time]

You want to raise phosphate, not lower them. I would only add something like that and microbacter if you are actively dosing phosphate. My guess is you have undetectable phosphate as typically this seems to be what associates with dinos popping up, and both of those products will hinder your ability to raise them. You can use them, but you need to monitor phosphate closely.

 

[taricha]

I asked whether it would help, and the salesperson said it might if dosed at the same time as the microbacter7, since it acts as food for the bacteria. I haven't been in the hobby for too long, but their explanation sounds like it might be an oversimplification.

you have good instincts.
So much of what is helpful for Dinos is accumulated anecdote stitched together by speculation. (I'm describing my own advice, not criticizing anything) And this is a product for dinos that there isn't much anecdote for.

Let's take the Reef Actif core claim at face value. If it actually binds organics out of the water and allows them to be concentrated as particulate organic material, bound to a slow-digesting carbon source - then it likely does make the organics that it binds out of the water into a more digestible package for bacteria.
Would MB7 bacteria be the ones to take advantage of it? Or would it be your native aquarium bacteria? Nobody knows, but I'd lean toward the latter.
Would binding organics out of the water into particulates be desirable in general? probably.
Helpful against dinos? nobody has any idea.
Why not just use GAC, bind the organics our of the water - and export them, if we think they help support a dino outbreak?

Anyway, if you do it, take pics. make careful observations. Tell us what happens.