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What are your opinions on bacterial supplements? Have you used 'em, are they worth a try?

Saint Paul, Minnesota USA 20g Freshwater Started June 10th 2008
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Some are, some aren't, and it depends on the situation as to if they are worth the money.

So far I've tried Cycle and Stability. I have Nitravec to try next, as I've heard it is rather good.

If you have a bare tank and you throw in a full stock, Cycle is better than going with nothing IMO, but you still get a considerable ammonia spike (this is lessened if you aren't so gung ho about how you add fish) You can get a tank with medium/full stock from nothing to cycled in about 8-10 days.

If you do the same thing with Stability, the spikes are *much* lower and the time is cut back to about 6 days, if that. I've used this to pull a tank out of a catastrophic cycle and it did so within 2 days, so I'm pretty confident that it is well worth the money.

I've heard that BioSpira is cream of the crop for this type of thing, but have never had a chance to try it. I also hear it is being reformulated so that it no longer requires refrigeration, so it will be interesting to see how it compares and how many people stick with the product. I know that many people buy it because of the fact that they can understand that low temps can keep things dormant, and say that everything else doesn't work because they are just full of dead bacteria. As much as I can see where they are coming from, this hasn't been my experience.

That being said, perhaps it is a difference in the definition of "works". I'm content to see a very minor ammonia reading to start with on a fully stocked tank, maybe BioSpira works in such a way that you just sail on through with 0-0-0 and that is where this confusion comes from. I suspect, however, that many have simply not tried the higher end products from the room temperature range and are just parroting someone else's thoughts. It can't possibly be that everyone who has a distrust of these products has tried them and failed completely every time.

Still, as much as I'm happy that they work to a certain degree, they do have limitations.
I'm not convinced about the idea that they outcompete bad bacteria (I get the concept, I'm just not sure the science works).
If you intend on dumping a full load of fish into a tank in one go, I firmly believe a fishless cycle is the way to go for stability's sake, as you can cycle it to the bioload you require before any fish even see the tank. The bacterial starters tend to be more effective on understocked tanks, and as much as they can cycle a tank to stable within a short period of time, the resulting biofilter isn't as stable as a properly matured tank.
They don't do anything if you don't feed them. You'd be surprised how many people expect it to be like a chemical reaction. You can't dose an empty tank on Monday, add a bucketload of fish on Friday and expect things to be fine. In order to support tank life they need to multiply to the appropriate levels. In order to multiply they need to eat. You need the food supply to be adequate (preferably not overwhelming) in order for them to start chugging along. It is exactly the same process as traditional cycling, just in a shorter time frame.

I use them for stocking without advance notice. If I end up coming home with something and set up a tank on the spot, it gets dosed. This works for me because I tend to have a lot of single specimen tanks, so the bioload is minimal. I also tend to like things that have a very short period of availability, which takes away the ability to plan ahead to any great degree.

I find they also work well if I have to greatly disturb a tank. If I do a major clean on a filter or change substrates or remove a big part of a hardscape etc, I'll add a half dose. This isn't a common thing, I don't do it at every WC or every adjustment. If that was necessary, I'm doing something very wrong. I couldn't say for certain if this is working as I couldn't be sure that what I did would have caused a spike (80% of the time I'd guess I wouldn't, but some tanks are a bit finicky), but they make me feel more confident that I definitely won't see any effect.

Really, I guess what it boils down to is that I find them handy for the way I work my tanks. I know what they can do and where their boundaries are, so if I work within that, they are very good tools.

If your situation is one in which you think you can do without, but you need an extra shove, then give them a try. If you think you require them to make something work, then be very careful as you might be asking too much of the product.

Is your tank up and running? Any fish? What way were you thinking of using the product?

For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

Is your tank up and running? Any fish? What way were you thinking of using the product?

Tank info: http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/threads/37789.1.htm?3

My profile has some info too.

I wanted to get some to speed up my cycle.

Saint Paul, Minnesota USA 20g Freshwater Started June 10th 2008
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Ahh, for that purpose, I'd say you should give it a shot. If you can get the Biospira, do so, otherwise try the Stability or Nitravec. I believe Tetra also has one that works well, but I can't think of the name

Much better than trying to push through a normal cycle if your fish are stressing. You have few enough in there that a dose of this should kick it over fairly quickly. The live plants will be helping too as they love waste product, so if you were intending on adding more later down the line, you could consider doing that earlier too

For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

I have used Sera Nitrivec for many years I use it (measured amount) at ever water change in both my tanks. I also use Seachem Stability I was introduced to Stability when I had a very serious water supply problem basically they was some thing in my water supply that was killing all my good bacteria. I double dosed the prescribed amount and the minute I started I did not loose a fish at all.

Recently I had to replace a broken tank at that time it was a big cleaning all I could save was less than 50% of the water all the substrate had to be washed.
When I set up the new tank I knew I was going to go through a good sized mini cycle as all my stored good bacteria in the substrate just was not there at all.
Again I double dosed with Stability and NEVER lost a fish or looked like loosing one.

Many will say these additives are nothing but Snake Oil but if that is the case Stability is a fantastic Snake oil and it DOES WORK.

Have a look in [link=My Profile] http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/member.aspx?id=1935[/link] for my tank info
Look here for my
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Keith

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I tried BioZyme because that's all <insert giant chain here> had. Either it's coincidence or it actually works. My nitrites shot up after a few days doses. Prior to use they were 0ppm.

My Danios love it. 1st I put the dose in the filter but the 2nd day I put it in the water and they were gobbling it up. I guesss they want to make sure all the water, including the water in their stomaches, cycles!

Saint Paul, Minnesota USA 20g Freshwater Started June 10th 2008
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