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I was wondering if anybody is using organic waste digesters.My LFS recommended a product called Lysofoss which is a powder version.They told me it would speed up my cycling time by reducing ammonia & nitrite levels & increasing dissolved oxygen.Not sure if it shortened the cycling time but it did look kinda cool when I added it ....kinda spooky ,kinda eerie

"if you're goin swimmin,watch out for the noahs"

If anything, that should increase cycling times. You want to get a good buildup of ammonia and nitrite so you get a nice big colony of bacteria.

Joe Potato


Edit: I also doubt that it increased dissolved oxygen levels. If you have a HOB filter, your water is probably already at saturation levels.

Further edit: After doing a quick search, it turns out that Lysofoss is a type of bacterial starter like Cycle or StressZyme. In that case, yes, it would speed up the cycle because you're seeding the aquarium with bacteria. However, these bacteria consume oxygen and would reduce levels, not increase it.

I tried to look up lysofoss last night and find lots of conflicting info to the point I'm not really sure what it is. It claims to lower hydrogen sulfide levels and increase oxygen levels which is something a bacteria started can't do. It does seem to be bacterial and I saw recommendations for using it septic tanks. I wonder though if it's the proper bacteria for cycling an aquarium or if it's possibly anaerobic bacteria.

Normal bacteria starters are not harmful. It's somewhat debated whether they are helpful and they won't instantly cycle your tank. In my experience they do help a slight amount to shorten cycling time but not enough that I consistently use them everytime I'm cycling a tank. If I have it on hand I use it if I don't then I don't because it doesn't make a large enough difference to run out and get a bottle.