live bacteria

[Vervo]

What is the best brand for live bacteria??

I heard TLC is good, I just bought one, but it's every 20ml for 50 Litre

What is the best one in the market in nz?

[ryanjury]

Hard to know, some swear by the stuff some say that it is hard to bottle live bacteria that needs a food source and a flow of oxygenated water to survive anyway..

I would suggest the best way of doing it is to get in touch with a local fish keeper and get some cycled media off them or start off with a low stocking list or fish less cycle..

[BikBok]

I use TLC and it's great. but I use it more as a monthly boost and after I've done filter clean or added new fish etc.

For starting up new I think JBL filter start is the best.. it's a one off additive rather than ongoing like TLC is.

[Vervo]

we had our tank set up already for half year or more now, just running out of our cycle, and bought TLC, just wondering what's the best to use that's all, since they are not very cheap >

[ryanjury]

Personally I have never used any of those additives and I think adding them on a regular basis would be a big fat waste of money, I have had 45 tanks running with no issues for years doing water changes and all sorts of things and they are all stable and going? Why are people adding these as part of their regular maintenance and what are you trying to achieve (apart from what is written on the back of the bottle).

Sorry if I sound sceptical and not saying that this product doesn't work but there are a whole heap of products out there that do absolutely nothing but make petshops and the companies making them tons of money and I think fish keepers are better off keeping their money for things that are needed, like more fish or power bills. I would love to hear why people use it..

I have heard that the sale of fish products is completely unregulated meaning that you don't have to have anything tested or any proof that it actually works or does what it is supposed to.

[Stella]

I am with Ryan on this one.

I fail to see how bacteria et al will survive in a little bottle on the shelf.

I also fail to see how adding however many mls of water and bacteria of dubious vitality can possibly make any difference to an aquarium where all the surfaces of every piece of glass, rock, leaf and every piece of gravel is covered in bacteria, not to mention living in your filter. Those places are where most of the 'good bacteria' in your tank live, not in the water.

Even if you have just done a waterchange, massive scrub AND cleaned the filter (the latter of which should be done as rarely as humanly possible), some bacteria can divide in a matter of minutes. If you have a nice warm tank with lots of nice food (you just stirred everything up with cleaning), the bacteria on the surfaces which you didn't scrub (which will be the majority) will be thanking you for it and merrily self-replicating.

[fishfreak]

I like Cycle but ive only ever used it when setting up a tank from scratch, Southern encounter had some cultured for them to add when we initially setup but i cant remember who cultured it but can probably find out.

[Vervo]

i thought it removes ammonia etc??

I visited a fish shop in asia, they said more bacteria is good when fishes are sick?

[Snowman]

I havent used any for 5 yrs or more without any problems, its amazing how many things a shop will tell you are "needed" when all they really mean is they need your money LOL

No chemical can beat a plain old water change (300 GBA's of varing sizes in a 130ltr 3' tank and no deaths in 3 yrs will testify to that, daily water changes though)

[Bilbo]

Well said Ryan and Stella. Bacteria doesn't work that way and even if it did given the right conditions it multiplies so fast that adding a teaspoonful to a tank is a complete waste of time and money.

I have never had any problems with ammonia or nitrites and never had a mysterious fish death caused by cleaning a filter to well. I don't think I have ever even cycled a new tank properly and I have set up hundreds.

[Jaxxnz]

:lol: I remember put that in when i first setup my first fish tank..

I think that its needed because due to 100% fresh clean water been introduce.

but now every time i setup a new tank i would start off with 25% of water from existing tank to new tank.

that should give plenty og bacteria :lol:

[phoenix44]

I still think it works.

Speeds up the time to cycle a tank, and those of you who don't believe in it have no evidence to say other wise. :lol:

I on the other hand can prove that the tank will cycle faster with a product like cycle. Fact is 99% of people don't know how it works; when to use it and 90% of people selling it don't really know what they are selling and thus don't know how it works. I've had several conversations with people trying to tell them that Cycle + water in no way cycles a tank.

[ryanjury]

I still think it works.

Speeds up the time to cycle a tank, and those of you who don't believe in it have no evidence to say other wise. :lol:

I on the other hand can prove that the tank will cycle faster with a product like cycle. Fact is 99% of people don't know how it works; when to use it and 90% of people selling it don't really know what they are selling and thus don't know how it works. I've had several conversations with people trying to tell them that Cycle + water in no way cycles a tank.

I think it is a waste of time and you have no evidence to say otherwise

[David R]

Speeds up the time to cycle a tank.

I'm certainly not lumping you in this category P44, but it amazes me that with the number of penny-pinchers in this hobby who want to pay bottom dollar for everything and baulk at paying more than $30 for a fish that people are willing to pay money to save themselves a week or two when setting up a tank.

I have no doubt that it can speed up the cycling process, but IMO if you haven't got the patience to cycle a tank properly then you're in the wrong hobby. I certainly wouldn't trust it to instantly establish brand new filters for my expensive fish......

[Joshlikesfish]

IMO if you haven't got the patience to cycle a tank properly then you're in the wrong hobby

Too true

[phoenix44]

oh i know but when you tell customers to go home and do water changes, 8 out of 10 times, (seriously) you'll get the - "Isn't there something I can put in my tank and fit it?" reply.

I swear on my own life. :lol:

But I do have evidence Ryan; it took about 7 days less to cycle a 68L tank with cycle and fish than it did the normal way.

people swear by TLC something-or-the-other. That works well. Instant cycle apparently.

David - I grow plants. I have to be patient :lol:

I certainly wouldn't trust it to instantly establish brand new filters for my expensive fish......

Neither would I. Not in a million years. :lol:

[Sunbird73]

P44 I agree with you. When I first started out with a brand new tank and filter - and made the standard mistake of fully stocking the next day :roll:, I used seachem stability and the tank cycled in a week.

I think it does work to speed up cycling, but I don't think its worth the money - or necessary - to use it regularly. I would use it again for cycling a new tank if I had the spare $17 or so tho. I wouldn't rely on it, but would use it as a added extra I guess while following all the other guidelines for cycling a tank .

[David R]

I would use it again for cycling a new tank if I had the spare $17 or so tho.

Only if you don't already have another tank up and running though. I haven't cycled a tank from scratch for years...

[burrowssj]

I personally found it made my water go yellow faster using stress zyme. And they guy at my LFS told me that when its shipped over here it pretty much kills 80% of what bacteria was actually alive in it so theres really no point getting it...

I cycled my tank with fish in it an never had any troubles with loses but chch has stupidly clean water so just doing a water change made such a difference

[Sunbird73]

Only if you don't already have another tank up and running though. I haven't cycled a tank from scratch for years...

Good point. Very true.