Instant cycling?

[Drumachine09]

I saw a bag of this stuff at the pet-co the other day, and i spent a while reading the bag. It sounds like they just make up a bunch of high-tech sounding words, like bio-film, bio-activ (nope thats not a typo), and non biofouling. BS? you see for yourself.

http://reefsand.com/

[Lady Hobbs]

There's a lot of stuff like that out there but ya know, if they were able to manufacture bio-spira, why not another product that may be as good? Surely they can have more than one on the market that is as good or nearly as good. I saw another on the net the other day that promises a two day cycle. Who knows, huh, but for now the bio-spira is still the tried and proven.

I do think these products shouldn't sell themselves as a cycling product but an aid in cycling. Too many think adding this stuff does the whole job and we know that it still takes pure ammonia from fish or a bottle to do a cycle completely.

[cocoa_pleco]

cycling is always needed, but this product may speed it up some more

[Lady Hobbs]

That's what it's intended for ....to speed the cycle up. But they are advertising this stuff as an instant cycle which confuses many newbies. They figure you pour this stuff in the tank and you've cycled and who can blame them for thinking this way when it's as the products state?

[cocoa_pleco]

if youre experienced, and have 10 breeding tanks that need to immediately be started up, use a booster. If youre a beginner, have a 10g, nothing else, skip any fancy products

[xoolooxunny]

sounds like since its from the ocean, it would have the same effect as if you were to take a bunch of gravel from an old aquarium and use it to scape a new one, which would only have the consequence of maybe a slight ammonia spike for a day or two until everything is settled. Who knows. Personally, I like to take my time with aquarium setup, everything works out better in the end!

[Drumachine09]

sounds like since its from the ocean, it would have the same effect as if you were to take a bunch of gravel from an old aquarium and use it to scape a new one, which would only have the consequence of maybe a slight ammonia spike for a day or two until everything is settled. Who knows. Personally, I like to take my time with aquarium setup, everything works out better in the end!

I dont think its really from the ocean. I think its just a marketing ploy.

[cocoa_pleco]

probably some chemical mumbo-jumbo

[Chrona]

Unless the bag is refridgerated or is fresh from the plant, I'd have some doubts about that claim.

If they start making up names like biofilm and biowhatever to describe how their products work, it's generally a bad choice. Biopsira clearly states what is in their product, and lists the two types of bacteria present. None of that "patented process" BS

[Drumachine09]

Unless the bag is refridgerated or is fresh from the plant, I'd have some doubts about that claim.

Nope. It just sits there on the shelf next to the five gallon buckets of actual seawater.

[Lady Hobbs]

Of course one can also purchase cultured gravel if they want a faster start. More expensive but a bag dumped on top of new gravel may help. But over-all as xoo states, taking ones time has better outcomes. I personally am always in a hurry because usually am in big need to make changes asap before something kills something.

[Cichlid_Man]

I heard about an experiment about a month ago done by my LFS.
They very trustworthy people.

They said they started an aquarium with water from our local river, the James River.

They filled 5 one gallon jugs with the water, took a few rocks from the bottom, and went home and filled a 5 gallon tank, adjusted the heater and added a fish and started the filter.

They NEVER saw any spikes in anything and the fish remained healthy.

After that they transferred the water and the fish to a larger tank and everything worked great.

So, as long as I have access to the river, my next tank will be cycled instantly, I guess???

[Drumachine09]

I heard about an experiment about a month ago done by my LFS.
They very trustworthy people.

They said they started an aquarium with water from our local river, the James River.

They filled 5 one gallon jugs with the water, took a few rocks from the bottom, and went home and filled a 5 gallon tank, adjusted the heater and added a fish and started the filter.

They NEVER saw any spikes in anything and the fish remained healthy.

After that they transferred the water and the fish to a larger tank and everything worked great.

So, as long as I have access to the river, my next tank will be cycled instantly, I guess???



Along with what parisites and diseases?

[Lady Hobbs]

You never know what might work. I did something that I hadn't heard of anyone else doing myself. I cleaned the gravel from one tank and poured the bottom off into a newly set up tank. I figured if the bioload is in the gravel, then that's what I'd give it. LOL

I never did have ammonia over .25 and it cycled nicely without ever doing a water change with fish. So, guess we have to try our own techniques.

[NWMountainTroll]

Taking filter media from one tank and transferring it to another also works.