Beneficial Bacteria 101: Are You Using The Right Type? At The Right Time?
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- Опубликовано: 23 июл 2017
- ***VIDEO DISCLAIMER: Folks, I referenced "Seachem Stress Guard" in this video when I meant to reference "Seachem Pristine." Stability and/or Pristine are the products we want to look at in the Seachem line - Thanks for watching!
Folks, a quick video on our pals, beneficial bacteria. A month ago I went down to my local fish store to help a buddy set up his first tank. I told him about the cycling process, that we needed to put a little food in his tank to create ammonia, and add beneficial bacteria to colonize and eat up that ammonia.
As I went for the bottle of API Stress Zyme, the owner of my LFS shared a reminder with me about beneficial bacteria, which I thought I would share with you. 😀 I had forgotten a few things about our good pals, beneficial bacteria.
I hope this video sheds some light on the various products offered in the market today, what bacteria we want to use, and when...
Please like, comment, subscribe for future content!! Thank you for your continued support and thanks for watching. Hope this video is helpful!
Keep tankin'!
--d 
Животные
i’m doing a presentation saturday at petsmart and this info REALLY helped!! thank you :D
I'm so glad and how cool!!! Good luck on your presentation! Let me know how it goes. I'm sure you will kill it! 👍
The music background wasn't helpful at all !!!
🥁🙉🥁
Finally a straight forward tutorial on products! Thank you!
I just wanted to say first and foremost this is the most clear, concise and informative video I have yet to come across, especially for us beginners! I have been trying to get this right for just about a year now and even with the help of a fish keeper of over 30 years I am still confused lol. So, I wanted to say thank you and you are amazing before anything! So now to my questions lol. Unfortunately I got into the hobby randomly and didn’t research first, I went to the big box store (petsmart) and no one explained the tank cycle they literally told me to set up the tank, add QuickStart and put my fish in 24 hours later. Yeah that went terrible lol. Anyways now I have two 10 gallon tanks with 1 betta in each and a 20 gallon with 3 glofish, 2 mollys and 1 platty. To start with my oldest tank- 10 gallon with betta - I put him through hell trying to figure this out and he endured crazy off the wall toxicity levels I’m not sure how he is alive, yet the healthiest thriving boy ever! Well I ended up doing in fish cycle and I used fluval cycle concentrated biological booster (you mention biological enhancer , do you know if these are the same or am I using the wrong thing? It’s been about 6-7 months since I have been cycling his tank so I’m pretty sure it’s done. However I think I crashed it a few times..... I always test and make sure ammo and nitrite are at 0 but for some reason my nitrates have never been constantly rising in this tank which I believe it how you know your cycled. Sometimes I will get 5-10ppm but each week I test their typically not there or just around 5. About 2 months ago I got a crazy algae bloom (brown sludge looking algae and green) first time I ever saw this and after scrubbing down ornaments, tank and water change it comes right back...... however I never am seeing rising nitrates 😰😰😰 assuming fluval biological booster is the correct bacteria I typically do the recommended dose on the back of the bottle under (all regular maintenance activities, i.e. water changes, filter maintenance etc) there is also a weekly dose to maintain a strong beneficial biological colony.... I change his water, use prime, add the BB, stress guard and purchased pristine but was worried that it was the same thing as the fluval but now I see it’s sludge eating. I also have stability, correct me if I’m wrong but I would only use fluval, stability, QuickStart ... just choose one correct? Also, what would you say about TSS. I used that in cycling my other 10 gallon with betta and never ever g it nitrites it skipped from ammo to nitrates.... whooo this is a long post I apologize lol... okay so that’s the situation with my oldest tank. Please advise to best of your ability being I have a million questions, I’m trying to be as clear and include everything. Now my 20 gallon... it’s been about 4 months or so maybe longer, I did fish in cycling and unfortunately the pet store told me I could stock 10-11 fish to start... I lost 4-5 along the way but it’s been about a good month and a half and I have 6 that seem to be doing really well. I had a family emergency very unexpected and the person who was supposed to maintain tanks cancelled on me so I went about a month without doing anything to them. On 1/19 my readings were 1ppm ammo/0 nitrite/5 nitrate/6.6 ph... I last saw nitrites 3 weeks prior. Today my readings were 2ppm ammo, 0 nitrites, around 30 nitrates and 6.0 ph.... thankfully I have an older person next door that was able to do minimal and added prime every other day to protect them from ammo or nitrite. So my question is with this tank would you say I’m cycled or should I continue doing prime doses and wait until my ammo is 0??? I was thinking ammo is only up because 6 fish going to the bathroom and broken down food not being changed for a month could have raised it and I might be cycled? I just don’t want it o crash.... hopefully that was clear, I appreciate any information and help you can provide me! Again, thank you for such an amazing video!
Dominique - thank you for the kind words! Yes, a lot of these products can be confusing and it took me a few years to really get my arms around them, when to use them, and even if to use them. And unfortunately, the people at the big box stores don't always have the best advice (not their fault - they just tell you what they are told...a lot of them don't even keep fish). You definitely can't add a little Quick Start then add fish 24 hours later. But this is how we learn. I started by buying at big box stores before my local fish store (only shop at my local fish store now and with reputable online retailers), so I made a lot of the same mistakes based on the advice of the employees at the big box stores.
Cycling a tank (which even with bottled beneficial bacteria - Fluval Biological Enhancer, QuickStart, etc..) takes a week or two. And the bacteria needs an ammonia source to feed on (you can put fish food in the tank and let it "rot" and decompose - creates ammonia for the bacteria to feed on). But when a tank is cycled, ammonia and nitrites will be 0 AND a good indication is that you start to get some algae :)
Your 10 gallon tank - the Fluval Biological Booster/Enhancer is exactly the right thing to use, so you did a great job! (it has the red cap on it). The Fluval Biological Cleaner is the sludge eating and has the purple cap on it. Your nitrates, ammonia, and nitrites are all at great levels, so yes, I would say the tank is certainly cycled. The sludge eating bacteria won't eat at the algae, but it is a good sign the algae is there. To reduce the algae, I would only keep the lights on for 5 to 6 hours a day. Algae is usually caused by too much light, too many nutrients in the tank. A weekly dose of the biological booster is great to keep the colony up for maintenance, and one dose per week is all you need. On a separate day, you can add biological cleaner for maintenance. But yes, only use one biological booster (either stability, biological enhancer, quick start, etc...) you definitely only need one.
Stress Guard is great to dose for preventative maintenance as well. And It is great to have on hand - what that is is essentially 1. A "liquid bandage" for fish. If they get any mild cuts, scrapes, scratches, missing scales, Stress Guard strengthens their slime coat and puts a "liquid bandage" over the wounds so that opportunistic bacteria can't get it the wound. 2. Helps keep fish's slime coat healthy, so this is why it doesn't hurt to dose it once a week.
Your 20 gallon - Your water parameters look great, so that appears to be cycled as well. :) But remember Prime is a water conditioner (you definitely need it and still need to keep using it). Prime doesn't exactly get rid of ammonia....it makes it so that the ammonia turns into ammonium and isn't toxic to the fish. But you still want to get the BB colony established so that it eats the ammonia on its own.
Once a tank is cycled, the beneficial bacteria will maintain themselves - adding BB once a week certainly doesn't hurt to keep the colony up - but it looks like both of your tanks are cycled at this point. :)
I have a routine that's worked great for me for years....once a tank is cycled - I do my water changes and add Seachem prime to condition the new water (Hikari Ultimate is also good). After the water change I add a little sludge eating bacteria you can use any product (Fluval Biological Cleaner, Pristine, API Stress Zyme, etc...). I also add a little Stress Guard OR Kordon Fish Protector. Both help keep fish's slime coats strong. I'll add beneficial bacteria whenever I feel I need it for a boost. And I test my water once a week to make sure everything is all good :)
I've been doing the above for the last 4 years consistently, and it works really well for me.
Hope all that helps a little?
agree. this is a incredible video!!!
I am a new fish owner and I would like to say thank you. Its videos like this that help me learn and make this hobby more fun. Thank you.
Thank you so much for this! I'm setting up a 14 gallon & getting overwhelmed with all the different products out there for cycling and this has helped me to pick the right one's, & it's easy to understand you're a god send!
You are a godsend!!!
Thank you SO MUCH!!
Been in the hobby forever, and never understood the whole "bacteria" thing until this video. Thank you.
My pleasure, Joseph. Glad it was helpful! Took me until I was several years in the hobby to understand the difference myself.....
Now this is what I'm talking about straight to the point no bias... Thank you!!!
Thanks so much! I have been looking for this information for hours.
My pleasure, Maddison!
Wow! Learn something new everytime I watch your videos. Thanks!
Steve - my pleasure! Glad the video was helpful!
This video was extremely helpful. As a beginner, this information helped set me on track. Thank you!!!
Glad it was helpful, Melissa! Thanks for watching! 😀
What a wonderfully clear and helpful video! Thank you!!!
Another awesome educational video, great to easily share among new comers to the hobby or to learn more indepth details with these!
Great Job!
Aquatic Haus thanks for the kind words! Yeah, I cater more toward the beginner/intermediate folks - since half the time I feel like one...myself...most of the time....😉. Thanks for checking out the vid! Hope you are well, my friend. Keep up the great work yourself! 👊
You are the man.! Thank you for the info..
Just found this video and I love it. I am now subscribed and an instant fan. Thank you for the info cause I didn't know about the sludge eating bacteria. Keep up the good work.
GRich77 really appreciate the kind words and proud to have you aboard! Glad the video was helpful to you!
I've been keeping fish on and off since I was a kid and understood how to cycle a tank but I never really understood it. I would some how almost always cycle it. But I never understood why it finally cycled till now. I have to agree with the people in the comments thank you so much for dumbing this down.
Alexandra - my pleasure! I didn’t understand it for a long time either. All these products were really confusing to me when I first started in the hobby
Thanks for this video, I had the same thought with the Stress Zyme. I will get some nitrifying stuff asap
Very helpful!!! Exactly the mistake I was making adding the sludge bacteria instead of nitrifying.. thank you!!!
This video is very informative and we'll made. Great job man good stuff
Thanks for the kind words, Stevie! Very glad it was helpful!
Thank you...very informative. I am trying to cycle a new 55 gallon tank and this helps immensely. Well done!
David - thank you for the kind words. I'm really glad the video was helpful to you - Best of luck with the 55 gallon! What a fun project!! Thank you for checking out the video, my friend!
Sooo helpful, big thanks!!!
Thank you, thank you!!!
For the videos on this and macro/micros
My pleasure, Candice! Thanks for watching!!
Thanks for the info! Learning a lot from you man
My pleasure!! Glad the videos are helpful! 👍
Thank you! That video was really helpful!! 😁
My pleasure, Paul - Appreciate you watching!
Thank you so much!!!
Thank you! I am trying to do a fish in cycle and was confused by all these products. Great video
This was very informative in which products to use and what they do in the fish tank.
Thanks for the kind words, Gail! Glad it was helpful to you!
Fascinating. So actually these bacterial groups complement each other, both pre and post cycle.
SlickChick - right? They absolutely do compliment each other, pre and post. Just have to use the right ones. 😉Really appreciate you checking out the video!
WOW thank you so much for doing the homework for us very useful info just like always great video ,,and for sharing 👍👍
George Calderon thanks, George!! Glad you enjoyed it and I'm glad it was helpful. I sure got a good reminder from the experience! 👍
Thank you so much for this video. It's helpful :)
My pleasure, Shilpa!
thanks this was very helpful , there are so many brands out there
Holy cow . This is a very informative video. So i just bought an api stresszyme coz i just dosing nitrification bacteria. Thanks for the vids mate.
Very informative,thanks for a great video!
My pleasure! Thanks for watching!
HI D.. excellent video and very well explained!! Loved it.. I do as Colin does.. just use all my extra filters I have running but when you have just a tank or two you would definitely benefit from the right bacteria. Hope you are having a great week!! =D ♥♥
DebTim A CANADIAN Girl thanks, Deb!! Yep, much easier to just use previous filter media or gravel - Have to tell you I was surprised at how many bacteria products are out now....😳. My buddy is starting from scratch so he needed a bottle and wow - every company has their own version now a days. But good to know the "good guy bacteria" is widely available 😀. Hope you are doing well, Deb! 😀
Very helpful for me, 👍👍👍 thanks!
Excellent info. Thanks. Learned a lot. New sub.
Thanks for the kind words, Glen! Very glad it was helpful, welcome, and proud to have you on board!
Well explained video in a simple manner ❤
best video on this topic
really great vid
Thank you for this! On my way to pick up some seachem pristine right away!
My pleasure Roxy! Glad it was helpful! 👍
I know this video is old but it really helped me figure out what to do as I have been cycling my tank for about 6 weeks with nothing in it and it doesn’t seem to be making much of a difference as far as the tests go! Gonna give some of these a try!
Hi Unity - Glad it was helpful! It's a bit of an older video but still relevant :) Thanks for watching!
J U S T I C E I have the plants and decorations and hiding place. By nothing in it, I meant no fish! But I looked into what he talked about in the video and 2 weeks later the water parameters were perfect when the max cycle time had ended for new ranks however what I used made it happen in 3 days I just waited cause the tank was a bit cloudy! Anyway I now have 9 cute fishies :3
very helpful, thanks!
Sully my pleasure! Apologize for the late reply!
Thanks. I was looking for supplements but this video is better.
Hi I’m new to fishkeeping and searched the internet far and wide for information on what different products do and found nothing UNTIL NOW this video is very very informative
THANK YOU 🙏
Rob d - my pleasure! And welcome to the hobby! Glad to see you got into it! You'll find a lot of support here online - Let me know if I can help further down the line!
You will find most professional fish keepers will not mess with adding and messing around with chemicals. The bacteria needed for your nitrogen cycle are ever present and will grow naturally on your biologist media. You may use something to dechlorinate your water but that's were you should stop. The more you mess with things the more trouble you ask for.
@@redsev4484 I completely agree with you about adding chemicals, absolutely, and I'm glad you pointed that out. However, it's important to note the products highlighted in this video are not chemicals but simply strains of bacteria - nitrosomonas, nitrobacter, etc...all naturally occurring bacteria - these products simply help speed up the cycling of a new tank or help with continued tank maintenance. While you are correct, bacteria needed for the cycle are ever present, cycling a new tank naturally without adding bacteria and an ammonia source for them to feed on can take a few months. Understandably, many prefer this option. My preference is always to add some bacteria and a little fish food as an ammonia source to kick start the cycle for a healthier tank. In my experience, this speeds up the cycling process and has worked well for me for 7 years, but that is simply my preference and experience. Where I believe beneficial bacteria in products like these is absolutely essential is in cases where hobbyists need to medicate for disease, do not have a hospital tank, and need to use strong antibiotics such as Erythromycin for gram positive bacteria strains, etc..... If this beneficial bacteria is not added to the tank while medicating to keep the colony up, the antibiotics will not only wipe out the bad bacteria, but the beneficial bacteria as well and this will crash the tank, leading to tremendous ammonia and nitrite spikes. Whenever I need to medicate, though rare and a last resort, I always add beneficial bacteria during the process to keep my colony up. All that being said, thank you for the comment and I hope you continue to advise hobbyists not to introduce real chemicals in their tanks. I try to do the same on my side, as I agree with you, that leads to nothing but trouble!
Thanks for the super informative video! I didn't realize there were two different kinds of bottled bacteria. I only knew about the sludge ones and heard tales of folks trying to use that kind to cycle a new tank, which doesn't work out too well, as you mentioned. But now that my heavily planted tank has built up some sludge I think I'll try the sludge kind. It's tough to vac thoroughly around the plants, and the amano shrimp and snails miss a lot. Btw, you have a great voice, ever thought of doing voice over work? I meant besides your own awesome videos? Thanks again!
Barbara - Thank you for the kind words! These beneficial bacteria are our All-Stars for sure....for years I used the sludge bacteria to try to cycle tanks myself 😳 Thought this video might be helpful 😀 Yes! Definitely try the "sludgers" in your planted tank - from my experience they do make a difference, and you are absolutely right, it's tough to vac much around the plants. Thanks for the sweet comment about my voice! 😊 I used to do a little radio work back in the day (lost my "radio voice accent"), but never thought of voice over work...but who knows...maybe in the future...🤔😉 Thank you so much for watching the videos and for the support. So glad they are helpful and that you are enjoying them!
Great information, I’m so confuse about this two products. Even my local fish store told me to use stress zyme for nitrifying omg! Quick start only for start up a new tank😂😂
Just wanted to say thanks cuz one of my tanks was starting to have a little bit of algae and I've got you know the first stuff that you mentioned which is the API stress guard and I've got plant food for the plants and Water Conditioner but now I'll go pick up a bottle of Fluval the one that you were mentioning I'm an American living in Taiwan so the products that we have are somewhat limited but I try to buy the best of everything
meg grotte my pleasure! There are a lot of products out there. They all do the same thing. 👍
Thanks man....!!!
very great video! Extremely helpful. No wonder there are no dislikes on this video!
ItsHerpDerp - glad it was helpful!! Thank you for watching and for the support!
Thank you so much for clarifying the products. I was using stress Zyme from start and can’t seem to get nitrifying going. Ammonia always at 0.50ppm and 0.25 after water change. I can’t seem to get the cycle going until I saw ur video so thank u again.
My pleasure, Jon! I love stress zyme and use it all the time, after every water change, for maintenance purposes. It's great "sludge eating bacteria." But yes, there are definitely better products out there to get the cycle going. Glad the video was helpful! 👍
jon doe I was doing the same thing.. no one tells you what to use for the bacteria to start. This is the only video that breaks it down
BEAUTIFUL PRESENTATION 👏👏👏 A+++++
Hallelujah!!!!!!!!!!!!
FINALLY A VIDEO THAT CRYSTAL CLEAR DIAMOND 💎 SHARP IN UNDERSTAND!!!!!!!!!!
THANKS BOTHER!!!
My pleasure John - glad it was helpful. Thanks for watching!
Seachem Pristine cleaning the tank not Stress guard . Stress guard is antiseptic for curing the fish for minor injury and stress when transporting
Aquarium Enthusiast - You are absolutely right! That was a mistake in the video - awhile back I made the correction in the notes, so hopefully folks will see that. Thanks for checking out the video!
Thank u...
Hi. I found your channel for some time and i love the way you make this videos. Even are basically information for beginer's, I watched all videos beause you have this nice way to present things. I hope you don't mind but if it is ok i want to point some things about the subject of this video. The ideea is that because i'm from Europe i use Seachem products, because API is hard to find and i have some experience with their products. The "ludge eating" Bacteria as you called it is not made by Stress Guard from Seachem. They have 2 other great products for this: Pristine that decompose excess food, waste and detritus and Clarity that will crystal clear your water because will make all floating particles to clumb together in larger pieces that can be mechanical filtrated. StressGuard is a good product to use for fish transportation. Cheers
Varol - Appreciate the kind words! Yep, the channel is intended for beginning to intermediate planted tank keepers. I'm certainly no expert, just sharing my experience along the way 😀 And you are absolutely right about Pristine and Clarity! I'm glad you commented! I should make a correction video on that - I meant to talk about Pristine....now I'm not sure why in the world I had the Stress Guard picture and narration in there 🤔 Good catch, my friend! Thank you for the support, for watching the vids, and for pointing this out!
very informative .. thanks
My pleasure, Nibras! Thank you for watching!
Best educational video
Sang Nguyen thank you for the very kind words! So glad it was helpful! 😊
Like your video, thank you very much. May I ask how Seachem Stress Guard is different with Seachem Pristine? Thank you.
Thanks
Awesome video! I purchased the fluval bacteria enhancer.. I have a new 15 gallon tank that only has Betta in and maybe later on will add 2 snails.. Should I also purchase bio cleaner or will the bacteria enhancer and the betta conditioner will do the work?
Thank you! I have the bio booster and it specifically says it’ll assist the nitrogen cycle so hopefully it’ll work
Hello! I'm new to aquascaping hobby. This guide is extremely helpful. I do have a question tho--
Is it better to use the two bacterias at the same time? (nitrifying & sludge eating)
can i use both stress zyme and quick start on the same time?
Keep up the good work
Sure will, Elvis! Thank you for your support!
really helpful
Absent Minded - glad it was helpful to you! Appreciate you watching!
First up, I must admit that I have never ever bought and used, bacteria in a bottle, in all my fishkeeping years. I have however always taken dirty filter media, or gravel, from other healthy established tanks. But either way, borrowed or bought, bacteria are vital folks!!!!
Another great video production. :)
colinbarsby thanks, Colin! As always, appreciate the kind words!! I'm with ya 👍. It's been quite awhile since I've started a tank from scratch without using gravel or media from another - hence my confusion 😳. Got a good refresher from my LFS owner...hoping this helps folks newer in the hobby that are starting tanks from scratch 😎 So many products out there. Every company has gone one of these...
What food do these bacteria eat while sitting on the store shelf in bottles?
Seachem Pristine is the sludge eating/maintenance. Stress guard is like api stress coat.
Ron - you are absolutely right. "typo" on my part. Sorry about that
Thanks for pointing this out Ron. Appreciated.
Yessss I was gonna say that haha I went to petco last time and saw the pristine but forgot the name then came to this video but wasnt 100 sure if it was that one haha but other than that good video
Hello. Im a first timer, I bought a 5G tank, to set it up I added the TopFin Water Conditioner plus the API Stress Zyme (Sludge Bacteria), then I added a zebradanio fish on Day 3, added a Betta fish and 1 nerite snail on Day 6, Returned the zebradanio on Day 10 because she was bothering the Betta and he was getting stressed out.
Now its been 3 weeks, the Ammonia is good, but the Nitrate and Nitrite Levels are always high for the past 3 days, I ordered the API API quickstart from Amazon so i can put some in my 5G but I'm afraid it will kill my betta because of the reviews, and I know I shouldve started the tank the proper way, but I dont know any better. I thought I was doing the right thing, please let me know if it is a good idea to add the API Quickstart to my tank with the nitrate/nitrite levels that it has now? Maybe add it little by little? Maybe one drop at a time? I feel like my Betta is a little sluggish right now, and maybe his immune system is week I don't want to make it worse for him! :(
What about tetra safe start plus?
Hi thanks for this informative video! I would like to ask, im setting up a new tank, So first do i run the water and put seachem prime and then stability for 7 days. Do i put the prime just on the first day only or do i need to still put in prime everyday? Thanks good sir
Very nice
Thanks for checking out the video and the kind words!
Can you add this stuff while fish are already in the tank?
My new tank is reading 0 ammonia but .50ppm nitrite and 20ppm. (No fish in the tank yet, just 2 small love java plants) at I doing something wrong ? Or I added the recommended amount of beta conditioner and quick start from their labels. It’s day 2. And the nitrite is still.50ppm. Should I add alil more quick start?
I hope you get my message, I was wondering, if there is protein form forming on top of my freshwater aquarium should I do an immediate water change or add stress zyme and see how things go in about a week?
Good video
Thanks, Flav! Appreciate the kind words!
I don’t know what’s going on bc after my recent cleaning my tank got super cloudy fish started behaving weird I thought my ram was done for, some how she is still alive. The only thing testing high right now is Ammonia. I did see the ph went down significantly like from 7.6 to around 6.0. The nitrates are great and so is nitrites. I just can’t get these ammonia levels to decrease. The tank is cloud right now kind of looks a little better on it’s 3rd day of cloudiness but not near where it was. I clearly made a mistake with my last water change and changed too much. I just added api quick start and the stress zyme hopefully that does something. Anyone have any suggestions?
so when i put my water in i put quick start and stress zyme i dont need fish food?
Can I use api quick start and stability at the same time ? Tank started cycle yesterday. And everything is spiked.
Thankyou Sir
Would you mind give me suggestions to keep my liquid bactery starter?
Take 1 litre a year ago, now smells awful.
Can I use any of these products in my fish tank for my goldfish and if so how much would I use
So if i am starting a brand new tank is it ok to put Quick Start and Stress Zyme + at the same time?
Can you drink the good bacteria just as is if the tank has no fish in it?
So all I need is quick start and stress zyme to start and maintain my freshwater tank? I’m so confused because there are sooooooooooo many products.
Is seachem pristine similar to stress zyme?
Hi... when is the best time to put bacteria into tank? After water change or second day after water change? Thank you
Very informative as always! Please keep on posting more!!!!!recently was given a master test kit and upon testing my water it appears my tank is not cycled .
This tank has been going for over a year with a betta, Ammonia shows as between 0 and 0.15 ppm. I guess quick start would be the way to go but I'm puzzled as to how the betta has lived this long. I do have lots of plants and water change 1-2 times a week.
Also added a Nerite snail after I seen your video on big john but maybe stress zyme would also help with brown algae/diatom. Not cycled is maybe why over the year I had battled fin rot but have stop it from progressing, no fin growth at all mind you.
Sometimes all these products Make me wonder how much I over think as far as chemicals going in this little 2.6 gallon of mine,I already feel like I worry too much with fertilizer and CO2 booster. Anyways again thank you for another great video!
Tim - as always, thank you for the kind words! Many more vids on the way 😎 I think you are on to a few things here. #1, I think you are right on regarding over thinking chemicals. There are so many products on the market, all designed, of course, for profit, but I really think we only need half of them, if that. On a previous build on my 2.6 gallon (it's been through 3 redesigns), I didn't dose at all - just a little excel, and the plant growth was excellent. I've switched from EI dosing to simply dosing NilocG's Thrive twice a week - it's a fabulous all in one fert. Sometimes in the hobby, less is more....😉
Interesting about your tank....it should be cycled, but something is causing an ammonia build up...I would try to add Quick Start or one of the other products that offer Nitrifying bacteria. That may give your BB colony a boost. Your BB Bacteria will grow not only in your filter but in your substrate bed, on driftwood, rocks, etc...there actually isn't too much in the water column...they need something to grab onto (that's why bio media is rough and porous). How are your nitrite, nitrate readings?
Glad you added a Nerite Snail!!! They are awesome, and Big John is still over here kicking butt for me 😀 The Stress Zyme mostly handles decomposing organic material - as algae and diatoms are living organisms, I'm not sure the Zyme will work, but certainly worth a try. Let your Nerite work a bit for you and see how it goes. Dosing a little excel will help stem the algae growth as well - of course, the best recourse with algae is to modify your lighting - perhaps cut back a little on the light duration, add a very small amount of Seachem excel, let your ol' Nerite work for you.
Keep in touch on the tank! Sounds like you are doing everything just right - having a ton of plants help, FOR SURE. Try to add a little Quick Start - let's see if we can boost that BB colony 👍
dmichaels fish den
my lighting is on 3 hours in the morning and 4 in the evening. I dose .25ml API co2 booster (excel equivalent) every morning...Nitrate/nitrite read 0
The nerite is a crazy pooper, my rocks are so clean but he hasn't touched the plants yet. As for nutrients Fluval root tabs since you came out with tab video and leaf zone once a week. I recently reduce leaf zone to .50 a ml a week. But other then that I must pick some QuickStart up I guess. My water I always leave in a pre-made jug with the stress coat added but I don't think that would cause ammonia spike sitting around in jug
another thought is I'm using API stress coat for water, Maybe switching to prime would be a good idea
Tim - you are definitely cycled if your nitrate and nitrite readings are 0 - Interesting that your nitrate readings are totally 0 though. So here is a situation where you may need to add some Nitrogen to the water column, which plants do need - a lot of the time they soak it up through nitrates....I'm with you, less dosing is more, but in certain cases....it's there for a reason 👍 Nitrogen is one of the plant nutrient macros. You can add some of this by picking up a single bottle of Nitrogen liquid...Seachem has one, but NilocG Thrive also has a great all in one product. I know just dose THRIVE once a week - has the Nitrogen content you need as well. Your root tabs also Nitrogen in them, but you may need to supplement a bit more...We do want nitrates about 5 - 15ppm.
Your tank sounds cycled but always safe to pick up some Quick Start and try to add a bit to get your colony going a little. Definitely use prime as your water conditioner though. It will help bind ammonia, making it non toxic, and it will get rid of any chloramine or chlorine in your water. Unless perhaps you are using well water?
.....and yeah...the Nerites are big time poopers....💩 But at least you know he's doing his job, my friend!
In my experience, I love Prime. Stand by it and am a loyal user. 👍 Not that Stress Coat is bad...works great too. Prime has just never let me down....so I've never changed 😀
Thank you so much!! This is the step that I was missing and no one else talks about on the cycling videos.. All they say is use old use filter with established bacteria. Or how to add ammonia to a tank. But never say how or what to use to get the good bacteria going.. thank you for the breakdown I was using stress zyme because it had live bacteria, to cycle my tank but noting is going on..
My pleasure! Glad the video was helpful! It certainly can be confusing....I still use Stress Zyme weekly (have for years and years) after each water change, and its great -but Stress Zyme includes spores of the sludge eating bacteria so its great for tank maintenance. The beneficial bacteria for cycling are a different species...that is the Nitrobacter and Nitrosomonas bacteria - so, all good stuff, all beneficial bacteria, just different species used for different applications 😀 Thanks for checking out the video! 👍
Hello. I have a 29 gallon that I belive to have gone through its first big ammonium spike after a bit over a month.
I lost about a few fish they were all lethargic and at the bottom for 2 days. Now they are back to normal behavior active. But is there any form of beneficial bacteria I can add directly to the tank anytime I want to just make sure it's always packed with beneficial bacteria. I have a hang on the back it came with with sponge media. And 2 Co op sponge filters inside witch I try to no mess with so much.
Hi I’ve had my aquarium going for around 2 years now. I used to use the first Fluval product you recommended. Do I need to buy a bottle of each for my aquarium? Also how often would you add them?
So I got a 29g and I'm in the process of setting it up. Can i use a bottle of Nitrifying Bacteria put it in there and how long will it be untill my tank is cycled? Would it be better for me to do it the traditional way?
Hi, great info. So what is that thin lean leaf foreground plant called?
Glad it was helpful! That is dwarf sagittaria in the front 👍Also called sagittaria subulata
Thought that was dwarf sag -didnt know its other name. Can you think of another foreground plant similar to dwarf sag?..as i cant seem to find it in Australia. Also i dont want any chain sword or hair grass, as i dont want to completely cover my black aqua iron sand by famous scaper oliver knott. The reason is its black and has sparkly twinkly bits in it. It really makes the tank stand out. Thanks man. 👊
after 3 years aftee this video was posted, how do u think about gen F? still good above seachem? or gen F can be one solutions for cycling new tank and maintance, im sorry for my bad english
I have a clownfish and I used api quick start
Omg...I also got same mistake....thank you
this is important information
Please keep making more video
Is this mean we must use 2 products together when change water?
Calvin - My pleasure! Once your tank is cycled, you really only need to use sludge eating bacteria like Stress Zyme...if you want. You don't have to. I find it is helpful for tank maintenance so I dose API Stress Zyme after each water change. If your tank isn't cycled, that is when you would use the beneficial bacteria, like Fluval Bio-logical enhancer, etc...But again, if you tank is cycled, you really only need a good water conditioner (if you are using tap water), and a little Stress Zyme or another sludge eating bacteria for maintenance, if you decide to :)
Greetings sir from philippines! I watch your video and very informative. Id just like to ask a question, is it ok to put nitrifying bacteria directly in new build filter? Or is it really neccesary to the pond? Or can i put in pond and filter? Which is which? TIA.. more power!
The pond and filter are new built. Newbie here!
hi.. please give your review on how good bacter gen F
Used it once and it seemed like it got the job done really well. I used it to cycle a new tank, and it got the job done in about 4-5 days. I don't have a ton of experience with it, but I can tell you it works to cycle a tank 👍 I'm going to be doing a new tank soon, and I may try it and keep track of exactly how long it takes to cycle it. Continuum has a good reputation, and the guy that runs my local fish store uses their stuff all the time, and I trust him a lot
Great video, and excellent quality to your editing. I think you should definitely consider a career in voice over work. 😉
Aussie Reefer - thank you for all the kind words! Really nice of you to say. Funny - a lot of people have suggested I consider voice over work as a career...guess it is time to finally look into that! :) Appreciate you checking out the video!
Wow so here's what I've done so far I have a 1 galloon tank I filled it up with water and I bought the API Stress Zyme + and put a drop of it in. Its been sitting for 11 days now I also bought some tetra aquasafe for bettas I havent put any in the water yet and know I found this video the idea is to cycle the water so i can put in a betta fish am I doing this right????
So sorry for the late reply here. To cycle, you want to use nitrifying bacteria - something like Fluval Biological Enhancer, API Quick Start, Seachem Stability. The API Stress Zyme is great but it is sludge eating bacteria - great at eating organics, but we want to use the nitrifying bacteria to cycle the tank. What I would do is drop a fish wafer in the water (algae wafer, etc...). Let that start to decompose for a few days. That will create ammonia. You'll want to have a water test kit, like the Master test kit from API. Test the water until you see a spike of ammonia. If not you can add more food. After a day or two, you want to add the beneficial bacteria (nitrifying bacteria) each day, following the instructions on the bottle. Beneficial bacteria need ammonia to feed on. Keep testing the water - you'll have an ammonia spike, then a nitrite spike, then when you read 0 ammonia and 0 nitiries, you can put the betta in. Hope that helps!
@@dmichaelsfishden I appreciate your help i'll get to it
Will nitrifting bacteria work in cold water tanks, I am sure I read along time ago that the water has to be warm for the bacteria to breed, and also need oxygen.
I might be wrong though.
Cheers for the video
Hey Trevor - thanks for checking out the video. Great question. The bacteria need oxygen, absolutely...as long as you have some surface agitation with oxygen exchange, no problem there. Of course, an air stone helps tremendously as well. The temperature question is a good one. I'm not sure how cold you are going, but I can share my experience - most of my tanks run 74 - 80 degrees (they all have heaters). I just started a new one - my take on a "cold water" tank. No heater. Runs anywhere from 69 - 75 degrees (gets hotter when the light has been on). It cycled beautifully. Nitrifying bacteria had no issues and multiplied quickly. So I can say you won't have any problem in the 69 - 80 degree range. If you are running colder than 68 or 69 degrees I don't think you will have a problem. I would test it first though - throw in some fish food and let it breakdown (that will create ammonia and something for the bacteria to feed on). Then add the bacteria and test it out at whatever temperature you are at. I'm guessing you won't have a problem cycling - hope that helps. I'm not well versed on the topic below 68 degrees...
So if I get the bactergenf a can get all 6 of them together
Spitflare - basically, yes. It is the only all-in-one I know of on the market, and Continuum is a really good company. You get your nitrifying bacteria and sludge eating bacteria all in one bottle. Which is why the bacter gen-f is 2 or 3 dollars more expensive than JUST their sludge eating bacteria, a product called bacter clean-f. But, yep, it is a good all in one. Thanks for watching!