Bacterial supplements

[PARAGUAY]

All the major players ADA ,API,Seachem among them sell Bacterial supplements and claims are made on You Tube,forums about the effectiveness, Nathan Hill in PFK puts Nitrico Goop on his tried and tested page,in conclusion it really works,he concludes, it can be smeared on the sponges in the filter, l know some of you have discussed this topic c at length @dw1305 and. @_Maq_

 

[_Maq_]

@PARAGUAY , what are your questions?

 

[PARAGUAY]

Well they sound to good to be true,and not much mention of planted aquariums,most of these are in liquid form, this one Nitrico is a gel and the review gives it 5stars in every category, fish can be added in quick time to the aquarium, any thoughts opinion?

 

[Wookii]

I think there are a fair few threads where Darrel (@dw1305 ) has outlined that the majority of bacterial supplements available commercially do not really contain the same microbes that eventually come to inhabit our tanks and contribute to its maturation. I',m sure he'll be along shortly with a 'link-fest' for you.

I have never quite understood why the commercial solutions can't just utilise the same mix of microbes we would find in a typical aquarium filtere or substrate, but it must have something to do with being able to farm them profitably and keep them alive in a bottle in sufficient quantities.

I've always found that the best inoculation for a new tank, is the filter mulm or substrate from an existing tank, and that can rapidly increase the maturation rate of a new tank. Failing that, I think time and the addition of live plants are the only other path - I certainly wouldn't risk the early addition of livestock on the promise given on a bottle label myself.

 

[_Maq_]

I have never quite understood why the commercial solutions can't just utilise the same mix of microbes

I don't think that (most of the) aquarium hobbyists brands cultivate the microbes themselves. I think they purchase them from specialized firms who respond to commercial demand - water processing plants, big fish nurseries, etc. Apart from that, only small share of known bacteria and archaea can be successfully cultivated in a lab. Don't ask me why, I just know it for a fact.
But Darrel will surely stress another thing, i.e. species variability of our microbial communities. Adding a blend of, say, five species is clearly just a drop into an ocean. Matured communities are represented by many dozens of species, and they compete and respond to fluctuating conditions very sensitively.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

outlined that the majority of bacterial supplements available commercially do not really contain the same microbes that eventually come to inhabit our tanks and contribute to its maturation

What @_Maq_ says <"So what is organic wastes?">.

Probably the most <"complete threads"> we have are the ones with Tim Hovanec <"Dr Timothy Hovanec's comments about Bacterial supplements"> and Ryan Newton <"Correspondence with Dr Ryan Newton - School of Freshwater Sciences, University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee">.

cheers Darrel

 

[PARAGUAY]

I took a look at Tropco website about the product. They use it on 1100 stocked aquariums and completely change the filter and use it when restocking. That appears quite a good test for a product. The review by Nathan Hill l think he added something like 12 fish after seeding brand new never used sponges a day later after testing for Ammonia and Nitrite. Goop is not recommended for very soft water though but Nathan has Ph of 6:5, Reading Darrel's like to Dr Tim it appears our understanding of these products is in its infancy